From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
'jellying' or flexing of the scuttle on a Barker Phaeton and a proposed structural solution.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 71\1\ scan0286 | |
| Date | 11th April 1927 | |
| TO L.H.S.{Lord Herbert Scott - Chair} FROM DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} C. to E.J. O.{Mr Oldham} PH. H.S. SWB. OG. re. COACHWORK. X8830 DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}/1/M11.4.27. Our experiences with the jellying of the scuttle on 10-EX. - Barker Phaeton - may have given us some information which would be of interest to you. As R.{Sir Henry Royce} emphatically pointed out this scuttle was a bad example, not only of jellying when on the road, but of actually matchboxing when leaned against. We fitted the sheet metal stiffeners to the forward end of the scuttle, following the suggestion made by R.{Sir Henry Royce}, and while this cured the tendency of the scuttle to allow itself to be pushed about, on the road the jellying was little reduced. In the sketch below we show the structure of the scuttle as originally built by Barkers, and this typical of the construction of all open bodies, (and some closed bodies) where the door pillars are not in line with the instrument board rail. It will be seen that it is impossible to iron this section in any way except on mechanical lines. [Handwritten next to diagram] MODDED TO MAKE THE STRUCTURE CORRECT This section needs to be a bulkhead as it has to carry the mass of the screen and the instrument board on its back. In our new sketch, and on N. sch. 2381. (herewith) we show the treatment which we recommended to Barkers. By fitting the extra vertical and cross member in line with the instrument board rail it becomes possible to scientifically tie the corners of this section and so prevent parallelogramming. This has been carried out on 10-EX., and when the writer tried the car on the road all signs of jellying had disappeared, and there was no relative movement between the dashboard and scuttle. It is this cure of scuttle jellying to which R.{Sir Henry Royce} refers in his memo. on coachwork R3/M4427. As far as we can recollect, and as our experience goes, it has always been cars in which the door pillars have not been opposite the instrument board rail in which this phenomenon of jellying has occurred, and also we believe it is true to say that Barkers as a rule do not attempt to make this section a bulkhead, even on bodies where it is comparatively simple to do so. Would you kindly return N. sch. 2381. when you have finished with it. DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} | ||