Improvements in Marine Engine Governors.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1893-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES FALCONER, of Bombay, in the Empire of
India, Engineer to the British India Steam Navigation Company, and
WILLIAM
NAYLOR, of Surat, in the Province of Gujerat, Bombay
Presidency, also in the Empire of India, Mechanical Engineer.]
Improvements in Marine Engine Governors.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A.,
practising as Phillips and Leigh, at No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lanc, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to improvements in marine engine governors, and
its object is to produce an efficient one and consists in working the throttle valve
directly from the sea by a combination of a diaphragm, or its equivalent, supported
near the screw, a valve, or its equivalent, controlled by the motion imposed on the
said diaphragm by that of the latter up or down through the water, and on its part
controlling the end of a pipe which is always subject to the action of an exhauster,
a diaphragm enclosed within a chamber both portions whereof are in communication
with the said pipe between the valve and the exhauster, and gear connecting the
last mentioned diaphragm with the throttle valve, whereby the position of the latter
is adjusted according to the position of the first mentioned diaphragm acting through.
the intermediate mechanisms.
In carrying the invention into effect, there is provided an open tube which is fixed.
to the stern post or in a practically equivalent position. The foot of it is fitted with
an internal flexible disc or diaphragm capable of vertical play in either direction..
A pipe is arranged in any convenient position in or on the vessel between a point
within reach as to one end of it, of the said diaphragm, and as to the other end,.
within the influence of an ejector or exhauster. The former end terminates in a
valve seat which is outside the pipe. The valve is kept down on its seat by a
spring or other automatic device. A push rod is led from the diaphragm to the
valve in order that the former shall control that of the latter. The pipe is open to
the air when the valve is off its seat. A suitable device is provided for holding the
valve off its seat when the governor is to be kept out of work.
A closed cylinder or chamber is fixed at some convenient point near to the
throttle valve. It is provided with an internal flexible diaphragm. The latter
divides the cylinder into two portions and is capable of motion in either direction..
A suitable guide for this motion is provided, and the diaphragm itself is connected
with the throttle valve by any suitable gear capable of resolving the motion of the
former into one of opening or closing on the part of the latter accordingly. Both
portions of the cylinder are placed in communication with the pipe described above,
one of such communications being controlled by an automatic valve lifting
outwards.
It is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not confined in respect of
the several details to those specified above, inasmuch as they may be varied both as
to type and position provided the proper discharge of their respective functions is
duly provided for.
Dated this 7th day of October 1892.
HENRY H. LEIGH,
Chartered Patent Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Marine Engine Governors.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A.,
F.I. Inst., practising as Phillips and Leigh, at No. 22, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent
Agent, 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 present invention relates to improvements in marine engine governors and its
objects are to provide for the throttle valve being moved in the direction of its
being shut before the stern of the vessel has lifted high enough to expose the screw
and to be moved equally in the opposite direction by the drop of the stern. The
usual governor is connected with our improvements so that its action is com-
municated to the throttle valve through a portion of them.
The improvements consist of a flexible diaphragm or its equivalent which is
supported by its edge in a fixed position near the screw, a valve controlled by the
motion imposed on the said diaphragm by that of the latter up or down through the
water, a pipe the stern end of which furnishes the seat for the said valve which
pipe is always subject to the action of an exhauster, and a flexible diaphragm
(hereinafter called the governor) adapted to work within the governor chest to the
side of which it is made fast by its edge and in which it can move piston-wise in
either of two directions, branches from the pipe above mentioned to the two
chambers of the governor chest and to the exhauster, an automatic closing valve on
the exhaust branch from one of the chambers, an air supply through its branch pipe
to the other chamber which air supply is turned on only by either the opening of
the valve first mentioned or by the racing of the ordinary governor and gear
connecting the governor in the governor chamber to the throttle valve whereby
the motion of the said governor before the air supply, is transformed to one of
closure on the part of the throttle valve.
