IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton of the Mansion House
Buildings Queen Victoria Street in the City of London Engineer and John
Westbeech Kempster of the Arc Works Chelmsford in the County of Essex
Engineering Pupil for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rookes Evelyn Bell
Crompton and John Westbeech Kempster at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents on the 4th January 1883.
ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON of the Mansion House Buildings Queen
Victoria Street in the City of London Engineer and JOHN WESTBEECH KEMPSTER
of the Arc Works Chelmsford in the County of Essex Engineering Pupil.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM ENGINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Our invention relates more particularly to the governor gear of steam engines
and especially to that portion of it in which the too violent movements of the
regulating apparatus are controlled by means of a piston traversing in a cylinder.
This contrivance is commonly known by the name of a "dash pot."
In place of forming our dash pot with a piston more or less loosely fitting the
oval cylinder in which it works or if closely fitting it having certain holes bored
through it to permit of the passage of the viscous fluid at a determined regulated
speed.
We use a form of piston fitting the bore of the cylinder very accurately and
provide for the passage of the fluid being through certain holes closed with one or
more valves so balanced and contrived that when the piston is slowly traversing
the cylinder inwards or outwards the valve or valves do not close on to their seats
and the speed of traverse is regulated by the flow of the fluid through the
passages quite independently of the valves themselves which do not come into
action at all.
But any sudden movement having a tendency to cause the piston to traverse the
cylinder more rapidly than is desirable will cause the above mentioned valves to

page_text: completely close the regulating orifices and arrest almost entirely the traversing
motion of the piston.
The advantages of this arrangement will be readily seen when a "dash pot" so
fitted is attached to any of the best known governor gears on steam or gas engines
in such manner that the sudden inward motion of the governor balls or revolving
weights either from sudden lowering of the speed of the engine or from the governor
strap itself coming off or in any way ceasing to be in gear with the engine will
have the effect of commencing the traverse of the piston of the dash pot so rapidly
that the valves will at once close and so arrest further movement.
In most governors the depression or inward movement of the balls or revolving
weights has the effect of opening wide the steam pipe or otherwise increasing the
supply of steam or gas to the engine or gas motor as the case may be.
It is evident that our invention by preventing this sudden opening will 1"
greatly facilitate regular governing at constant speed and 2ndly will prevent
accidents from the engine racing by not allowing the steam passages to be
suddenly opened if the governor bolt flies off or the governor in any way ceases
to act.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton and John Westbeech Kempster in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th June 1883.
ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON of the Mansion House Buildings Queen
Victoria Street in the City of London Engineer and JOHN WESTBEECH KEMPSTER
of the Arc Works Chelmsford in the County of Essex Engineering Pupil
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM ENGINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
Our Invention relates more particularly to the governor gear of steam engines
and especially to that portion of it in which the too violent movements of the
regulating apparatus are controlled by means of a piston traversing in a cylinder.
This contrivance is commonly known by the name of a "dash pot."
In place of forming our dash pot with a piston more or less loosely fitting the
bored cylinder in which it works, or if closely fitting it having certain holes bored
through it to permit of the passage of the viscous fluid at a determined regulated
speed.
We use a form of piston fitting the bore of the cylinder very accurately and
provide for the passage of the fluid being through certain holes closed with one or
more valves so balanced and contrived that when the piston is slowly traversing
the cylinder inwards or outwards the valve or valves do not close on to their scats
and the speed of traverse is regulated by the flow of the fluid through the passages
quite independently of the valves themselves which do not come into action at all.
But any sudden movement having a tendency to cause the piston to traverse the
cylinder more rapidly than is desirable, will cause the above mentioned valves to
completely close the regulating orifices and arrest almost entirely the traversing
motion of the piston.
The advantages of this arrangement will be readily seen when a dash pot so
fitted is attached to any of the best known governor gears or steam or gas engines
in such manner that the sudden inward motion of the governor balls or revolving
weights either from sudden lowering of the speed of the engine or from the governor
strap itself coming off or in anyway ceasing to bo in gear with the engine will have
the effect of commencing the traverse of the piston of the dash pot so rapidly that
the valves will at once close and so arrest further movement.
In most governors the depression or inward movement of the balls or revolving
weights has the effect of opening wide the steam pipe or otherwise increasing the
supply of steam or gas to tho engine or gas motor as the case may be.
It is evident that our invention by preventing this sudden opening will
1 greatly facilitate regular governing at constant speed.
2nd will prevent accidents from the engine racing by not allowing the steam
passages to be suddenly opened if the governor belt flies off or the governor in any
way ceases to act.
In carrying out our invention we employ a piston P (Figure 1) traversing in a
cylinder C. This piston P (shown separately in section in Figure 2) fits the bore of
the cylinder C, accurately and provision for the passage of the fluid through holes
hh (Figure 2) is made closed with a valve V or more than one valve, so balanced
and contrived that when tho piston is slowly traversing the cylinder inwards or
outwards the valve V (or it may be valves) does not close onto its seat S (or their
seats) and the speed of traverse is regulated by the flow of the fluid through the
passages h¹ h³ independently of the valve V (or valves) which does not come into
action. But any sudden movement having a tendency to cause the piston P
(Figures 1 and 2) to traverse the cylinder C more rapidly than is desirable will

page_text: cause the above mentioned valve V (or valves) to completely close the regulating
orifices h h (Figure 2) and arrest almost entirely the traversing motion of the
piston P (Figures 1 and 2).
Upon any sudden inward motion of the governor balls or revolving weights
either from the sudden lowering of the speed of the engine or from the governor
strap itself coming off or in any way censing to be in gear with the engine it will
have the effect of commencing the traverse of the piston P (Figures 1 and 2) of the
dash pot so rapidly that the valve V (or valves) will at once close on its seat S (or
scats) and arrest further movement.
In some cases a pipe I (Figure 1) is so fitted on to the cylinder C that when a
necessary sudden movement of the governor balls or revolving weights causes the
piston P (Figures 1 and 2) to traverse the cylinder C with a corresponding sudden
movement the fluid shall be free to travel round the passage A in the pipe I either
upwards or downwards. The quantity of the fluid which shall pass through this
pipe I in a given time shall be regulated by a screw V which either more or less
blocks up the passage A in the pipe I as it is screwed either in or out.
In special cases where the extremely sudden variation of the load on the engine
causes the revolving weights or balls to be necessarily depressed or moved inward
with a corresponding sudden traverse of the piston P in the cylinder C it is necessary
to allow of a certain flow of the fluid round the passage A in pipe I but when it
is required to arrest this sudden movement in the event of the governor strap
breaking or ceasing in any way to be in gear with the engine a valve V³ (Figure 3)
situated in a valve box in the pipe I (Figure 3) is attached to a lever L by means
of a connecting rod R. This lever L whose axis of motion is at the point M carries
at its further end a pulley U which rests on the governor belt G and when the
lever L is kept in this position through its pulley U resting on the governor belt G
the valve V is so constructed that it allows of the passage of the fluid either
upwards or downwards in the passage of the pipe I. But when from any cause
the governor strap breaks or in anyway ceases to be in gear with the engine the
tension spring T causes tho lever L to communicate an upward motion to the con-
necting rod R which causes the valve V2 to close on its seat S and thus arrest the
flow of liquid either upwards or downwards in the passage of the pipe 12. 13 1³ are
studs or projections against which the valve V2 comes and is thereby prevented
from closing on the bottom of the valve chamber.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention we would have it under-
stood that what we claim is, The Improvements in governors for steam engines and
for other purposes substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton have hereunto
set my hand and seal this thirtieth day of June One thousand eight hundred
and eighty three.