Improvements in or connected with Engine Governors.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 17th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Engine Governors.
I, HERBERT ASPINALL, of 204, Phythian Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to that kind of governor used in connection with
steam and other fluid pressure engines in which the momentum or inertia of a
mass is eniployed to actuate a valve or apparatus, by which the entrance of steam or
other gas into the cylinder or cylinders thereof is cut off or regulated when the rate
of speed thereof reaches that or goes beyond that at which it is desired they should
move or run at; it also, however, has reference to other governors used on such
engines such as those for forming communication between the top and bottom of
the cylinder for putting the piston or pistons in equilibrium; and again, it has
reference to modes of governing the engine wherein a starting engine or special
engine is adapted to control the rate of speed of such engine through or by the
steam distribution valves and valve gear thereof.
The governor according to this invention is adapted to be fixed or mounted upon
a part of, or connected with or operated by the engine to be controlled, having
reciprocating motion or to and fro motion, and there is arranged in connection with
it a lever or other mechanical device which is operated upon when the engine runs
beyond the desired or normal rate of speed, and cuts of the steam supply or
controls it or otherwise operates upon the engine so as to prevent the racing
thereof. There are used in connection with this governor pawls or like devices
which are actuated by the weight or mass, and detent device which catches and
holds the mass or weight after it has acted when the engine has commenced to
run too fast or race, until the next stroke, if the engine then be running at a
normal rate of speed; when it will be automatically freed by the lever or device
operated upon by the governor, and release the weight. Then in the next stroke
one of the pawls will actuate said lever or device and the engine will be then put
inder normal steam supply or working.
The pawls by which the steam controlling or other valve or valves is or are
operated are connected together by a lever connected with the weight by a spring
or loose joint connection, whereby said pawls may be depressed without affecting
the weight or mass when they are moving backward over the lever or other device
connected with the throttle or other valve.
In connection with governors of the kind referred to, and on or in connection
with the primary weight or mass thereof, I use a secondary weight to hold or
lock the primary weight when it has. operated, so that steam or other fluid will be
cut and held off from the engine (or the valve or valves thereof so operated that
they will remain shut or in the position to which they have been moved); but the
said secondary weight only comes into action in a case such as when the main
shaft of an engine breaks, or a ships propeller blades strip, or in equivalent cases,
where the increase of rate of speed very great or very sudden.
In connection with one or both or either of said weights I may use a device for
throwing a weight or mass further from or nearer to the fulcrum or point about
which the governor moves when attached to a lever working upon a fulcrum.
In some cases I adapt the governor to act at "half-speed" or other interinediate
rate. This may be effected by having an adjustable weight on the primary weight,
or the primary weight may be adjustable, or a spring may be employed to modify,

page_text: adjust or control the action of the weight or mass, accordingly as the conditions of
its use may render it desirable or necessary.
The invention is not strictly confined to any particular form or arrangement of
parts as these may be varied to suit different cases under varying circumstances
ir conditions of its application.
Dated this 15th day of April 1893.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.
Improvements in or connected with Engine Governors.
I, HERBERT ASPINALL, of 204, Phythian Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, 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 :-
This invention has reference to that kind of governor used in connection with
steam and other fluid pressure engines, in which the momentum or inertia of a mass
is employed to actuate a valve or apparatus, by which the entrance of steam or
other gas into the cylinder or cylinders thereof is cut off or regulated when the
rate of speed thereof reaches that or goes beyond that at which it is desired they
should move or run at; it also, however, has reference to other governors used on
such engines such as those for forming communication between the top and bottom
of the cylinder for putting the piston or pistons in equilibrium ; and again, it
has reference to modes of governing the engine wherein a starting engine or
special engine is adapted to control the rate of speed of such engine through or by
the steam distribution valves and valve gear thereof.
