Improvements in or Appertaining to Governing Apparatus Applicable for Air Compressing Engines.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 2nd July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 9th Aug., 1887.
RESERV
Improvements in or Appertaining to Governing Apparatus
Applicable for Air Compressing Engines.
I, FRANCIS FRANCE of Cowley Hill St. Helens in the County of Lancaster, Mining
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
When using compressed air an engine or other motive power is employed to com-
press the air and force it into the air reservoir. Upon this reservoir a safety valve
is placed. When ever the air in the reservoir reaches the limit to which the safety
valve is weighted, the engine has to be stopped or slowed, or blowing off will occur.
If a regulator depending upon the pressure be employed as a governor, should a
fracture of the pipes occur and the pressure be reduced to zero, the regulator
immediately admits full power to the motor engine, which at the same time has just
had almost its entire load taken off by the fall of pressure. Dangerous "racing"
very destructive to the machinery and very wasteful immediately ensues.
Now my invention is designed to regulate the engine by the pressure in the
reservoir and yet cause the engine to stop, if from any accident its load is suddenly
removed.
The invention consists in connecting the throttle valve of the engine (or gate of
the water wheel, or other regulator of the power employed, hereafter understood to
be covered under the simple designation throttle valve") directly or by means
of levers with the weighted piston of a cylinder open below to the pressure of the
reservoir or compressed air pipes, and also in attaching to the apparatus a safety
mechanism in such manner that the moment the pressure in the reservoir or the com-
pressed air pipes falls below a given point a disconnecting apparatus or auxiliary
force comes into play and immediately closes the throttle valve. By weighted piston,
I mean a piston pressed down by a weight, spring or its equivalent against the upward
pressure of the compressed air. My experiment apparatus which as far as my trials
have gone appears likely to answer perfectly is as follows.
To the cross head of a piston, the cylinder of which is open to the pressure in the
reservoir are attached two strong helical springs; the cross head is linked to the
throttle valve by a clip connection that clips the lever of the throttle valve or its

page_text: connecting link, but which clip releases its hold when the piston falls a given distance
through the clip coming against a cam or tappet. The lever of the throttle valve
being also weighted on being released instantly falls back and closes the valve.
The principle of my invention will be seen from the above to mainly consist in
closing the throttle valve, or an independent throttle valve the moment the air falls
below a given point, by devices worked by the variation in the pressures of the
air itself.
Another important point in my invention is the use of springs in preference to
weights, either in whole or in large part. My earlier experiments were with a weighted
piston only. This did reasonably well, but the piston did not move appreciably till
the air had reached a given pressure and then rose suddenly; to obviate this, I added
two weak springs, by further experiment however, I found that the stronger
the springs and the lighter the weight the better the regulator acted, as the
regulator was gradual not sudden, the steam being in such case regulated rather than
cut off. It is obvious too, that instead of springs acting in a cross head, they could
act directly against the piston rod, or be even placed in the cylinder and act against
the piston.
Dated this Firat doT of October 1886