In order that the invention, and the means by which it is to be carried into
practical effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will now describe it and them in
detail, referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as
part of this Specification and read therewith.
Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation illustrating the general construction and
application of the invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 2-2 of
Figure 1.
Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, partly in section, of the improved governor,
-governor chest and its connections.
Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the stern diaphragm and
its box.
All the figures illustrate the position which the respective parts occupy when
the throttle valve is full open.
a is a flexible diaphragm. b is the diaphragm box in and to which the diaphragm
is held watertight midway between the top and bottom of the box by having its
edge clipped between the two halves of the said box in the manner illustrated in
Figures 1 and 4. Any other equivalent method of holding the diaphragm in and
to the box may be adopted provided that it is held watertight to the sides thereof
and centrally therein, so that the flexible portion of it can move freely up or
down under the pressure of the water. The box has ports 6', 6' made in it for the
purpose of providing for the free access of water to both sides of the diaphragm,
as illustrated in Figure 4 and as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1. The
diaphragm must be supported in a fixed position-fixed i.e., with reference to the

page_text: stern-at a point near and below the screw. It is fixed near the axis of the screw
in order that it may partake the latter's changes of position, and below it, in order
that it may continue to be operative (which could not be if it were not immersed)
in spite of the partial exposure of the screw.
c. is a valve. Its seat c¹ is an external surface formed on a box c¹ which is fixed
vertically over the diaphragm box b, and to the said box the valve is shewn as
pivotted in such a way that it can swing downwards off its seat. The valve c and
the diaphragm a are held together at a fixed distance apart by the rod cand
chain c. The former works through a stuffing box c and the latter within a
tube which, extending from the diaphragm box b upwards to the top, or nearly
to the top of the stern post, serves to safeguard the chain. This tube is held in
position in any convenient way, but special provision is made for the easy removal
of the diaphragm box. It is fixed to the flanged bottom of the pipe by a flange
and bolts and has a tapered pin & depending from its underside which fits into a
socket provided for that purpose on the stern post. When the valve c is down
on its seat, the diaphragm is convex to it.
d is a returning spring strong enough to reseat the valve c after the vessel has
got on to a level keel again. It works between the valve c and an adjustable
seating d provided for the purpose of adjusting the strength of the spring. d is a
box surrounding the spring and seating and making up the distance between the
stuffing box c and the valve box c³. The openings d, d³ in the side of the box are
to admit air freely to the underside of the valve c. The free admission of air at
all times to the underside of this valve is as important to the operation of our
invention as is the free admission of water to both sides of the diaphragm a,
and that is the reason why the openings or ports b', d³ are as large as they are
represented.
e is the exhaust pipe, i.e., the pipe leading from the valve c to the engine room
and to which the special governor is connected.
f is an ejector. fis its supply pipe, fa stop cock thereon, f³ the starting
valve of the ejector, and f* a pipe leading from the ejector to the exhaust.
is the special governor. It consists of a flexible diaphragm which is attached
by its edge, air-tight for the whole extent of the latter, to the sides of the governor
chest g'. This chest is, when all the connections to it are closed, air tight. The
line of attachment is midway between the top and bottom of the chest, and the
attachment is preferably effected by making the chest itself in two halves flanged
outwardly as to their edges, and clipping the edge of the diaphragm between them.
This edge will also serve as an air tight packing. Any other equivalent method
of holding the diaphragm g in and to the chest g¹ may be adopted provided that
the said diaphragm is held air-tight to the sides of the latter and centrally
between the top and bottom, so that the flexible portion of it can move freely,
piston-wise, within it according to the changes in pressure on the respective
sides of it.
is the steam throttle valve. It and the governor are connected together by
the following gearing:-h', an arm external to the steam main, fast on the end of
the valve axle and pivotted by its outer end to a link * which connects it to an
arm fast by its other end to a rod h' turning in suitable bearings and carrying
a fast arm pivotted by its outer end to the bottom of a rod 9' which passes
through the governor 9 and is made fast to it in any convenient way, preferably as
follows. 9, 9 are a pair of rigid plates, is a flanged tube fitting outside the rod g
one on each side of the central part of
the flexible portion of the diaphragm.