The governor according to this invention is adapted to be fixed or mounted upon
a part of, or connected with or operated by the engine to be controlled, having
reciprocating motion or to and fro motion, and there is arranged in connection with
it a lever or other mechanical device which is operated upon when the engine runs
beyond the desired or normal rate of speed, and cuts off the steam supply, or
controls it or otherwise operates upon the engine so as to prevent the racing
thereof. There are used in connection with this governor pawls or like devices
which are actuated by the weight or mass, and a detent device which catches and
holds the mass or weight after it has acted when the engine has commenced to run
too fast or race, until the next stroke, if the engine then be running at a normal
rate of speed, when it will be automatically freed by the lever or device operated
npon by the governor, and release the weight. Then in the next stroke one of the
pawls will actuate said lever or device and the engine will be then put under normal
steam supply or working. The pawls by which the steam controlling or other
valve or valves is or are operated are connected together by a lever connected with
the weight by a spring or loose joint connection, whereby said pawls may be
depressed without affecting the weight or mass when they are moving backward
over the lever or other device connected with the throttle or other valve.
connection with governors of the kind referred to, and on or in connection with the
primary weight or mass thereof, I use a secondary weight to hold or lock the
primary weight when it has operated, so that steam or other fluid will be cut and
held off from the engine (or the valve or valves thereof so operated that they will
remain shut or in the position to which they have been moved), but the said
secondary weight only comes into action in the case such as when the shaft of an
engine breaks, or a ship's propeller blades strip, or in equivalent cases, where the
increase of rate of speed is very great.
.
In
In connection with one of said weights I may use a device for throwing the

page_text: weight or mass-i.e. the centre of gravity thereof-further from or nearer to the
fulcrum or point about which the governor moves when attached to a lever working:
upon a fulcrum.
In some cases I adapt the governor to act at "half-speed" or other intermediate.
rate. This may be effected by having an adjustable weight on the primary weight,
or the primary weight may be adjustable; or a spring may be employed to modify,
adjust, or control the action of the weight or mass, accordingly as the conditions of
its use may render it desirable or necessary.
Drawings illustrating this invention are hereto annexed and form a part of this
Specification.
J
In these drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the governor; Figure 2 is a.
cross section taken at. the line A A Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross section
at B B. Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an end view shewing the secondary weight according to this.
invention.
Referring now to the drawings, a designates generally the weight or mass hinged
to a base by the pin c, which passes through lugs a' and a² on a, and lugs b' on b.
On the underside of the weight a near the lug a', loosely connected thereto through
a spring d, working in tension, is a cross bar a³, the spring being connected to a by
the pin and to the bar or lever a³ by the loop d². This bar a³ projects on either
side of the weight a, terminating as jaws, as shewn, which each grasp a pin e on
the pawls g hereinafter described. The pawls engage with the lever (or equivalent
device) connected with the throttle valve (or other governing valve or apparatus).
by which the supply of moter fluid to or within the engine cylinder is governed.
The pawls g are hinged by pins g' to the case b, on which hinges they rock; and
they are connected with and operated by the jaws of the bar a³ which grasp the
pins e on one side of said pawls. The action of the weight a upon the pawls g is,
that according to whether in action it is moved up into the position shewn in the
drawings, or in its normal position, that is, resting below the horizontal plane in
which its hinge lies, so will the upper pawl be thrown away outward from the base b,
and will engage the governing valve lever and actuate it.
To enable the inertia or momentum of the weight a in motion to he varied and
adjusted to a considerable degree, say for instance so as to work the engines at
100 revolutions per minute or 50, or any intermediate rate, I provide an adjustable
portion a on the weight, the adjustment being radial, whereby the centre of gravity
of said weight is or may be shifted closer to or further from the point about which
it is moved in its oscillations. If the moment produced by this movable part be
a material portion of the whole, say a half, three quarters, or inore; and the
governor be placed close to the centre of oscillation of the lever on which it is
mounted, the effect of moving the weight from one extreme to the other, will
obviously cause a very considerable variation of moment in it, and consequently
the range of rates of speed at which the governor may be adjusted to come into
action will be correspondingly large.
The portion at of the weight slides from one extremity of the base portion a³ to
the other, and is locked in any desired position by the pawl a hinged thereto, the
end of which drops into holes a' in the base a, the said pawl being pressed down-
wards normally by a suitable spring acting thereon. By this means it will be seen,
by lifting the pawl a out of the hole with which it is engaged, and sliding it along
one way or the other, the weight a can readily be adjusted.
.
