IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Fletcher Wiles, of Sun Court, Cornhill, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM
AND OTHER ENGINES."
Sealed the 12th July 1878, and dated the 15th January 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Fletcher Wiles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th January 1878.
JOHN FLETCHER WILES, of Sun Court, Cornhill, in the City of London.
PROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES,"
"IM-
The Invention has for its object improvements in governors for steam and other
engines. For this purpose I mount on a cross axis or on studs carried by a rotating
shaft a ring, disc, or wheel, either with or without weighted arms attached thereto.
To one side of this ring, wheel, or disc, or to one of the weighted arms, or to other
suitable part of the connections, I connect a spring or weight, and to the other I
connect the means for giving motion to the throttle valve.
When weighted arms are employed they are connected rigidly together, and the
rod or bar may pass through and work in a slot in the driving axis, or vice versa, in
each side of which slot the cross axis is fixed or works.
The spring and weight connected to the governor are capable of regulation by
means of screw or other connections, so as to enable the speed of the engine to be
regulated whilst the engine is running. By this arrangement the driving shaft of
the governor may be placed in any desired position, whether vertical, horizontal, or
inclined, and the tendency of the disc, wheel, or ring, or weighted arms, when in
motion is to overcome the action of the spring or regulating weight, and place the
disc, wheel, ring, or weighted arms in positions gradually approaching to or
receding from right angles to the driving axis, according to the speed of the engine,
whereby the throttle valve is more or less opened or closed, as may be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Fletcher Wiles in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
July 1878.
JOHN FLETCHER WILES, of Sun Court, Cornhill, in the City of London. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in governors for steam and other
engines. For this purpose I mount on a cross axis or on studs carried by a rotating
shaft a ring, disc, or wheel attached thereto. To one side of this ring, wheel, or
disc, or to other suitable part of the connections, I connect a spring or weight, and
to the other I connect the means for giving motion to the throttle valve.
The spring or weight connected to the governor is capable of regulation by means
of screw or other connections, so as to enable the speed of the engine to be regu-
lated whilst the engine is running. By this arrangement the driving shaft of the
governor may be placed in any desired position, whether vertical, horizontal; or
inclined, and the tendency of the disc, wheel, or ring when in motion is to overcome
the action of the spring or regulating weight, and place the disc, wheel, or ring in
positions gradually approaching to or receding from right angles to the driving axis,
according to the speed of the engine, whereby the throttle or other valve is more
or less opened or closed, as may be required.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
tion into effect.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 show various modifications thereof.
Figures 7 and 8 are plan views of parts.
At Figures 9 and 10 I have represented my Invention applied to regulating the
action of the cut-off plates of expansion gear; and at Figure 11 I have shown my
Invention applied to regulating the action of the ordinary slide valve by increasing
or decreasing the length of stroke thereof.
In all the Figures like parts are marked with similar letters of reference.
a is a spindle or axis, which receives rotary motion in any convenient manner.
On a cross axis b carried by the spindle a is fixed the governor ring or wheel c,
which, according to the arrangement represented at Figures 1 and 2, is on one side
connected by a link d to a slide e, which acts upon one end of the throttle valve
lever f; the other side of the governor ring has connected thereto a spring g, which
may be connected directly to the spindle or axis a, or, as shown in the Drawing, may
be connected to an adjustable tube h, in order to enable the speed of the engine
readily to be regulated while running; this tube h is connected to the boss of the
hand wheel i by means of screws h' working in a circular groove formed around
such boss, so as to enable the tube h to rotate independently of the hand wheel i.
The centre of the hand wheel i is tapped to fit a screw j, the upper end of which is
provided with a band wheel, whilst the lower end bears against the upper end of
the spindle a; thus, by holding the hand wheel i and turning the screw j, the tube h
can be raised or lowered as desired, and the tension on the spring g thereby increased
or diminished, by which means the speed of the engine can be altered as required
while the engine is running.

page_text: In the modification represented at Figure 3 the spring g, instead of being con-
nected to one side of the ring or wheel c and to a sliding tube h, is connected to a
screw k passing through the throttle valve lever f, and the tension of the spring g
can be increased or diminished by means of a fly nut k¹ working on the screw k.
In the modification represented at Figure 4 the spring g is placed around the
spindle or axis a, and bears at one end against the slide e, and at the other against
a cross pin or a ring on the spindle or axis a; and in order to enable the speed of
the engine to be altered whilst the engine is running I, in this arrangement, bore
out the centre of the spindle a, or employ a tubular spindle in the interior of which
is a rod 1, to the upper end of which the cross pin or ring l¹ is fixed, whilst the lower
end of such rod is held by one end of a lever m, which is mounted on an axis of
motion m', and is acted upon by a screw k and fly nut k¹, as required.
In the arrangement represented at Figures 5 and 6 the spring g is also mounted
on the spindle a, and acts in a similar manner to that represented in Figure 4, but
the ring is fixed on the spindle a by a set screw 12, and the means for altering the
speed of the engine whilst running are dispensed with, but the collar Umay be fixed
at any desired position on the spindle a so as to regulate the speed at which the
engine shall run; and instead of connecting the governor ring or wheel c direct to
the slide e, I mount on the cross axis b two segments 6', which are connected to steel
bands n, or by chains, if preferred, to the slide e.
с
In Figures 7 and 8 I have represented two modes of mounting the governor ring
or wheel c, which will be readily understood by reference to the Drawings.
In the arrangement represented at Figures 9 and 10 I have represented my
improved governor adapted to regulate the action of the cut-off plates of expansion
gear. In this case the governor is shown arranged as represented in Figures 5
and 6, and the lever f, instead of being connected to the throttle valve, is by a link o
connected to a lever p, mounted on the rod q in such manner as whilst permitting
such rod q to slide through the boss thereof, such lever p shall be capable of giving
rotary motion to the rod q, and the rod q is connected to the eccentric rod q' by a
joint at q³, so arranged as to permit the rod q to be rotated therein. The rod q is
formed with right and left hand screw threads, as usual, tapped into nuts formed
in or fixed to the cut-off plates r, so that by rotating such rods 9 partly in the one
or the other direction, the cut-off plates can be made to approach to or recede from
each other.
In the arrangement represented at Figure 11 my improved governor is shown
arranged to regulate the action of the ordinary slide valve so as to vary the extent of
its motion, and thereby increase or diminish the extent to which the steam ports
are opened; this is effected by connecting the lever by link o to one end of a
lever 8, the other end of which is connected by a link t to the eccentric rod q',
which, instead of being connected directly to the slide valve rod q, is provided at
its end with a slide capable of working up and down in the open link u, which
is pin-jointed at u¹ to a fixed bracket, and is connected at us to the slide valve
rod q
Instead of employing a spring g, a weighted arm may be used in lieu thereof, as
will be readily understood.
The action of the improved governor is as follows:-On the speed of the engine
increasing, the governor ring or wheel c approaches more or less to a horizontal
position on, or to a position at right angles to its spindle a, and thus proportionately
closes the throttle or other valve with which it is connected; on the speed
decreasing, the reverse effect takes place, but the action of my improved governor
is so sensitive that the engine is maintained at an almost constant speed, irrespective
of the load upon the engine or the pressure of steam in the boiler.
It will be evident that my improved governor may be applied to the regulation
of other descriptions of steam engine valves than those herein referred to.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the modes in which

page_text: I prefer to carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I
claim is, the improved governor, constructed substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Fletcher Wiles, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JOHN F. WILES. (LS.)