IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF PROVISIONAL SPATION OF STEAM AND OTHER ELASTIC FLUIDS TO MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Higginson, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Higginson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th June 1873.
I, ANDREW HIGGINSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING
THE SUPPLY OF STEAM AND OTHER ELASTIC FLUIDS TO MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," to
be as follows :-
―
The first part of this Invention relates to improvements on the
governor, for which I obtained Her Majesty's Letters Patent, No. 202,
of the year 1872, and consists essentially in causing the chain or its

page_text: mechanical equivalent, which is wound around the cylinder or pulley to
directly lift the reacting weight or spring, and in opening and closing the
valve for regulating the flow of water or other fluid through the ventricle
by end motion of the cylinder.
One modification shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying Sheet of
illustrative Drawings has one end of a chain which passes around the
cylinder attached to the bottom of a rod, which is in its turn coupled
to a weighted lever free to move on a stud:-1, pulley; 2, chain; 3,
rod; 4, weighted lever; 5, stud; 6, casing; 7, lever for moving cylinder
endways on shaft. These governors can, if desired, be constructed
without the casing.
The second part consists of apparatus to be used in combination with
the above described or with the ordinary governor, and is constructed as
follows: A tappet has a to-and-fro motion imparted to it from any con-
venient reciprocating part of the engine to be governed, the length of
motion of the tappet being regulated by the governor. The said tappet
in its to-and-fro motion lifts a reacting lever attached to the throttle
valve.
A combined governor constructed as described under the above second
head admits steam or other elastic fluid at full boiler pressure to the
cylinder at the commencement of each stroke, and cuts off the said steam
or other elastic fluid at varying points of the stroke according to the
power required for the work being done. In this way I obtain results
similar to those obtained by the use of expansion valves, and in a much
more simple manner.
A modification of the said combined governor is shown in Fig. 2 of the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings:-1, rod attached by the stud 2 to any
convenient reciprocating part of the engine to be governed, and by the
block 3 to the radius link 4, thus giving motion to the tappet 5; 6, rod
leading to the governor which regulates the motion of the tappet 5 by :
varying the distance of the block 3 from the centre of motion 7 of the
tappet. The lever 8 is raised by the action of the tappet 5 on the stud 9;
10, reacting spring. A rod attached to 8 at 12 is led to the throttle
valve.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Andrew
Higginson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd Decem.
ber 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANDREW
HIGGINSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Andrew Higginson, Her special licence, that
I, the said Andrew Higginson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Andrew Higginson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
OR APPLIANCES FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM AND OTHER
ELASTIC FLUIDS TO MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Andrew Higginson, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on or
before the Twenty-third day of December 1873.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Andrew Higginson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying three Sheets of illustrative Drawings and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
The first part of this Invention relates to improvements on the
governor for which I obtained Her Majesty's Letters Patent, No. 202,
of the year 1872, and consists essentially in causing the chain or its

