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).
Proposing a new 'autolock' damper control system for Bentley V cars and requesting it be patented.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 151\2\ scan0397 | |
| Date | 25th May 1939 | |
| 1292.? By {R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} /NW. {N. Walker - Patents} from Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /AFM. {Anthony F. Martindale} Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /AFM {Anthony F. Martindale} 3/R.25.5.39. DAMPER CONTROL. At present on Bentley V. {VIENNA} cars we control the dampers through a servo device. We are unable to control them direct by rods because the power necessary to compress the springs causes the force required to operate the finger lever to be excessive. In an autolock damper, or any other damper in which the main valve springs are compressed by movements of the damper, it is possible to add a driver's control by making the damper compress the spring, and then holding this in the compressed position by a suitable linkage, thus doing away with the pump on the gearbox and the bellows. We would like this idea patenting. It is possible to make the degree of compression of the spring vary with the position of the control lever; but in the "preferred form" of the idea the damper will have two valves, one for bump and one for rebound, and the control lever will have three positions. The first position gives minimum damping, the second minimum on bump and maximum on rebound, the third maximum on both bump and rebound strokes. Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /AFM. {Anthony F. Martindale} | ||