In some cases where a greater degree of variation of rate of speed of engine
is required, the part a' of the mass or weight may constitute a greater proportion
of the whole than that shewn by the drawings, in which case the base a on which
it works would be made lighter. It may be assumed that when the weight a' is in
the innermost position, that is nearest the pawls g the engine would be governed,
i.e. the governor would come into action, at half the maximum speed, viz. "half-
speed"; and when in the opposite direction, it would come into action when the
engine commenced to run above the maximum rate of speed.

page_text: The purpose of the lower pawl 9 is to cut off the supply of steam, or otherwise
to reduce or retain the rate of speed of the engine constant; whilst the upper one
is to bring the parts back to their normal position and put the engine back into its
normal working state after it has been operated by the lower pawl.
The
To hold the governor in its actuated state, ie, with the weight a up, after it
has come into operation due to the racing of the engine, or an abnormal rate
of speed being obtained, I provide an automatic catch device. This holds it in
this position, and the lower pawl 9 out, for the return downstroke and the next
upstroke of the lever on which it is mounted (say the air pump lever of the
engine), and it is automatically released by coming into contact with the valve
actuating lever at the commencement of the next downstroke, which releases and
allows the weight a to fall, and so move outwards the upper pawl 9. This
arrangement consists of a catch h hinged on the pin to the base b, and having
an actuating lever h³ loosely mounted at 2, the inner end of said lever h* normally
bearing upon the journal of the catch h. This position is obtained by the
spring connecting the inner end of the lever with a fixed part of the base.
Thus, when the outer end is pressed downwards it is free to turn upon its hinge h³,
without affecting the catch h, but when pressed upwards it pulls back the catch h.
The catch engages with the projecting part j formed on the weight a.
action of the mechanism is that when through the increased rate of motion of the
governor, due to that of the engine, the weight a assumes the upper position
(shewn in Figures 1 to 4), at the end of the stroke of the lever to which it is
attached, and due to the momentum or inertia thereof, it causes the end of the
projection to leave the nose of the catch h, and then the spring i brings the
catch over the end of it into the position shewn in Figure 3; and it holds it there
until released by the lever h² coming into contact with the end of the valve actuating
lever at the beginning of the next downstroke of the governor. In the upstroke
preceding this downstroke, the lever is moved about its hinge in passing said
lever, and then when past, flies up again, this action being effected by the spring.
In some cases, I provide on the governor a means by which, when the steam has
been shut off from the engine, or its action in the engine neutralized, by the action
of the governor as herein before mentioned, that it shall remain so, and therefore
the upper pawl g (by which ordinarily the engine is put back to its normal working
condition) shall remain in, and the under one out, whereby of course the engine
will be brought to rest. This is particularly designed and applicable for engines
where the work on it becomes suddenly removed, such as by the breaking of a
propeller shaft of a ship, or the crank shaft of a marine engine or other engine,
and in analogous cases. The mechanism by which this is effected is provided on
the governor illustrated in the drawings. It consists of a body of metal k supported
on the weight a in which it slides vertically. In connection with it is a catch
pawl working in connection with a projection 63 on the frame b. The action of
this is, that when a sudden removal of the work, such as by the breaking of the
crank shaft, takes place, and a very sudden accession of speed is the result, the
body k, which normally lies in the position shewn in dotted lines Figure 4 (and
which when an ordinary accession of speed takes place is not operated) is moved
from this-its normal position-into the upper position shewn in full lines in the
figures, thereby bringing the pawl k, which is lighter than the weight k, under the
projection thereon and catching it, and the mass k itself will have moved behind
the projection 6. It will thus hold the mass a up and the lower pawl g out.
The general action of the governor is as follows:-
When an engine, through the diminution of work upon, or resistance to it,
increases its rate of speed, to say some small extent, the governor, being attached
to or mounted on a reciprocating part thereon or connected thereto, will also be
moved at the same increased rate, and the weight a will, at the upper end of the
stroke, or the commencement of the down stroke, of the part to which it is
attached, cause the weight to assume the position shewn in the drawings Figures 1
to 4 by its momentum or uertia, and the lower pawl g to be pressed out; whilst

page_text: the catch will engage with the part j in the manner above described, and will
during the downstroke and the next upstroke of the governor, hold the weight a
up. Towards the end of this downstroke the throttle valve, or other steam
controlling lever is passed by the lower outstanding pawl g, which is pressed
inwards by said lever; in which action it presses back the bar a connected with it,
and extends the spring d (this spring being provided for the purpose), and when
past the valve actuating lever the spring causes the said pawl g to re-assume its
outstanding position. Then in the next upstroke the lower pawl 9 will engage
with the end of the said lever and will lift it, so actuating the steam controlling
valve operated by said lever. In the commencement of the next downstroke of
the governor, the lever 2 will come in contact with the end of the valve actuating
lever (now in its top position), and so the catch will be pulled off the part j, and
the weight a is released and can fall, which thereby throws forward the upper
pawl g, and draws inwards the lower pawl g. The upper pawl will then, in the
next downstroke, if the increase of rate of speed has been reduced to the normal
rate, engage with the valve actuating lever and will bring back same to its bottom
normal position (that is the position it takes when it is not actuated by the governor,.