page_text: mechanical equivalent, which is wound around the cylinder or pulley
to directly lift the reacting weight or spring, and in opening and closing
the valve for regulating the flow of water or other fluid through the
ventricle by end motion of the cylinder instead of by end motion of the
shaft.
-
The second part consists of apparatus to be used in combination with
the above described or with an ordinary governor, and is constructed as
follows: A tappet has a to-and-fro motion imparted to it from any
convenient reciprocating part of the engine to be governed, the length
of motion of the tappet being regulated by the governor. The said
tappet in its to-and-fro motion lifts a reacting lever attached to the throttle
valve.
A combined governor constructed as described under the above second
head admits steam or other elastic fluid to the cylinder at full boiler
pressure at the commencement of each stroke, and cuts off the said steam
or other elastic fluid at varying points of the stroke, according to the
power required for the work being done. In this way I obtain results
similar to those obtained by the use of expansion valves, and in a much
more simple manner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet 1, Fig. 1, is a view partly in section, and partly in elevation of
my improved arrangement of governor. 1, pulley secured to the fluid
containing cylinder 2; 3, chain attached at one end to pulley 1, and at
the other to the lifting rod 4; 5, weighted lover working on stud 6, and
receiving motion from 1, 2, 3, and 4. The said weighted lever actuates
by suitable means the throttle or other governing valve. If the chain 3
or lifting rod 4 or driving mechanism fail, the weighted lever 5 falls, the
pin 7 in the lever 8 comes into contact with the crutch 9, the end 10 of
the lever 8 rises and operates the throttle valve, so as to cut off steam
from the engine, instead of letting on all the steam, as it otherwise
would do; 11, lever for moving the cylinder 2 endways on shaft 12, so
as to open or close the ventricle and adjust the action of the governor to
the speed required in the engine; 13, enclosing case.
Fig. 2 of the Drawings is a view partly in section and partly in eleva-
tion of my improved combined governing apparatus. 14, rod attached
by stud 15 to any convenient reciprocating part of the engine to be
governed, and by the block 16 to the radius link 17, thus giving to-and-

page_text: fro motion to the tappet 18; 19, rod attached to 14 by the pin 20. The
said rod 19 is actuated by the governor, and regulates the length of
motion of the tappet 18 by varying the distance of the block 16 from
the centre of motion 21 of the tappet; 22, reaction lever and spring
operated by 18 through the stud or cam 23; 24, rod attached to the
throttle or other governing valve..
It will be obvious that steam or other elastic fluid will be cut off from
the engine during a greater or less length of the stroke of the piston,
according as a greater or less speed of the engine causes the governor to
move the block 16 farther from and nearer to the centre of motion 21 of
the tappet.
Fig. 3 (Sheet 2) is a transverse view partly in section and partly in
elevation; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section; Fig. 5, a plan view; and Fig. 6
a perspective view, all of a modification of my improved governor. 1,
pulley; 2, cylinder; 3, chain; 4, lifting rod; 5, weighted lever. The
weight 25 is attached to the lever 5 by the connecting rod 26, and is
suspended in a cylinder filled with oil, so as to prevent too rapid move-
ment of the lever; 11, lever for moving the cylinder 2 endways on the
shaft 12. The end motion of the cylinder increases or diminishes the
area of the passage 27, through which the water in 2 flows. In this
manner the action of the governor is adjusted to any desired speed of
engine.
Figs. 7 and 8 are views of the shaft 12, and controlling piston. Figs. 9
and 10 are end and side elevations of the inner governing cylinder.
(Sheet 3), Fig. 11, is an end elevation, and Fig. 12 a side elevation of
a modification of my combined governor and regulator. Here a toothed
wheel 28, working into a rack 29, is used instead of the pulley, chain,
and lever to lift the reacting weight 25, supported in the cylinder 30 by
the rod 29, which forms a continuation of the rack 29; 21, tappet, here
caused to partake of a continuous instead of a to-and-fro motion; 22,
reacting lever connected to the governor by the rod 39, and to the cut-
off valve by a rod from the lever 22.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and particu-
larized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to carry my
improvements into effect, I claim,―
I. The pulley 1, chain 3, lifting rod 4, weighted lever 5, and weight 25,

page_text: acting in combination with the fluid-containing cylinder and piston 2,
substantially as described and illustrated.
II. The lever 11, in combination with the fluid containing cylinder
and piston 2, operating in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
III. The toothed wheel 28, rack 29, rod 29ª, and weight 25, in com-
bination with the fluid containing cylinder and piston, operating
substantially in the manner described and illustrated.
IV. The controlling appliances, substantially as described and illus-
trated in Fig. 2, acting in combination with my improved governor, or a
governor of ordinary construction.
V. The combined governor and controlling appliances, substantially
as described and illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 of the accompaning
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Higginson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twentieth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
In the presence of
JAMES JOHNSON,
Clerk to J. T. King,
Liverpool.
ANDREW HIGGINSON. (L.S.)