IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS OR REGULATORS FOR STEAM OTHER MOTIVE. POWER ENGINES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Tangye, of the Firm of Tangye, Brothers,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufactureis, for the
. Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS OR REGULATORS FOR STEAM
OTHER MOTIVE. POWER ENGINES"
ENGINES OR
Sealed the 10th September 1869, and dated the 15th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Tangye at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th June 1869.
I, JAMES TANGYE, of the Firm of Tangye, Brothers, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS OR REGULATORS FOR
STEAM ENGINES OR OTHER MOTIVE - POWER ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of
governors or regulators of steam or other motive-power engines in the fol
.lowing manner :-In constructing a governor or regulator according to my
.Invention I employ two weighted arms or pendulums carried by a hollow
vertical shaft to which a rotary motion is given by the steam or other
engine, the centrifugal force of the rotating, weighted arms or pendulums
causing their weights or bobs to rise higher and higher in. proportion as
[Price 88.1

page_text: the rotary motion is greater. The said weighted arms or pendulums are
made to act upon the valve herein-after described in the following
manner-To each of the said arms or pendulums and immediately
above the joints in which they turn is a projecting piece or finger, the
ends of which bear upon the top of a shaft capable of rising and falling
or sliding in the before-mentioned hollow rotary vertical shaft. The
lower end of the sliding shaft bears on the top of the stalk of the valve
and when the weighted arms or pendulums rise the said sliding shaft
pressing upon the stalk of the valve lowers the said valve and thereby
more or less closes the steam way. The said valve consists of a piston
working in the cylindrical steam way, an annular channel being cut in
the said steam way immediately below the bottom of the said valve. It
is through this annular channel that the steam.passes from the boiler to
the engine, and as the valve descends it gradually covers the said channel,
and when the said valve is at its lowest point completely closes it, and
shuts off steam from the engine. The said valve is balanced by having
holes made through it by which the steam has access to its upper surface,
but the said valve is supported by the steam in consequence of the area
of its upper surface being diminished by the area of the valve stalk.
The governor or regulator is adjusted to act within certain limits at a
greater or less speed in the following manner:-The before-mentioned
sliding shaft on which the fingers of the pendulums act is supported by
a coiled spring pressing it upwards, the said coiled spring bearing at its
lower end on a cotter passing through a solid rod in the before-mentioned
sliding shaft, the upper part of which is made hollow for the reception
of the said solid rod. This solid rod is screwed at top and a screw nut
works thereon; by turning the said screw nut in one or other direction,
the said solid rod can be raised or lowered and the tension of the spring
increased or diminished. If by any accident the governor is brought to
rest the steam way being wide open there is great risk of injury to the
engine by the speed which in such case it acquires before the steam can
be shut-off. To prevent this risk of injury I make the valve which I
employ double, that is to say, it consists of two pistons connected
together, the second or lower one being at such a distance from the first
that when the governor comes to rest it covers the annular channel
In order to prevent the com-
before described and shuts off the steam.
plete shutting off of the steam, except in case of accident, I employ a
lever turning on a joint in the case of the governor, the said lever some-
what resembling a trigger. In starting the engine the engine driver

page_text: presses upon the said trigger lever, thereby raising its inner end; the
steam now being turned on the top of the valve stalk engages with the
said lever and is prevented from rising above its middle position. But
for the action of this lever the turning on of the steam would suddenly
raise the valve to its full height and cause the lower piston to close the
When the engine is started the sliding shaft descends and
acting upon the stalk of the valve depresses it and disengages it from
the said trigger lever, when the said lever falls into a vertical position
and does not again interfere with the governor valve until it is again
raised by the attendant. The casing of the stop valve is cast in one
piece with the case of the governor valve.
steam way.
Besides being applicable to steam engines my Invention is also
applicable to other motive-power engines, such, for example, as condensed
air engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Taugye in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TANGYE, of the Firm of Tangye, Brothers, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Tangye, Her special licence
that I, the said James Tangye, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Tangye, my executors,
administrators, and assigns. should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter 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
OB REGULATORS FOR STEAM ENGINES OR OTHER MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James, Tangye, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or

