Improvements in Automatic Speed Governing and Reversing Mechanism for Steam and other Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 20th Oct., 1894
Improvements in Automatic Speed Governing and Reversing
Mechanism for Steam and other Engines.
I, CARL ERIK ROLAND MARTIN, of 1336 Mole Street, in the City of
Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical
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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide an automatic governing device for
stean or other engines or motors by means of which the engine will be caused to
run uniformly at any desired rate of speed, and loss of steam due to any sudden
increase in the speed of the engine will be avoided.
A further object of my invention is to provide in connection with the governing
device, a simple and readily operated reversing mechanism by means of which the
engine may be reversed by hand, as more fully set forth hereinafter.
In the accompanying drawings a
:-
Fig. 1, is a sectional elevation on the line 1-1, Fig. 3, of a governing mechanism
constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the same in its simplest
form;
Fig. 2, is a rear elevation of the same looking in the direction of the arrow,
Fig. 1;
Fig. 3, is a sectional plan view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;
Fig. 4, is a plan view of the same illustrating the construction of the upper
portion of the governor only;
Fig. 5, is a sectional elevation of a more desirable construction of governing
mechanism illustrating also the construction and arrangement of the reversing
mechanism;
Fig. 6, is a sectional plan view on the line 6-6, Fig. 5, showing the reversing
lever;
I
Fig. 7, is a sectional elevation on the line 7-7, Fig. 9, illustrating the preferred
form of cylinder and valve actuating mechanism;
Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the same on the line 8-8, Fig. 7;
Fig. 9, is a sectional plan view on the line 9-9, Fig. 7; and
Fig. 10, is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating a modification of my
invention.
The device as shown in the accompanying drawings, is intended more especially
for use in connection with a marine engine, but it may be employed on a stationary
engine or other engine or motor with but slight modification, Figs. 1 to 4, illus-
trating a form which may, without modification, be also employed in connection
with a stationary engine.
Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the drawing, A designates a bed plate from
which rises a standard or column B, as shown. In the lower portion of this standard
or column is journalled a shaft C, having a pulley D provided upon one end and
connected by a suitable belt, with the driving shaft of the engine. The opposite end
of the shaft C is in the form of a threaded spindle E on which is mounted a
sleeve G internally threaded and adapted to move longitudinally on the spindle
when the latter is rotated. On one end of the sleeve is a pulley H connected
by a suitable belt to a motor, such for instance as a clock work motor, which
will operate evenly and regularly at the desired speed at which the engine is
to be run, so that the sleeve G will rotate on the threaded spindle at the speed
at which it is desired to drive the engine and the direction of its rotation will

page_text: be the same as the direction of rotation of the threaded spindle, and as the
latter is driven by the engine and the sleeve at a uniform speed by the motor,
the longitudinal travel of the sleeve upon the spindle will represent the variation
of the speed of the engine from that of the motor, and I propose to utilize this
longitudinal movement of the sleeve to effect, through suitable intervening
mechanism, the governing of the speed of the engine.
Upon the bed plate A, I erect a cylinder K, in which a piston L recipro-
cates. The said piston L is connected by a link M with a lever N fulcrumed
at the upper end of the standard B, and having its outer en connected with
the link or link block or other governing mechanism of the engine, by a suitable
liuk O as will be readily understood.
At one side of the standard is a valve chest P, which communicates by
ports p, p, with the cylinder K to permit of the passage of steam, water or
other fluid under pressure in the operation of the device, the steam or other
fluid entering the valve chest through a pipe k and escaping through a pipe k¹.
Where water is used the inlet pipe may run from the boiler of the engine from
a point below the water line of the boiler to the valve chest, and the discharge pipe
may lead the exhaust back to the boiler by means of an intermediate reservoir.
A slide valve Q is mounted in the valve chest P, and is adapted to control
the flow of the fluid through the various ports, and the valve rod 9 is, at its
upper end, centrally connected to a floating lever R, one end of the latter being
connected by a rod r to a lever S fulcrumed at s to a fixed point on the frame,
and the opposite end of the floating lever being connected by a rod r¹ to a
block carried by a bar T secured to the lever N, and provided with a locking
screw, so that the block may be locked in any position to which it may be
adjusted upon said bar T, and the extent of travel of the piston be adjusted as
desired.
To a fixed pivot point u near the base of the standard is fulcrumed a bell
crank lever U, one end of which is connected by a rod u to one end of the
lever S, and its opposite arm being engaged by annular flanges h on one end
of the sleeve (i, so that any longitudinal movement of the sleeve will act through
the bell crank lever to either raise or lower the rod u and effect through the
lever S, the rod and the floating lever R a corresponding lowering or raising
of the valve rod and valve.
