Improvements in Apparatus in connection with the Governing of Marine Engines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 18th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus in connection with the Governing of
Marine Engines.
WILLIAM WELBURY, 5, Middleton Crescent, Dewsbury Road, Leeds, Marine
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
are
used.
race,
are
pass
This invention has for its object certain improvements in the governing appa-
ratus of marine engines. It is a known fact that engines of vessels in a heavy sea
liable to
to obviate this various makes of
governors
on the throttle
These governors act through various mechanisms
to race; the
valve closing the same as
as the engine commences
soon
objection to these governors is, that no matter how quickly they act there is
always a certain amount of steam in the valve chest which must
through the engine developing sufficient power in its passage to cause the engine
to race before the governor can have any effect on the working of the engine. The
purpose of this invention is to overcome the difficulty before described, to do so the
steam or valve chest or any suitable part of the engine or its connections to which
steam is admitted before it enters the cylinder, is connected with the condenser
by means of a pipe in which is situated a valve of suitable construction, to be
opened and closed and be under control of the governor and to be acted upon in
such a manner by it that it will not open before the throttle valve is closed, and will
always close before the throttle valve is reopened.
may
To effect this an elastic medium such as a spring or buffer of some kind form
is interposed between the throttle valve and the governor on the rod used for the
working of the throttle valve. This buffer placed on the rod gives the same and
its connections a certain amount of elasticity with regard to their movement and
position which can be regulated in such a way as to close the throttle valve with-
out compressing the medium on the rod and thereby altering the relative positions
of any of its parts or levers connected to it, the additional movement required to
open the valve connected with the condenser is got by compressing the elastic
medium which results in a movement of the rod without its lever connections to
the throttle valve being moved.
The reverse takes place when it is required to again admit steam to the engine,
the elastic medium released from its state of compression first allows the rod to
move without its lever connections moving and thereby to close the valve connected
to the condenser and to resume its relative position to the levers connected to it
which it held before the elastic medium was compressed, a further movement of
the rod will then by a combined movement of rod and levers re-open the throttle
valve and again admit steam to the engine in the usual way.
In the case of a multiple cylinder engine each or any of the steam or valve
chests may be connected with the condenser as described.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus in connection with the Governing of
Marine Engines.
I, WILLIAM WELBURY, of 5, Middleton Crescent, Dewsbury Road, Leeds, in the
County of York, Marine 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:
-
It is well known that in a heavy sea the engines of steamers are liable to race
owing to the action of the sea, which causes the vessel to move in such a manner
that the propelling medium is sometimes entirely or partially lifted out of the
water, thus decreasing the load on the engines. To obviate this racing, governors
of various kinds have been employed which close the throttle valve as soon as the
engine commences to race, but no matter how quickly the throttle valve may be
closed the high pressure steam in the steam chest is still open to the engine and
causes it to race before the effect of the governor is felt.
The object of this invention, is to construct apparatus whereby the steam in the
valve chest and passages may be withdrawn or allowed to escape before it can act
detrimentally in causing the engine to race.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I will proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which similar letters refer
to like parts in both figures.
Figure 1 is an elevation of so much of an engine and valve gear as is necessary
to illustrate my invention as applied thereto, and Figure 2 is a plan of the same
portions of mechanism.
Referring to the drawing, A is a rod which is actuated by any suitable marine
governor, and B is an elastic buffer which is adjustable in position by means of
the nuts B', B₁ and which tends to keep a sliding collar C in contact with distance
uuts C, C D is the throttle valve which is actuated by a spindle E, and Fis
an arm carried on the said spindle and having its opposite end fulcrumed to the
collar C. G is a valve which connects the steam chest H with the condenser by
means of a pipe J, and K is a rod which on receiving an end pressure opens the
valve G.
On the engine commencing to race, the rod A is actuated by the governor (not
shewn in the drawing), and the buffer B pressing against the collar C moves the
arm and closes the throttle valve D. The continued movement of the rod A
presses the rod K thus opening the valve G, and the movement of the said rod
does not interfere with the throttle valve as its movement is taken up by the
buffer B. The mechanism above described allows the rod to act elastically on the
throttle valve, the additional movements required to open the valve G being
obtained by compressing the buffer B without moving the arm For other portions of
the throttle valve D. On the return of the rod A to its normal position the reverse of
the action above described takes place, the first portion of the movement allowing
the valve G to close and releasing the tension on the buffer B, and then as the
rod continues to withdraw the arm F is drawn back and the throttle valve D is
again opened.
It will thus be seen that by the employment of mechanism as above described,
governors at present in use may be made to not only cut off steam when the engines
begin to race, but also to relieve the pressure in the steam chest immediately after
the throttle valve is closed, thus effectually preventing the racing to which marine
engines have hitherto been subjected.
Instead of conducting the steam from the steam chest to the condenser, the
valve G may communicate with the atmosphere or with a feed water heater or

page_text: evaporator as desired. The valve G may be operated by a separate governor if
desired. In the case of multiple cylinder engines, each or any of the steam chests
may be connected with the condenser as described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A valve attached to the steam chest of a marine engine, whereby the steam
contained in the said steam chest is allowed to escape at the moment when the steam
is out off by the marine governor, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. An elastic medium connecting the rod A with the throttle valve D, in com-
bination with a valve actuated on the continued movement of the rod A, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The rod A, buffer B, collar C, arm F, spindle E, and throttle valve D, in com-
bination with the valve G connecting the steam chest H with a pipe J and a rod K
for operating the valve G, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. The combination of the rod A, buffer B, nuts B, B1, collar C, nuts C², C¹,
throttle valve D, spindle E, arm F, valve G, steam chest H, pipe J, and rod K,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 17th day of Fehmary A D. 1898.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicant.