Improvements in Governing or Regulating the Speed of and Starting and Stopping Steam and other Motive Power Engines and in the Apparatus Employed for this Purpose.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Governing or Regulating the Speed of and
Starting and Stopping Steam and other Motive Power Engines
and in the Apparatus Employed for this Purpose.
I JAMES GRAFTON JONES of Fir Tree Cottage George Lane Wanstead in the
County of Essex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to he
as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for governing or regulating
the speed of stean or other motive power engines, of the character described in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and dated the 18th April 1885
No. 4800, and also to the starting and stopping of the same.
Now one of the chief objects of my present improvements is so to arrange the
piston equilibrium valves described in the Specification above referred to in com-
bination with conical stop valves, that when it is desired-to-stop the engine the stop
valves can be screwed down on to their seats as in ordinary stop valves thus saving
the cost of the ordinary stop valve in present use.
For this purpose I employ piston valves which act as heretofore when in use for
governing the engine. When it is desired to stop the engine and prevent any escape
of steam the piston valves are screwed down by means of a hand wheel or lever at
top until an ordinary stop valve combined with each of the governing piston valve
is screwed down on to its seat.
When it is desired to start the engine again by means of the hand wheel or lever
the stop valve is slacked back and the piston valves resume their normal positions
and prevent the stop valves from beating upon their seats when acting as a governor
a compressed spiral spring in the hollow stem of the valves re-acting to restore the
piston valves to a state of equilibrium as before.
In place of the spiral spring before referred to in the hollow stem steam may be
used by acting upon an enlarged surface at the bottom of the hollow stem giving
a surplus force to open the valves as heretofore by the spiral spring, the surplus
force being regulated by the pressure on the diminished area on the top of the stem

page_text: this diminution being lessened or increased by increasing or diminishing the size of
the steam passage which conducts steam to the upper end of the hollow stem of
the piston valves the steam and water of condensation being forced back through the
steam passage so as to offer the resistance required to the surplus force. Or the
pressure upon one side or the other of the stem of the piston valves can be increased
or diminished by a communicating pipe from the steam passage from the boiler to
the conducting passage to the engine.
In the Specification before referred to, two covers were employed to. cover the
casing of the pendulum lever and the equilibrium valves the covers being connected
by a steam pipe.
Now according to part of my present improvements one cover only is required to
effect the above object the connecting pipe between the two parts being dispensed with
the steam passage and regulating screw being formed and arranged in the cover
by which means only one is required thus lessening the cost of construction, access
to the internal parts being also greatly facilitated.
The adjustment of the annular space around the disc or plate is the same as that
described in the Specification before referred to.
Dotal thin 00nd das of Wah1000
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, London; W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Governing or Regulating the Speed of and
Starting and Stopping Steam and other Motive Power Engines
and in the Apparatus Employed for this Purpose.
I JAMES GRAFTON JONES of Fir Tree Cottage George Lane Wanstead in the
County of Essex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for governing or regulating the
speed of steam or other motive power engines of a similar character to that described
in the specification of Letters Patent granted to me and dated the 18th April 1885
No. 4800 and also to the starting and stopping of such engines.
To accomplish this there is fixed in the steam pipe and forming part thereof an
apparatus which acts as a governor in regulating the speed of the engine and also as a
stop valve when it is desired to stop and start the engine thus dispensing with the
ordinary stop valve now in use.
The principle upon which this governor acts is that of the flow of steam (or other
motive power fluid) through the steam pipe to the engine the speed of the engine and
the velocity of the steam through the pipe to supply its motive force being relative it
is obvious that if the velocity of the steam is regulated so will be the speed of the
engine.
Now one of the chief objects of my present improvements is so to arrange the piston
equilibrium valves described in the specification above referred to in combination with
conical or other suitable stop valves that when it is desired to stop the engine the stop
valves can be screwed down on to their seats as in ordinary stop valves thus saving
the cost of the ordinary stop valve in present use.
For this purpose I employ piston valves which act as heretofore when in use for
governing the engine. When it is desired to stop the engine and prevent any escape
of steam the piston valves are screwed down by means of a hand wheel or lever at the
top until a suitable stop valve combined with each of the governing piston valves is
screwed down on to its seat.
When it is desired to start the engine again by means of the hand wheel or lever
the stop valves are slacked back and the piston valves resume their normal positions
and prevent the stop valves from beating upon their seats when the governor is in
action a compressed spiral spring in the hollow stem of the valves re-acting to
restore the piston valves to a state of equilibrium as before.
In conjunction with the spiral spring (before referred to) in the hollow stein or
without same steam may be used by acting upon an enlarged surface at the bottom of
the hollow stem to give a surplus force to assist the spiral spring when used and
open the valves the surplus force being regulated by the pressure on the diminished
area on the top of the stem by increasing or diminishing the size of the steam passage
which conducts steam to the upper end of the hollow stem of the piston valves the