and the engines are not running over their maximum speed) and will open, the
throttle or other valve and re-admit steam.
When the upper pawl is out, and passes in the upstroke the valve actuating
lever in its top position, it is free to be pressed inwards against the pressure of the
spring d, and is pressed inwards by said lever, which moves over its inclined back..
This action is similar to that set forth with reference to the lower pawl g above
specified.
When the governor herein described is applied to cases where the governing is
effected by throwing the top and bottom of a cylinder or cylinders of an engine
into equilibrium, in any of the known ways, the governor would, through a valve
actuating lever or its equivalent, actuate said valves by which the equilibrium on.
the opposite sides of the piston or pistons is effected, or the valve of an auxiliary
cylinder by which this was done.
In the modification shewn in Figure 5, 1 shew a modified arrangement of weight k..
In this case the weight is hinged at on the weight a, and is provided-with a
pawl hinged thereon, which when the weight is thrown up from the horizontal-
its normal position-to the vertical position-shewn in full lines in the figure,.
engages with the projection 68 on the frame band locks it in this position, and so
holds the weight a up and stops the engine.
In one modification wberein practically the whole actuating mass or weight (a) is
in one piece, and is adapted to slide laterally further from and closer to the centre
of oscillation of the governor, such weight or mass may be mounted and adapted
to slide to and fro on a rectangular rod or bar-which would be an equivalent of
the part a suitably mounted and connected with the actuating pawls, similarly as
above set forth, and held at any point thereon.
In attaching the governor to the vibrating or oscillating arm or lever in
connection with or on which it is to work, the pawls should be disposed next or
nearest the centre of oscillation or vibration, and the mass or weight a on the outer
side of same in relation to said centre, for a slow running engine; but the reverse
order should be followed for a fast running engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a steam or other fluid pressure engine governor adapted to be mounted and
operate on an oscillating or vibrating part of or connected with the engine, and
in which a mass is employed to act through the momentum or inertia thereof, when
moved above a fixed or normal rate of speed, after the manner hereinabove
specified, the employment of a laterally sliding weight forming a substantial part
of or the whole of said mass, whereby the centre of gravity of the actuating

page_text: "
mass may be readily and materially changed, and the rate of speed of the engine
at which the governor will come into action correspondingly varied; substantially
as described.
2. In a steam of other fluid pressure engine governor adapted to be mounted and
operate on an oscillating or vibrating part of or connected with the engine, and
in which a mass is employed to act through the momentum or inertia thereof, when
moved above a fixed or normal rate of speed, after the manner hereinabove
specified, pawls such as g, and a sliding weight loosely mounted and adapted to
actuate said pawls, and arranged in relation thereto as set forth, whereby a large
range of rates of speed of the engine at which said governor will come into action
is provided; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a steam or other fluid pressure engine governor adapted to be mounted and
operate on an oscillating or vibrating part of or connected with the engine, and
in which a mass is employed to act through the momentum or inertia thereof, when
moved above a fixed or normal rate of speed, after the manner hereinabove
specified, the combination of a sliding weight loosely mounted and adapted to
actuate an engaging device, by which a lever or arm connected with the controlling
valve or valves is actuated; and a secondary weight. & arranged in connection with
said weight; substantially as herein set forth with reference to the drawings for
the purposes specified.
4. A steam or other fluid pressure engine governor, having a sliding adjustable
weight, and pawls operated thereby, arranged, combined, and adapted to operate
particularly as herein set forth with reference to and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 16th day of January 1801
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.