IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE GOVERNORS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Gibson and John Spours Nicholson, both of
Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Merchants, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE GOVERNORS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gibson and John
Spours Nicholson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th
February 1880.
WILLIAM GIBSON and JOHN SPOURS NICHOLSON, both of Sunderland, in the
County of Durham, Merchants. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE GOVERNORS."
•
Our improvements in engine governors consist in the construction of a governor
which is at once more light and compact and less costly than usual, but at the same
time sensitive, quick, and powerful in its action, and little liable to derangement of
any kind. Many governors are in use in which contrifugal action in what are
called the governor balls, opposed to gravity or to a constant spring, is made to
operate on the engine valves, and many other kinds are in use in which the inertia
and momentum of a governing wheel revolving at a nearly constant rate causes any
sudden effort tending to change its rate of revolution to operate mechanism which
actuates the engine valves, and certain combinations of these two principles have
been proposed, which it is not necessary to describe. Now, our Invention consists
in the application of centrifugal force as in the kind first mentioned, aided by the
inertia and momentum of governing balls and arms revolving round a centre at an
approximately constant rate, and with a third application of a peculiarly curved
slot or slots and a spring or springs, whereby the inertia and momentum of the
governor balls and arms is made to tend with more or less effect, according to the
curve of the slot or slots, and the force of the spring or springs referred to, in the
same direction as the centrifugal force of the governor balls, by which means we
are enabled greatly to diminish the weight of balls required to govern a certain
size of engine, and to enclose the whole arrangement in a small case, which also
revolves, and from which the operating spindle protrudes through nearly fitting
opening.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said William Gibson and John
Spours Nicholson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th August 1880.
WILLIAM GIBSON and JOHN SPOURS NICHOLSON, both of Sunderland, in the
County of Durham, Merchants. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE GOVERNORS.'
23
Our improvements in engine governors consist in the construction of a governor
which is at once more light and compact and less costly than usual, but at the saine
time sensitive, quick, and powerful in its action, and little liable to derangement of
any kind. Many governors are in use in which centrifugal action in what are
called the governor balls, opposed to gravity or to a constant spring, is made to
operate on the engine valves, and many other kinds are in use in which the inertia
and inomentum of a governing wheel revolving at a nearly constant rate causes any
sudden effort tending to change its rate of revolution to operate mechanism which
actuates the engine valves, and certain combinations of these two principles have
been proposed, which it is not necessary to describo. Now, our Invention consists
in the application of centrifugal force, as in the kind first mentioned, aided by. the
inertia and momentum of governing balls and arms revolving round a centre at an
approximately constant rate, and with a third application of a peculiarly curved
slot or slots and a spring or springs, whereby the inertia and momentum of the
governing balls and arms is made to tend with more or less effect, according to the
curve of the slot or slots, and the force of the spring or springs referred to, in the
same direction as the centrifugal force of the governor balls, by which means we
are enabled greatly to diminish the weight of the balls required to govern a certain
size of engine, and to enclose the whole arrangement in a small case, from which the
operating spindle protrudes through a nearly fitting opening. Having thus described
the nature of our Invention we will proceed more particularly to describe the
manner in which the same is to be performed, as follows, namely:-Figure 1 is an
elevation of a governor, according to our Invention, with part of the case removed
to shew the interior; Figure 2 is a section of the same on the line a, b; and
Figure 3 is a plan of the curved slots in which the pins at the end of the governor
weights move. The same letters correspond to similar parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
A is the driving pulley and shaft which actuates the governor; and B is the shaft
or rod transmitting the movements of the governor to the steam or exhaust
arrangements of the engine to produce control; C is a bevel wheel keyed on to the
shaft A; and D is another, similar wheel keyed on to the slot piece shewn in
Figure 3, marked in Figures 1 and 2 J, J, these wheels being permanently in gear
with each other; E, E, are the governor weights moving on the centres F, F. The
governor weights are extended upwards into slotted ends, as shewn, so as to embrace
a pin G and change the radial movement of the governor arm into a vertical move-
ment of the shaft H and the connecting piece B, as is well understood, so that the balls
moving outwards the rod H and connecting piece B will move inwards; J, J, is a
part of a disc, which is bent on each side of its centro to curves of which the parts F
are centres. This disc, or portion of disc, is shewn in plan in Figure 3, wheroin are
also shewn curved slots L. The pins M project below the end of the governor balls,
and are made approximately to fit the slots in the disc with a roller on them to
reduce friction. The springs S, S, serve to prevent a too great movement from the
action of the slots; N is a case revolving with the governor. The apparatus being
thus arranged it will be seen that by the action of centrifugal force on the rapid
rotation of the governor the governor weights will tend to draw in the rod H and
to actuate the connecting piece B, and the more rapid the rotation the greater will
this tendency become, and like an ordinary governor the weights will tend to
diverge or to come together in accordance with the greater or less speed of revolu-
tion. There is however by the arrangement of apparatus which we have described

page_text: a second action set up, due to the curve of the slot shewn in Figure 3, the effect of
which is to assist the movement of the governor weights during any change of
speed; thus should the speed be suddenly accelerated the curve of the slot is so
proportioned that the pin M will not attain the full amount of acceleration if it
should take a position more distant from its centre of revolution than it had before,
and as the pin M, when not at its extreme stroke, is free to take this more distant
position, it will naturally by its own inertia and the inertia of the balls tend to do
so, and by this effort disturb the previously existing equilibrium of the governor
weight, and produce movement independently of the usual action of a governor
weight due to centrifugal force, giving the governor a very quick action. On the
other hand, should the speed of revolution be suddenly diminished, as the pin M
can take a more advanced position in the line of its revolution by an approach to
its centre of revolution, the force of impetus will cause an effort to attain this
advanced place, and thus again disturb the equilibrium of the governor weights in
the opposite direction. In order to give full effect to this action wo cause the
driving of the governor weights to be transmitted through the pins M instead of
through the centre spindle; Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent a governor of a similar
construction, arranged however with double discs working by increase or diminution
of speed in opposite directions so as to give with less rapid curves an equal or
greater effect in the way we have described. In Figures 4, 5, and 6 the discs and
slots are arranged so as that the governor can run in either direction, as is required
with winding engines. In this arrangement the upper disc is attached, as will be
seen on reference to the Drawings, to the first motion, and the under disc is attached
to a second bevel wheel driven by the movement of the upper disc through a pair
of differential wheels P, P, while the pin M approximately fits the slots in both discs.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we would have it understood that we do not claim merely the
exact arrangement of mechanism described, although such arrangement is a part of
our clain, but what we claim as our Invention is the combination of mechanisın
consisting of governing weights actuated by centrifugal force with mechanism con-
sisting of curved slots and sliding pins actuated by inertia and momentum, and
controlling springs, so as by these actions jointly to produce a governing movement
for steam engines, whether running continuously in one direction or reversed as in
winding engines.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Gibson and John Spours Nicholson,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty first day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1880.
0 Witness,
Jso. D. WALKER,
WILLIAM GIBSON.
(L.S.)
JOHN SPOURS NICHOLSON. (L.S.)
Clerk with Messrs. Arnott & Swan,
Solr³.
Newcastle/Tyne.