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).
Steering friction test results under various axle conditions.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 67\4\ scan0251 | |
| Date | 26th January 1928 guessed | |
| contd :- -3- LIMITS BETWEEN WHICH THE FRICTION IN THE STEERING WILL LIE. CONDITION OF AXLE. Stationary Wt.on pivots.W. Normal running Wt.on pivots W/2 Standard pivots. Spring loaded cross steering tube. 775 ins.lbs. 575 ins.lbs. Three plate friction. 825 lbs.spring load. 520 ins.lbs. 520 ins.lbs. Three plate friction. 600 lbs. spring load. 650 ins.lbs. 520 ins.lbs. Three plate friction. No spring load. 950 ins.lbs. Stiff-ens up when shunt-ing. Rejected for this reason. 475 ins.lbs. From this it will be seen that there is not really a very large discrepancy between the results obtainable with the spring loaded cross steering tube and the shunted pivots. The fact remains, however, that the difference is quite appreciable on the road, though possibly this is due to some factor the significance of which we have missed. Our original estimate of 340 ins.lbs. about the pivot as the maximum friction required in the cross steering tube was undoubtedly on the low side but proficiency in the manufacture of the low geared worm and nut has produced free steerings. The one other difficulty that we encountered with this friction in the pivots was that unless the plates were perfectly bedded we obtained inconsistent results. Incidentally, this friction device is somewhat inaccessible. | ||