and reaching from the fork of it up to the under plate g³ upon which its flange
abuts. g is a lock nut which is screwed down the rod upon the opposite plate g³,
clipping the said part of the diaphragm between the plates g³ and holding the
latter at a right angle with the rod g. 9' is a stuffing box on the underside of
the governor chest (provided for the tube g to work air-tight through.) and 9', a
guide on the top of the governor chest, aligned with the stuffing box and adapted
to receive g an axial continuation of the rod g³.

page_text: The governor chest g' is carried by trunnions go, go which turn in brackets 910, 910.
to provide for it swinging with the rise and fall of the rod g³.
The function of the ejector is to establish and maintain practical vacua in the
exhaust pipe e as well as in the two chambers into which the intermediate position.
of the governor g in the governor chest g¹, divides the latter. The two branch
pipes,, the former from the upper chamber ; and the latter from the lower
chamber are, therefore, provided. They are, preferably united before being
connected to the pipe e, and, in any case, their connection with the said pipe must
be a flexible one because of the swinging motion of the governor chest. The
flexible connection illustrated consists of a rubber bend is an automatic
closing valve provided for the purpose of keeping the upper chamber j closed
against the entrance of air. It is shewn as held on its seat by a light spring i
which yields only to the suck of the ejector.
The use of the ejector, the exhaust pipe e sternwards of the bend, the valve o
and the diaphragm a may be dispensed with in calm weather-i.e., when the sea is
too smooth for the exposure of the screw to be possible, and the ordinary
condenser be depended on for producing and maintaining the desired vacua in the
chambers, is the pipe which connects the pipe e with the condenser. It and
the pipe e to the ejector are controlled by a cock in which they meet, while the
pipe e sternwards of the bend is controlled by a cock l. The plugs of these two
cocks are connected by a link in such a way that one cannot be turned without
the other. When the cock is shut, the cock is open to the condenser and shut
to the ejector; and vice versa.
:
m is a rod connected with the ordinary governor on the engine. m² is an arm
pivotted by one end to the rod m and fast by its opposite end to the plug of a
cock m² which controls an air port m' to the branch -the one to the lower
governor chamber . The function of this cock is to supply air to the latter
whenever the engine governor is inclined to race.
The action of our invention is as follows.
If the cock is open when the stern rises, the valve c is pulled off its seat by the
resistance of the water to the upward motion of the diaphragm a through it. Air
will then rush past that valve and along the pipes e, and into the chamber
and force the governor g before it, thereby closing the throttle valve accordingly.
Further, the tendency of the engine governor to race, brought on by the imminent
or actual exposure of the screw, results in the opening of the cock m³ and is checked
by the atmospheric pressure admitted through the port m³ into the chamber j¹, in the
same way as just described. When the stern falls, the diaphragm a is reversed, the
pull on the valve rod c³ taken off it and the valve c reseated by the spring d.
The vacua in the chambers j, j' are forthwith re-established, and the weight of the
:governor g and its immediate addenda, pulls it down, thereby opening the throttle
valve accordingly. The slowing of the engine governor shuts the cock m².
When the cock is shut, the engine is governed only by the ordinary governor
acting through the cock m³, and this will suffice at such times, seeing that the said
cock is shut only during calm weather.
