Improvements in Apparatus for Governing the Speed of Gas Engines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 15th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted. 19th Oct.,
1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Governing the Speed of Gas
Engines.
We ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK of the firm of Henry Wallwork & Co. of the Union
Bridge Ironworks Charter Street Manchester in the county of Lancaster Engineer
and Ironfounder and THOMAS STURGEON of Easby Drive, Ilkley in the county of
York Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Upon the slide valve or some other convenient reciprocating part of a gas engine
we fix a pin which works against an inclined lever in such a manner as to cause a
constant up and down or to and fro motion of the lever. Upon the fulcrum of this
lever we fix another short lever having a projecting lip which we call the "pecker."
This pecker is placed opposite to the end of the gas valve spindle but there is a
certain space allowed between the end of the valve-spindle and the pecker. This
space is occupied by a block on the end of a rod and when the block is in its normal
position and the pecker is depressed it forces the block against the valve spindle
and so opens the gas valve and allows gas to be admitted to the engine but when
the block is moved away from the pecker the action of the pecker does not affect
the gas valve which therefore remains shut, no gas being allowed to pass to the
engine. The other end of the rod which carries the block is attached to a short
lever carried by the same fulcrum which carries another lever which is acted upon
by a cam on the crank shaft. This cam is so arranged that it will gradually raise the
lever and suddenly release it. The raising of the lever pushes the block from under-
neath the pecker and on the lever being released it falls and brings the block again
underneath the pecker. Should the engine be running at its proper speed this block
will return to its normal position in time to be caught by the pecker as it comes down
and so gas will be admitted for the next stroke of the engine but should the engine
be running too fast the block will not return in time to be caught by the pecker as it
descends, thus no gas will be admitted to the engine which therefore slows down again
to its proper speed.

page_text: Or instead of lifting the lever gradually and releasing it suddenly the cam might
he arranged to throw the lever up suddenly and should the engine be running too
quick the lever will receive a little extra impetus and the block will consequently be
carried a little further from the pecker and will not return in time to be caught by
the pecker for the next stroke and the gas will thus be cut off until the engine has
again slowed down. This plan however is not so steady in its action as that already
described.
Another arrangement is as follows.
In place of actuating the inclined lever by a pin on the slide valve we provide it
with a sliding block which is held back by a long spiral spring. This block is
furnished with a projecting edge or rim. On the slide valve is fixed a plate having a
notch in it at a certain position the arrangement being such that when the engine is
running at its normal speed the projecting rim on the block is caught in the notch
and the block is thereby carried forward lifting the inclined lever and thereby forcing
the pecker down on to the end of the gas valve spindle and opening the gas valve,
but should the engine be running too fast the projecting rim has not time to fall into
the notch as the plate passes below it and the block therefore remains in the position
in which it is retained by the spiral spring. The lever is therefore not raised and no
gas is admitted until the speed is sufficiently reduced to allow the projecting edge to
enter the notch or, in other words, until the engine has again reached its normal
speed.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Governing the Speed of Gas
Engines.
We ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK of the firm of Henry Wallwork and Co. of Union
Bridge Iron Works Charter Street Manchester in the County of Lancaster Engineer
and Ironfounder and THOMAS STURGEON of Easby Drive Ilkley in the County of
York, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Upon the slide valve or some other convenient reciprocating part of a gas engine
we fix a pin which works against an inclined lever in such a manner as to cause a
constant up and down or to and fro motion of the lever. Upon the fulcrum of this
lever we fix another short lever having a projecting lip which we call the "pecker."
This "pecker" is placed opposite to the end of the gas valve spindle but there is a
certain space allowed between the end of the valve spindle and the pecker. This space
is occupied by a block on the end of a rod and when the block is in its normal
position and the pecker is depressed, it forces the block against the valve spindle and
so opens the gas valve and allows gas to be admitted to the engine, but when the
block is moved away from the pecker the action of the pecker does not affect the gas
valve which therefore remains shut, no gas being allowed to pass to the engine. The
other end of the rod which carries the block is attached to a short lever carried by
the same fulcrum which carries another lever which is acted upon by a cam on the
crank shaft. This cam is so arranged that it will gradually raise the lever and suddenly
release it. The raising of the lever pushes the block from underneath the "pecker,
and on the lever being released it falls and brings the block again underneath the
pecker. Should the engine be running at its proper speed this block will return to
its normal position in time to be caught by the pecker as it comes down and so gas
will be admitted for the next stroke of the engine, but should the engine be running
too fast the block will not return in time to be caught by the pecker as it descends.
Thus no gas will be admitted to the engine which therefore slows down again to
its proper speed.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying drawings shews a general view of this arrangement
Fig. 2, being a view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the apparatus.
The same letters refer to the same parts in both these Figs. A A is a portion of
the slide valve. B is the pin working against the inclined lever C. This inclined
lever works on the fulcrum I) and upon the same fulcrum or shaft is fixed the
pecker E. In Fig. 2 the gas-valve-box F is shewn in section. G is the gas valve
spindle. H the gas-valve which is kept up to its seat by the spring I. The gas-valve-
box is attached to the slide valve cover K, the gas pipe being connected to it at I.
(Fig. 1).
M is the block on the end of the rod N. In the position shewn in the drawing the
block is under the pecker which is just about to depress it and so open the gas valve