page_text: one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the 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 James Tangye, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of
governors or regulators for steam or other motive power engines in the
following manner :-In constructing a governor or regulator according
to my Invention I employ two weighted arms or pendulums carried
by a hollow vertical shaft to which a rotary motion is given by the
steam or other engine the centrifugal force of the rotating weighted
arms or pendulums causing their weights or bobs to rise higher
and higher in proportion as the rotary motion is greater. The said
weighted arms or pendulums are made to act upon the valve herein-
after described in the following manner: To each of the said arms
or pendulums and immediately above the joints on which they turn
is a projecting piece or finger, the ends of which bear upon the top
of a shaft capable of rising and falling or sliding in the before-mentioned
hollow rotary vertical shaft. The arms or pendulums thus act upon
the sliding shaft without links or other connections. The lower end
of the sliding shaft bears on the top of the stalk of the valve and
when the weighted arms or pendulums rise the said sliding shaft,
pressing upon the stalk of the valve lowers the said valve, and thereby
more or less closes the steam way. The said valve consists of a piston
working in the cylindrical steam way, an annular channel being cut
in the said steam way immediately below the bottom of the said valve-
It is through this annular channel that the steam passes from the
boiler to the engine, and as the valve descends it gradually covers the
said channel, and when the said valve is at its lowest point completely
closes it and shuts off steam from the engine. The said valve is balanced
by having holes made through it by which the steam has access to
its upper surface, but the said valve is supported by the steam in
consequence of the area of its upper surface being diminished the
area of the valve stalk. The governor or regulator is adjusted to act

page_text: within certain limits at a greater or less speed, in the following manner:-
The before-mentioned sliding shaft on which the fingers of the pendulums
act is supported by a coiled spring pressing it upwards, the said coiled
spring bearing at its lower end on a cotter passing through a solid rod
in the before mentioned sliding shaft, the upper part of which is made
hollow for the reception of the said solid rod. This solid rod is screwed
at top and a screw nut works thereon; by turning the said screw nut
in one
or other direction the said solid rod can be raised or lowered
and the tension of the spring increased or diminished. If by any accident
the governor is brought to rest the steam way being wide open there
is great risk of injury to the engine by the speed which in such case
it acquires before the steam can be shut off. To prevent this risk of
injury I make the valve which I employ double, that is to say, it consists
of two pistons connected together, the second or lower one being at
such a distance from the first that when the governor comes to rest
it covers the annular channel before described, and shuts off the steam.
In order to prevent the complete shutting off of the steam, except in
case of accident, I employ a lever turning on a joint in the case of the
governor, the said lever somewhat resembling a trigger. In starting
the engine the engine driver presses upon the said trigger lever
thereby raising its inner end; the steam now being turned on the
top of the valve stalk engages with the said lever and is prevented
from rising above its middle position. But for the action of this lever
the turning on of the steam would suddenly raise the valve to its full
height and cause the lower piston to close the steam way. When the
engine is started the sliding shaft descends and acting upon the stalk
of the valve depresses it and disengages it from the said trigger lever,
when the said lever falls into a vertical position and does not again
interfere with the governor valve until it is again raised by the attendant.
The casing of the stop valve is cast in one piece with the case of the
governor valve. Besides being applicable to steam engines my Invention
is also applicable to other motive-power engines, such, for example, as
condensed air engines.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in vertical section a steam engine governor or
regulator constructed and arranged according to my Invention and

page_text: Figure 2 is a vertical section of a portion of the same taken in a plane
at right angles to that in which the section Figure 1 is taken; Figure 3
is a plan of a portion of Figure 1. The same letters of reference indicate
the same parts in each Figure.
a, a, a, a, is the case of the governor, the governor valve, and stop
valve case a, a, being made in one piece; b is the hollow vertical
shaft to which the weighted arms or pendulums c, c, are jointed at c², c².
Rotary motion is communicated to the hollow vertical shaft b through
the bevil gearing d, shaft e, and a band passing over the pulley fas
usual. Within the hollow shaft is a sliding shaft g capable of rising
and falling therein. This shaft g is hollow at its upper part for the
purpose herein-after explained. Upon the top of the sliding shaft g
projecting pieces or fingers c³, c³, on the arms or pendulums c, c, and
near the joints thereof bear in the manner represented in Figure 1, the
said arms or pendulums thus act upon the sliding shaft without the
intervention of links or other connections. A plan of the pendulums
or arms c, c, fingers c³, c³, and shaft g is represented in Figure 3; by
referring to which Figure 3 the shape of the fingers c³, c³, will be best
seen; h, is the governor valve. The said valve is double, that is, it
consists of two pistons working in the cylindrical steam way of the
case a, a². The said valve is provided with a stem or stalk which
works steam tight through the stuffing box l. The lower part of the
sliding shaft g in its descending motion presses upon the valve stalk
and lowers the valve and shuts off steam as herein-after explained.
In the cylindrical steam way i is an annular [channel m through which
channel and the passage m² the steam is conveyed to the engine. The
passage m² leading from the annular chamber m is seen in Figure 2.
The steam is supplied from the boiler to the steam way i by means of
the pipe n which is opened and closed by the stop valve p worked by the
hand wheel g. The double valve h, h², is balanced by having holes
made through its pistons by which the steam has access to their upper
sides, but the said valve is supported by the steam in consequence of
the area of the upper surface being diminished by the area of the valve
stalk. When by the rapid rotation of the shaft the weighted arms
or pendulums c, c, rise the fingers c³, c³, acting on the sliding shaft g
cause the descent of the said shaft, and the latter bearing upon the top
of the valve stalk of the double valve h, h², lowers the said valve.
The upper piston h of the said valve is thereby caused to partially or

