IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: ¨LETTERS PATENT to George Lowry, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS
FOR STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES."
Sealed the 17th March 1874, and dated the 16th January 1874.

page_text: axles of six weighted levers, which are all connected together by links
jointed to a centre plate loose on the crank or other shaft.
Two of the axles of the weighted levers are connected by a regulating
spring, and one of the axles is connected to the eccentric for the cut-off
or admission valve. When the engine is working at its proper speed
the weighted levers do not act on the valve, but when the engine
begins to run too fast the centrifugal force of the weighted levers around
their axles causes the valve to be partially closed until the engine
regains its proper speed; and when the engine runs too slow the
weighted levers collapse around their axles and increase the opening of
the valve.
The number of the weighted levers and other details may be con-
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Lowry in the Great Seal Patent Office on ]
the 15th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LOWRY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date tho Sixteenth day of January, in the year 2
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Lowry, Her special licence,
that I, the said George Lowry, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Lowry, executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thercafter 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
GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Lowry, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the

page_text: 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
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Lowry, 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 (that is to say):-
This improved governor may be applied direct to the crank shaft of
the steam engine, or to the driving shaft of any other motive-power
engine, or to any shaft actuated by the same.
The machinery of which the governor is composed consists of a disc
fixed on the crank or other shaft, and this disc supports the axles of a
series of weighted levers, which are all connected together and to a
centre plate loose on the crank or other shaft.
The weighted levers are connected by a regulating spring, and to the
eccentric or spindle of the cut-off or admission valve.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
Figs. 1 and 2 are two front elevations; Fig. 3, a side view; and
Fig. 4, a transverse section of my improved governor.
a is the crank shaft of a steam engine, or the driving shaft of any
other motive power engine, or a shaft actuated by the same; b is a disc,
forming a box open at one side, keyed on the shaft a; c, c, are a series
of six or other convenient number of weighted levers, which are free to
oscillate on the fulcrum studs d passing through and rivetted in the
disc 6; e is a centre plate loose on the shaft a; and f, f, are links, the
ends of which are jointed to the weighted levers c, c, and to the centre
plate e. The end of the boss of the centre plate is made with a double
set-off, as shewn in Fig. 4, and it is connected to the shaft a by the
coiled spring g. At the end of the boss of the centre plate e is the half
washer h, which is also made with a shoulder or set-off, and which is
screwed to the shaft a or forged solid thereon. The spindle i is in
communication with the cut-off or admission valve, and the bowl į at

page_text: the end of the spindle i is held by a spring or other equivalent in
contact with the end of the boss of the centre plate c or the half
washer h, as shewn in Fig. 2, or against the shaft a, as shewn in
Fig. 1.
'
The mode of operation is as follows:-When the engine is working at
its proper speed the weighted levers c bear upon the centre plate e, as
shewn in Fig. 2, and the shoulders or set-offs on the boss of the centre
plate and on the half washer h remain in contact, and consequently no
variation is produced in the position of the cut-off or other valve, which
remains open to the required extent; but as soon as the engine begins
to run too fast the centrifugal force of the weighted levers c around
their axles causes the relative positions of the disc b and centre plate e
to be varied, as shewn in Fig.dl; by this motion of the centre plate the
shoulder on its boss is moved away from the shoulder on the half.
washer h, and the bowl j is then pressed against the shaft a, thereby
closing or partially closing the cut-off or other valve.
The centrifugal action of the weighted levers c is limited by the cir-
cumference of the disc b, as shewn in Fig. 1, and it is evident that as,
soon as the weighted levers begin to expand they vary the position of
the centre plato e, and by separating the shoulders on the boss of the
said centre plate and on the half washer / they allow the bowlj to dwell
for a longer or shorter time, and thus produce a variable action on the
spindle i, according to the speed of the engine to be regulated. A
similar arrangement is required for working the valve at the other side,
as shewn by the dotted circle in Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a side view, and Fig. 6 a front view, of a modification of my
Invention. In this arrangement the axle d of one of the weighted lever c
projects through the disc b, and to it is fixed the eccentric k, this
eccentric is connected to the main eccentric by the double bridle m.
The eccentric is provided with a slot fitting on the shaft a, and the
valve spindle i is connected to the bridle m. When the engine is
running too fast the weighted levers c expand and the eccentric k
acting on the eccentric / then varies the position of the cut-off or other
valve to the extent required for reducing the speed, and at the same
time moves the eccentric / forward to keep the lead right.
These improved governors are applicable to every description of steam
engine, to water wheels, and other motive power engines, and they may
be advantageously applied to marine engines.