IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM,
BOARDER, of Bradford, in the County of York, Millwright, send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixteenth day of February, in the seventh year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Boarder, His especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said William Boarder, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Boarder, my exors, adiñors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William
Boarder, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
,large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Boarder, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in combining the pressure of the steam with the slides
or valves of steam engines, in order to cut off the steam at any part of the
stroke, by which I am enabled to obtain greater uniformity of the working of
the steam engine when working steam expansively.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents the section of so much of a steam engine as will enable
me to explain my improvements.
Figure 2 shews a sectional front view of some of the parts separately, which
can only be seen edgewise in Figure 1. In each of these Figures the same
letters indicate similar parts, a, a, being the governor of the engine, which, in
place of being connected with the throstle valve, is connected with the slides or
valves which work the steam passages of the cylinder, hence the pressure of
the steam on the piston is made the means of regulating the cut off of the
steam, as hereafter described; and in order to accomplish such communication
of movement from the governor to the slides or valves, 6 is a lever raised or
lowered by the governor, c is a connecting rod attached by a pin joint to the
other end of the lever b, and the lower end of the connecting rod c is connected
to the lever d, the connecting rod c having a slot at the lower end to allow of
some play or movement, as shewn in the Drawing. The other end of the lever d
to that to which it is connected to the rod c embraces the socket e, which slides
on yet turns with the spindle of the governor. On the socket e are affixed
the bevelled toothed wheels f, g, which take into the bevelled toothed wheel h,
according as the spindle of the governor revolves fast or slow, as will readily be
traced on examining Figure 1 of the Drawing. The axis, which carries the
toothed wheel h, has a screw i, which works the two wheels j, j, on the
screws k, k, which work in tubes or guides, having each an opening or
slit through which the pins, which connecting the collars 7 to the nuts m,
work; hence, as the screws k, k, turn, the nuts m and collars l rise
or fall, depending on the direction in which the screws k, k, are turned
To the collars are affixed
by the screw i, working the wheels j, j.
axes n, n, on which are placed the levers o, p, and the tappets levers q, r,
for cutting off the steam towards the upper and lower ends of the cylinder,
and it will be evident that on the position of such tapets levers q, r,
will depend the length the piston shall have travelled before the cutting
off takes place, and the position of such tappets levers will depend on

page_text: the pressure or expansive force of the steam and the speed of the engine. s, t,
are two levers (called L levers), which are constantly drawn inwards by the
springs v, such levers s, t, being pressed on by the levers o, p, when the tappet
levers are worked by the tappet y. w, w, are springs which, pressing on the
cams a, will at all times bring the levers o, p, into a correct position to be
ready for action. In Figure 1 the piston is supposed to be passing from the
lower to the upper end of the cylinder, and the tappet y is about to act on the
tappet lever q, which will cut off the steam; and when the tappet y has
passed to nearly the end of the upwards stroke, it will come in contact with
the lever z, and reverse the slides or valves.
Having thus described the best means I am acquainted with for carrying
out my Invention, I would remark that variations may be made without
departing from my Invention. I would have it understood that I do not
claim any of the parts separately which are shewn and described. But what I
claim is, the combining the action of the pressure of the steam with the slides
or valves which work the passages of the steam cylinder, to regulate the
cutting off the flow thereof to the cylinder when using steam expansively.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Boarder, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand oight hundred and thinks co