It is claimed broadly for this invention that it includes the combination of throttle
valve, flexible diaphragm normally submerged and held to the vessel-preferably to
its stern-in a proper position for presenting its faces-top or bottom-to the water
as the vessel pitches, and a governor and connecting mechanism by which the lift of
the flexible diaphragm through the water (when it is fixed to the stern) provides
for the throttle valve being closed by the said governor and vice versa, and that any
modification of the general mechanism or of the individual devices of the respective
positions illustrated and described is within the scope of the said invention and,
consequently, of the Letters Patent to be granted for the same. The invention is,
for the reason just explained, not confined to the details either of construction or of
position illustrated in the drawings, for these same details may be varied con-
siderably without departing from the scope of the said invention. For instance,
the pipe e may be led along the bottom of the ship and up to the valve chest c³. The

page_text: valve c and seat c¹ may be replaced by a piston uncovering air ports. The flexible-
diaphragm a may be enclosed in any way so long as its edge is held to the vessel,
the water has free access to both faces of it and these faces face respectively up.
and down. So too with the governor g and governor chest 9'. They may be
vertical instead of horizontal, in which case suitable provision would have to be
made for returning the governor to its intermediate position in the chest after the
shutting of the valve c." Further, the whole mechanism from the diaphragm a to-
the exhaust pipe might be modified so that the throttle could be worked from the
diaphragm if the latter were fixed to the bow instead of to the stern, although, as.
already stated the latter is the preferable position.
When a steamer is fitted with twin screws and two sets of engines, one of the
improved marine governors may be fitted to each.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination of throttle valve, flexible diaphragm held to the vessel
in a proper position for presenting its faces to the water as the vessel pitches, and
normally submerged, a governor and connecting mechanism by which the motion.
imposed on the flexible diaphragm by the water above or below it, provides,.
through the action of the said diaphragm on a governor and of the latter on the
throttle, to either shut or open the said throttle accordingly.
2. The combination with the throttle valve of a marine engine, of a governor-
being a flexible diaphragm held and adapted to work piston-wise within a governor
chest, a constant exhaust from each side of the said governor, a valve in the pipe-
connection between the exhaust and the upper chamber of the governor chest
adapted to yield only to the suck of the exhauster, a pipe from the governor chest.
to the ship's stern, a valve adapted to close the stern end of the said tube and a
normally submerged diaphragm connected to the said valve and compelled by its.
position to present one of its faces to the water as the stern lifts or drops.
3. The combination of a governor chest consisting of two flanged chambers held
together flange to flange, a flexible diaphragm held to and in the said chest by its.
edge being gripped between the said flanges, a rigid plate on each side of the-
central part of the flexible portion of the diaphragm, a rod passed centrally through
the said plate and diaphragm and holding the latter fast between the former,.
stuffing box for the said rod to work through and a guide for a prolongation of it,.
as and for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination of a governor chest, a flexible diaphragm held thereto and
capable of working piston-wise therein, an exhauster, a pipe connection between the
upper chamber of the governor chest and the exhauster, a valve in the said con-
nection adapted to yield only to the suck of the exhauster, a pipe connection
between the lower chamber of the governor chest and the exhauster and a cock on
the latter connection adapted to be opened to the external atmosphere by the rising.
speed of the engine governor, as set forth.
5. The combination of valve box fixed over the stern post, seating thereon, valve.
adapted by its lift from the said seating to admit air freely into the said box,.
adjustable spring device adapted to reseat the said valve and connection between
the said valve and a submerged diaphragm held in a fixed position on the stern,
post, as set forth.
6. The combination with the stern of a vessel of a box detachably fixed to the
bottom of the stern post by the devices illustrated, a flexible diaphragm held in the
said box, ports or openings in the said box adapted to maintain free access of
the water to both sides of the diaphragm, a valve held normally by a reseating-
spring upon its seat on a valve box fixed vertically over the stern post, a connection.
between the diaphragm and valve adapted to provide for the motion of the former
to be communicated to the latter, and a guard for the said connection.
7. The device for removably holding the box containing the flexible diaphragm.

page_text: to the stern post consisting of flanges on the box and the guarding pipe, socket on.
the stern post and a pin on the bottom of the box adapted to fit into the said!
socket.
Dated this 7th day of Jul 1893
HENRY H. LEIGH,
Chartered Patent Agent.