The operation of this portion of the mechanism is as follows:-
Ordinarily the spindle E and the sleeve G will rotate at the same rate of speed
in the same direction, and the sleeve cannot increase nor diminish its speed as it is
driven by a motor running at a uniform predetermined rate of speed. Should the
speed of the engine, however, increase, the speed of rotation of the spindle E
will be correspondingly increased, and the sleeve G will be caused to move
toward the outer end of said spindle. This outward movement of the
sleeve G will cause a corresponding movement of the bell crank lever U, and
thereby exert a corresponding downward pull on the rod '; the lever S will
be vibrated and will act through the rod r and the floating lever R to slightly lift
the valve rod g and the valve Q. The port p will thus be opened and the water
will pass through the same to the cylinder K and act to depress the piston L, the
movement of the latter being transmitted through the link M to the lever N and
said lever being vibrated so as to actuate the reversing gear arrangement and
decrease the speed of the same. The downward movement of the lever N will then
act, through the bar T and the rod r, on the floating lever R, moving the latter
downward and closing the port p, thus preventing a movement of the lever N to an
extent sufficient to accomplish the stopping or reversal of the engine, and merely
acting to govern the speed of the same. It will be readily understood, of course,
that if the speed of the engine should fall below the desired speed, the several parts
will move in directions the reverse of those just described, so that the speed of the
engine will be brought up to the normal rate.
In the structure illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, I employ in addition to the cylinder K,

page_text: a second cylinder K¹ immediately below and in line with the first cylinder, and the
two pistons L, L' are arranged on the same piston rod, the latter passing through a
stuffing box k between the two cylinders. The valves Q, Q' of these cylinders,
are also arranged in line, and are both connected to the valve rod 9, the latter being
centrally connected to the floating lever R as before described.
The lower cylinder K', and its valve chest P¹ are formed in a single casting, and
are filled with water at all times, the cylinder communicating with the valve chest
through ports f, and there being at one side of the valve chest a by-pass f¹ through
which the water may flow freely to enter through both ports finto the cylinder
when the valve is opened, and when the valve is closed the water fills both the
upper and the lower portions of the cylinder and both of the ports f, and practically
locks the piston in whatever position it may be at the time the valve closes.
The upper or steam cylinder K and its valve chest P are also formed in a single
casting, and are secured directly upon a casting forming the lower cylinder and the
valve chest, while in the lower portion of the cylinder K is formed the stuffing
box through which the piston rod passes, to prevent any communication between
the cylinders.
This upper cylinder is so designed as to economise the amount of steam employed,
and to that end its lower portion is of less diameter than that portion in which the
piston slides, and the upper head of the cylinder is also made of less diameter than
the cylinder proper, and projects partly within the same.
The steam piston K has its upper surface recessed partly to accommodate the
inwardly projecting head of the cylinder and it becomes partly filled with water
of condensation so as to reduce the quantity of steam employed. The lower face of
the piston is of smaller diameter than its main body, and adapted to enter the
lower, smaller, portion of the cylinder as shown. The lower portion of the cylinder
also becomes partly filled with water of condensation, so that the steam space below
the piston is also materially reduced.
The pivot pin s in this instance forms a fulcrum point for a reversing lever V in
addition to the vibrating lever S which connects the floating lever R to the
sleeve G, and the rod instead of being connected to the lever S is connected to
this reversing lever V, a locking screw v being provided for the purpose of normally
locking these two levers to each other so that they may operate as one and transmit
to the floating lever the movement of the sleeve G.
When it is desired to reverse the engine by hand, the screw e is so turned as to
disconnect the lever V from the lever S, and then by grasping the handled end of
the lever V, the operator may either raise or lower the lever and effect a
corresponding movement of the floating lever R and of the valves to either reverse
or stop the engine, as he may desire, and in order to lock the reversing lever in any
position to which it may be adjusted by hand, I provide said lever with
a locking screw or catch adapted to any one of a number of openings v³ in a fixed
segment V
The construction of the device in all other respects is practically the same as that
previously described, excepting that the lever N is in the form of a bell-crank
lever, for convenience in this particular case, in effecting the movement of the link
block or link of a marine engine.
In the modified structure illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, the general arrangement
of the levers is somewhat altered, the valve rod g being connected directly to the
reversing lever V by a link q' at a point beyond its fulcrum, and the reversing lever
thus acts more directly upon the valves.
In this structure also a sleeve W, open at w to permit the free passage of the water,
and having ports w¹ corresponding to the various ports of the upper and lower
valve chests, is placed around the valves Q and Q', and is connected by a sleeve W¹
directly to the rod r'.
When this construction is in operation, the movement of the lever S to raise the
valve rod q will open communication between the upper portion of the cylinder K
and the entrance port k, and the pistons will be forced downwards, depressing the

page_text: lever or arm N and consequently raising the bar or segment T which, in this
instance, projects beyond the fulcrum point of the lever N. This movement of the
bar or segment T will raise the sleeve W₁ until all of the various ports t of
the sleeve W are opposite the disks of the valves Q and Q¹ and thus cut off all
further flow of either steam or water.