page_text: and admit gas to the engine. Referring to Fig. 1., the other end of the rod N is
attached to the short lever O the lever P being fixed on the same fulcrum. The
lever P is acted on by the cam Q on the crank shaft R. As the shaft revolves this
cam coming in contact with the lever P gradually raises it and by doing so pushes
the block N from underneath the pecker. The further motion of the crank shaft
releases the lever P from the cam and allows the lever to drop, so bringing the block.
back underneath the pecker and thus causing the engine to take gas for the next
revolution. The pecker having a positive motion imparted to it; the speed of its
descent will, of course, vary exactly with the speed of the engine. The lever P falling
by its own weight its speed of descent will be constant and will not alter with the
speed of the engine, consequently if the engine run too quick and the apparatus be
properly adjusted, the pecker will descend quicker than the block returns. The block
will consequently fail to get under the pecker in time and the gas valve will not be
opened until the speed of the engine is so far reduced that the slow descent of the
pecker enables the block to return in time to insert itself under the pecker. The rod N
is in two portions which have right and left hand threads and are connected together
with the long nut S so that by turning this nut backwards or forwards the rod N
may be lengthened or shortened by minute degress. The normal position of the
block M and consequently the running speed of the engine may thus be fixed to great
nicety. T is a lock nut for preventing the nut S from moving after being once set.
Or instead of lifting the lever gradually and releasing it suddenly the cam might
be arranged to throw the lever up suddenly and should the engine be running too
quick the lever will receive a little extra impetus and the block will consequently be
carried a little further from the pecker and will not return in time to be caught by
the pecker for the next stroke and the gas will thus be cut off until the engine has
again slowed down. This plan however is not so steady in its action as that already
described.
Another arrangement is as follows:-
AL
In place of actuating the inclined lever by a pin on the slide valve we provide it
with a sliding block which is held back by a long spiral spring. This block is
furnished with a projecting edge or rim. On the slide valve is fixed a plate having
notch in it, at a certain position, or two plates with a space between them, the
arrangement being such that when the engine is running at its normal speed the
projecting rim on the block is caught in the notch and the block is thereby carried
forward lifting the inclined lever and thereby forcing the pecker down on the end of
the gas-valve-spindle and opening the gas valve, but should the engine be running
too fast the projecting rim has not time to fall into the notch as the plate passes below
it and the block therefore remains in the position in which it is retained by the spiral
spring. The lever is therefore not raised and no gas is admitted until the speed is
sufficiently reduced to allow the projecting edge to enter the notch or in other words
until the engine has again reached its normal speed.
Three views of this arrangement are shewn in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. Fig. 5 shewing
a partial section. The same letters refer to the same parts in all these Figs. A is the
sliding block, which we find may be conveniently made of a circular and cone shaped
form as shewn on the drawing. This block is an easy fit on the inclined lever and is
held in its normal position by the spring B. C is a portion of the slide valve to
which are attached the two plates D and E in such positions as to leave the narrow
notch F between them. The block E is attached to the slide valve by means of a
screw passing through an elongated hole as shewn in Fig. 5 so as to allow means
of adjusting the. width of the notch F upon the width of which the speed of the
engine will depend. The surface of the plate E should be slightly above that of
plate D. G is the fulcrum and H the pecker.
In the drawing the apparatus is shewn in three different positions.
In Fig. 3 the valve is just commencing its stroke in the direction of the arrow.
In Fig. 4, it has made a small portion of its stroke and the projecting edge or
lip on the block has just caught in the notch. In Fig. 5 the valve has made a little
more than half of its stroke, the block being carried forward and the inclined

page_text: lever being thereby raised thus depressing the pecker and opening the gas valve.
In this arrangement the block M. Figs. 1 & 2. is of course not required the pecker
acting direct on the end of the gas valve spindle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
3:
1. Governing the speed of gas engines by means of a positively moved "pecker
or lever acting in combination with a falling lever of relatively constant velocity in
such a manner that when the speed of the positively moved lever exceeds that of
the falling lever gas will not be admitted to the engine but when both are acting
harmoniously gas will be admitted.
2. The arrangement shewn in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 for governing the speed of a gas
engine, or any mere modification thereof.
GEO. DOWNING,
Agent for Applicants.