page_text: completely close the annular steam channel m, and partially or com
pletely cut off steam from the boiler to the engine through the said
steam channel mand. passage m². In the Drawing the upper piston /
of the double valve is represented in the position in which it completely
closes the steam channel m. When by the cutting off of the steam the
speed of the engine is diminished, the shaft g on the descent of the
weighted arms c, c, is raised by the pressure of the coiled spring 7 and
the double valve h, h2, being now at liberty to rise is raised by the steam
in the steam way i and the annular channel m thereby uncovered or
opened by the upper piston h. The use of the lower piston h² of the
double valve is herein-after explained.
?
The arrangement of parts for adjusting the governor to act within
certain limits at a greater or less speed is represented in Figure 1. The
sliding shaft g is supported by the coiled spring r pressing it upwards.
This coiled spring r bears at top against a shoulder g2 of the sliding
shaft g and at bottom against a cotter g³ carried by the loose solid rod 8
working in the hollow part of the said shaft g. A slot g is made in the
shaft g in which slot the cotter g³ works. The rod s is screwed at top
and a screw nut t works thereon. By turning the screw nut t in one
or other direction the rod s can be raised or lowered the cotter g³ rising
or falling in the slot g, and the tension of the spring thereby increased
or diminished and the governor thus made to act at a greater or less
speed of the engine.
The use of the second or lower piston h³ of the double valve is as
follows: If by accident the governor is brought to rest the steam
way m being wide open there is great risk of injury to the engine by
the speed which it will then acquire before the steam can be shut off by
the stop, valve p. In such cases the lower or second piston h² rises and
covers the annular channel or steam way m and shuts off the steam.
In order to prevent the complete shutting off of the steam, except in
case of accident, I employ the trigger lever (see Figure 1) jointed to
the inner side of the governor case a its outer arm projecting through a
slot in the said case. In starting the engine the engine driver presses
upon the projecting outer end of the lever u so as to raise its inner end as
illustrated in the Drawing. The steam being now turned on the top of
the valve stalk & comes ag ainst the said lever as indicated in dotted-lines
and the valve is thereby prevented from rising above its middle position
or only to a height insufficient to bring the lower piston 2 of the valve

page_text: over the annular steam channel m. The steam channel m being thus
left uncovered the engine is started and the sliding shaft g descending.
acts upon the stalk % of the valve and depressing the said valve dis-
engages it from the trigger lever when the said lever falls into the
position indicated in dotted lines, and does not again interfere with the
valve until the said lever is again raised by the attendant.
Instead of using a double valve consisting of two pistons connected
to the same stalk as herein-before described a single valve or piston may
be used. In this case the trigger lever for preventing the closing of
the steam way on the starting of the engine is dispensed with. This
arrangement of my Invention is represented in vertical section in
Figures 4 and 5, the said sections being taken in planes at right angles
to one another. In this arrangement the governor case a is open at
one side and the stem or stalk of the single valve h and the bottom
of the sliding shaft g are coupled together by the coupling marked w
in which coupling the ends of the stalk and shaft are fastened. The
two parts of the coupling w are screwed together, and the valve stalk and
shaft are prevented from being wholly withdrawn from their respective
parts of the coupling by cross pins. The shaft g is capable of a limited
sliding motion or play within the coupling as illustrated in Figure 5.
In Figure 4 the valve his represented raised by the steam so as to
uncover the annular channel n. The parts of the governor, Figures 4
and 5, which I have not described are the same as corresponding parts
of the governor, Figures 1, 2, and 3, and are marked with the same
letters of reference.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention, of improvements
in governors or regulators for steam engines and other motive power
engines,―
Firstly. The combination with the hollow rotary shaft 6 and fingers c³
of the hollow sliding shaft g, coiled spring 1, screwed rods and parts
connected with the said screwed rod for the purpose or opening the
governor valve and for adjusting the governor to act at a greater or less
speed of the engine as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
i ..

page_text: Secondly. The combination of the steam balanced single governor
valve or piston h working in the cylindrical steam way i with the
annular steam channel m, m2, for regulating the passage of steam to the
engine as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of the steam balanced double governor
valve or pistons h, h², working in the cylindrical steam way i with the
annular steam channel m, m2, for regulating the passage of steam to the
engine, and for cutting off steam to the engine when by accident the
governer is brought to rest as herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
Fourthly. The combination with the double governor valve or pistons
h, 2, of the trigger lever u for preventing the complete shutting off of
the steam when the engine is started as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Lastly. The formation of the governor valve and stop valve case in
one casting as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompany-
ing Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Tangye, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
JAMES HARRIS.
JAMES TANUIE. (L.S.)