page_text: steam and water of condensation being forced back through the steam passage so as to
offer the resistance required to the surplus force. Or the pressure upon one side or
the other of the stem of the piston valves can be increased or diminished by a
communicating pipe from the steam passage from the boiler to the conducting passage
to the engine.
In the specification before referred to two covers were employed to cover the casing
of the pendulum lever and the equilibrium valves the covers being connected by a
steam pipe.
Now according to part. of my present improvements one cover only is required to
effect the above object the connecting pipe between the two parts being dispensed
with the steam passage and regulating screw being formed and arranged in the cover
by which means only one joint is required thus lessening the cost of construction,
access to the internal parts being also greatly facilitated.
The adjustment of the annular space around the disc or plate may be similar to that
described in the specification before referred to.
And in order that my invention may bé clearly understood and readily carried into
practice I will proceed to describe the mechanical construction of my improved
governor and stop valve combined with reference to the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section and Figure 2 an external side view of a steam
engine governor and stop valve combined arranged and constructed in accordance
with my present improvements.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional view on line a
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on line y y Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a plan of Figure 2, and
Figure 6 is a sectional plan on line = z Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
a is the inlet passage from boiler and the outlet to engine the current of steam in
its passage to engine presses on the surface of the disc or plate c of the suspended
lever e forcing it forward and by means of the bell crank lever d gives motion to the
valves e e so as to close them this is counteracted by the spiral spring contained in
the hollow stem of the valves e e which spring is adjusted by means of the screw fl so
as to keep one arm of the hell crank lever d pressed against the suspended lever c c ¹
with a resistance equal to the force of the flow or current of steam on the surface of
the suspended lever cc' when the engine is running at its desired speed.
It will be evident that when so adjusted should the engine attempt to run faster
(by being relieved of its load or part of it) the balance of force and resistance will
be disturbed causing the suspended lever c c¹ to move forward and close or partly
close the valves e e and thus reduce the supply of steam to the engine.
If the engine by extra work or load being put on has a tendency to slacken its
speed then the spiral spring f which has been compressed re-acts and opens the
valves e e to give inore steam to the engine.
In order to prevent the valves opening too quickly there is a steam passage g
admitting steam to the top end of the stem of the valves to act as a buffer thereto
this passage is either diminished or increased by the adjusting screw g' the steam
and water caused by condensation being forced back by the rise of the stem of the
valves and can be thus regulated to check their too sudden opening.
When it is desired to stop the engine the conical valves e' e' forming part of the
piston valves e e are screwed down on to their seats by means of the screw h and
hand wheel the valves when screwed down are then in equilibrium the bottom of
the upper one being (approximately) equal in area to the top of the lower valve.
The top piston valve e is slightly larger in area than the top side of the bottom
conical valve e' in order that the pressure of the steam may act in conjunction with
the spring to open the valves by its action upon the larger area of the underside
of the top valve é and thus assist the spring and so ensure the opening of the valves
e

page_text: when desired even independently of the spring-the action of the valves when open
and acting with the governor being in equilibrium.
When starting the engine the screw is turned back and the spring which has
been compressed by screwing down opens the valves and the governor commences
working as before. The end of the screw forms a stop by which the extent of
opening of the valves can be regulated.
When working as a governor the piston portion ee of the valves prevents the
the conical valves e e¹ beating on their seats by largely cutting off the steam before
they come in contact thus preventing concussion.
The position and working of the valves is indicated by the pointer i and graduated
seale as shown by Figure 1.
The full area of the steam pipe through the governor is maintained so as to prevent
"wire-drawing" the steam but should it be desirable to increase or diminish the force
of the current of steam on the suspended lever ce¹ to suit high pressure and low
pressure engines the area of the passage of steam to the engine can be enlarged or
diminished by the slide j and adjustable screw j¹.
ej
kk is the cover all in one part (in place of being in two parts as heretofore) having
the steam passage 9 therein and also the screw h and hand wheel / working through
a gland as shown or through any other suitable gland or stuffing box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In governing starting and stopping steam and other fluid pressure engines
equilibrium valves combined and acting in conjunction with stop valves substantially
in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
2. The improved method of governing steam and other fluid pressure engines in
conjunction with combined equilibrium and stop valves substantially as herein before
described.
3. The improved form arrangement and application of the combined equilibrium
valves e e and stop valves e¹ e' acting substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and represented in the drawings hereunto annexed.
4. The improved arrangement construction and combination of apparatus for
governing starting and stopping steam and other fluid pressure engines substantially
in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
drawings hereunto annexed.