page_text: Improvements in or Appertaining to Governing Apparatus
Applicable for Air Compressing Engines.
I, FRANCIS FRANCE of Cowley Hill St. Helens, in the County of Lancaster, Mining
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 :-
If a
When using compressed air an engine or other motive power is employed to com-
press the air, and force it into the air reservoir. Upon this reservoir a safety valve is
placed. Whenever the air in the reservoir reaches the limit to which the safety valve
is weighted, the engine has to be stopped or slowed, or blowing off will occur.
regulator depending upon the pressure be employed as a governor, should a fracture of
the pipes occur, and the pressure be reduced to zero, the regulator immediately
admits full power to the motor engine, which at the same time has just had almost
its entire load taken off by the fall of pressure. Dangerous "racing" very destructive
to the machinery and very wasteful, immediately ensues.
Now my invention is designed to regulate the engine by the pressure in the reservoir,
and yet cause the engine to stop if from any accident its load is suddenly removed.
The invention consists in connecting the throttle valve of the engine (or gate of the
water wheel, or other regulator of the power employed, hereafter understood to be
covered under the simple designation "throttle valve ") directly or by means of
levers with the weighted piston of a cylinder open below to the pressure of the
reservoir or compressed air pipes, and also in attaching to the apparatus a safety
mechanism in such manner that the moment the pressure in the reservoir, or the
compressed air pipes, falls below a given point, a disconnecting apparatus or auxiliary
force comes into play, and immediately closes the throttle valve. By weighted piston,
I mean a piston pressed down by a weight, spring or its equivalent against the upward
pressure of the compressed air. My experimental apparatus which is a complete
success, is set forth in the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1, is a front view, partly in section.
Figure 2, a side view, partly in section.
A is a crosshead fixed to piston rod B of cylinder C. This cylinder is fixed to
frame G by lugs H, H. Fixed to the crosshead A and lugs I on cylinder C are two
strong helical springs E, in tension. The lower part of cylinder C is open to the
compressed air of the reservoir by means of pipe D.
Crosshead A is attached to a second crosshead J by means of two rods E, F, and
crosshead J carries the bulbous end of the jointed valve rod connection K, enclosed
in a socket covered by a sliding plate L. Sliding plate L has a hole M large enough
to allow the bulb end of the rod to pass through, but this hole only comes opposite
the bulb when plate L is pushed in as hereafter described. Connection K is preferably
attached to the hollow valve rod N by a telescopic joint and set screw O. Valve

page_text: rod N is counter-weighted in any convenient manner to fly upward when free, and
is attached to the throttle valve. P, is a fixed sloping abutment, cam or tappet, which,
when the plate L comes against it, the latter is forced in. R is an oil cup which, if
necessary, can do duty also as a weight to help springs E.
The mode of operating is as follows:-
If the pressure rises in the cylinder, the piston and piston rod B rise too, and with
them the crosshead A, rods F, crosshead J, and rods K and N, and the valve is
throttled in whole or in part, according as the action has been great or small. As
the pressure lessens, the springs E, E, bring back the crosshead A against the pressure
exerted by the air in the cylinder, and the valve is opened accordingly, and to the
extent to which the pressure is abnormally lowered. Should, owing to the fracture
of a pipe or other cause, the pressure be still further and continuously reduced till the
piston sinks abnormally low, the plate L in sinking down with crosshead J presses
against the slope P, and is pushed back till the hole M in slide L comes opposite the
bulb of counterweighted valve rod K, this latter immediately shoots through the hole
impelled by its counterweight, and closes the valve.
The principle of my invention will be seen from the above to mainly consist in
closing the throttle valve, or an independent throttle valve the moment the air falls
below a given point, by devices worked by the variation in the pressure of the air itself.
Another important point in my invention is the use of springs in preference to
weights, either in whole or in large part. My earlier experiments were with a
weighted piston only. This did reasonably well, but the piston did not move
appreciably till the air had reached a given pressure, and then rose suddenly; to
obviate this, I added two weak springs, by further experiment however, I found that
the stronger the springs and the lighter the weight, the better the regulator acted, as
the regulator was gradual not sudden, the steam being in such case regulated rather
than cut off. I therefore reduced the weight till it was represented only by the piston
rod, crosshead, and oil cup R, and the weight of the attachments. It is obvious, that
instead of springs acting in a crosshead, they could act directly against the piston rod,
or be even placed in the cylinder, and act against the piston.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:―
1st. The improvement in governing apparatus applicable for air compressing
engines, which consists in the addition, to governing apparatus actuated by the
pressure of the air itself, and acting on a throttle valve, or its equivalent, of a device
for at once closing the throttle valve or its equivalent, the moment the pressure falls
below a given point, substantially as described.
2nd. In governing apparatus for air compressing engines, substantially as described,
the use of a spring or springs (acting against the pressure of the compressed air)
upon the valve rod tending to close the valve, whereby the action is gradually and
slowly accomplished, substantially as described.
T
3007
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.