The operation of the mechanisms above described is the same as that described
with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, the function of the lower or water cylinder being
merely to act as a check or hold on the piston L of the steam cylinder, as the effect
of the steam pressure on the water is, when the lower valve is opened, equal on both
sides of the piston L, but after being once moved and the lower valve again closed
by the movement of the bar or segment T, both ports of the water cylinder
are closed and the piston is immovably held and locked until the valve again
opens.
As the motor mechanism for regulating the speed of the engine must be of a
comparatively delicate nature, and as considerable power is required to raise the
two valves and Q', it is more desirable to effect the operation of the latter
through an intermediate pressure cylinder X, the outer end of the lever S being in
such case, connected directly or indirectly to the piston rod a of the piston a¹ and
the rod u extending from the governing sleeve G being connected to a vibratory
cross-head Y to the centre of which the valve rod y of a valve y' is connected, and
the other end being connected to the piston rod x. In this manner the movements
of the rod may be rendered more delicate and the more accurate adjustment of
the parts be assured.
It is obvious that my governor is entirely automatic in its action and will act
instantly on the slightest variation of the speed so that the work performed by the
engine will be constant and uniform, while at the same time the governor may be
readily disconnected and the engine reversed by hand. The governor can be kept
up to the required degree of sensitiveness by adjusting the position of the pivots
or fulcrums of the several levers, as will be readily understood.
Wherever the words reversing lever are used in the claims they mean the lever
controlling the link or the link block or any other mechanism of the engine for the
purpose of changing the cut-off of steam admitted to the cylinder of the engine,
whether the engine can be made to reverse its motion or not.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is :-
First. In a steam engine governor, the combination of a threaded spindle driven
by the engine, a sleeve loosely mounted on said spindle and driven by an
independent motor, a piston connected with the reversing gear of the engine, a
valve controlling said piston, connections between said valve and the loose sleeve,
and connections between said valve and the reversing gear of the engine.
Second. The combination of a piston connected with the link or link block
controlling lever of the engine, a valve controlling said piston, a floating lever
connected to the upper end of the stem of said valve a link connecting one end of
the floating lever with the link or link block controlling lever, and mechanism
connected with the opposite end of said floating lever to actuate the same upon a
variance in the speed of the engine.
Third. The combination with the threaded spindle driven by the engine, the
sleeve thereon and driven by an independent motor, the levers N and u, the
links, and M, the lever S, the rod u', the floating lever R, the valve Q and
piston L, all arranged and operating substantially as specified.
Fourth. The combination of the cylinder, the piston therein, a link or link block
controlling lever connected to said piston, a valve chest, a governing valve therein,
a valve rod, a reversing lever to which the valve rod is connected, a second lever
to which the reversing lever may be connected, a rod extending from the end of
said second lever to a governing device, a ported valve sleeve surrounding the

page_text: governing valve, said ported valve sleeve being operatively connected to the said
link or link block controlling lever.
Fifth. The combination with the cylinders and pistons of the link or link block
controlling lever connected to said pistons, valves for said cylinders, a valve stem,
two pivoted levers, one connected to said valve stem, and the other to a
speed governing mechanism, and means for locking said levers together, substantially
as specified.
Sixth. The combination of the cylinders, pistons therein, a piston rod extending
from said pistons and connected to the link controlling lever of the engine, the
valves, a valve stem, a floating lever centrally connected to said valve stem,
a reversing lever connected to one end of said floating lever, and the opposite end
thereof being operatively connected to the link controlling lever, an automatic speed
governing mechanism and a lever operatively connected thereto and adapted
to be locked to the reversing lever, substantially as described.
"
Seventh. The combination of the link controlling lever, the steam and water
cylinders, pistons therein, a piston rod carrying both pistons and connected to said
lever, the steam and water valves, a reversing lever operatively connected thereto
and a sliding valve sleeve surrounding said steam and water valves, with means for
operating the same, substantially as described.
3
Eighth. The combination of a link controlling lever, a bar or segment secured to
said lever, steam and water cylinders, the pistons therein, piston rod carrying both
pistons and connected to said lever, the steam and water valves, a reversing lever
operatively connected thereto, a sliding ported valve sleeve surrounding said
valves, and a connecting rod extending from said valve sleeve to the bar segment,.
substantially as described.
Ninth. The combination of a link controlling lever, a bar or segment secured to
said lever, a pivot block adjustable on said bar or segment, steam and water
cylinders, pistons therein, a piston rod carrying both pistons and connected to said
lever, steam and water valves, a single valve rod carrying the same, a reversing
lever connected to said valve rod, a ported valve sleeve surrounding the valves, and
a connecting rod extending from said valve sleeve to the said adjustable pivot block,.
substantially as described.
Tenth. In a reversing and governing mechanism for engines, the combination of
a steam cylinder and a water cylinder situate on the same vertical line, a piston.
therein, a piston rod connecting both pistons, governing valves for controlling the
supply of steam and water to said cylinders, communicating valve chests in which
said valves are contained, a ported valve sleeve surrounding said valves, and
mechanism for automatically opening said valves and for effecting the movement of
the valve sleeve to close the same, substantially as specified.
Dated this 10th day of Coutambon 100t
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant..