IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM ENGINES to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I HERBERT LINDLEY, of Sandon Engine Works Salford Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM ENGINES to be as follows:-
"
My improvements relate to that class of governors known as high speed governors
and such as are frequently arranged in combination with a throttle valve and casing
for the purpose of shutting off steam of the engine or machine when the speed
becomes too high. The improvements have for their objects simplicity and
considerable reduction of cost of such governors and consist in, arranging the
governor weights which are of hemispheroidal form (forming when closed a spherical
figure or other simple form) so that they can be hinged at their lower ends to a
cross head or joint, caused to rotate by bevel gearing or other means and attached
by means of links at their upper ends or near their upper ends to another small
cross head or joint, containing the swivel or running joint whereby the throttle
valve is actuated. Recesses are formed on the sides of the weight in which lie the
tension springs that bind the two weights together and resist their centrifugal
tendency.
The said two cross heads or joints are bored out so that they can be mounted or
run on a tube fixed in the governor frame, down which tube a spindle extends to the
throttle valve. By means of a lever acting on the throttle valve spindle which by
the employment of a spring is arranged to offer more or less resistance to the motion
of the spindle, an additional resistance can be applied to the centrifugal tendency of
the weights. The governor is equally applicable to the controlling of an automatic
expansion gear as by reason of the considerable weight that can be conveniently
given to the rotating governor weights (or balls as they are called) and the absence
of internal friction due to the direct attachment by the springs of the weights to
each other, the arrangement has very considerable governing power and can bo
made sensitive as desired by a proper proportion of the springs to the weight.
Dated this Oth day of May AD 1884

page_text: I HERBERT LINDLEY of Sandon Engine Works Salford, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM-ENGINES and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My improvements relate to that class of governors known as high speed governors
and such as are frequently arranged in combination with a throttle valve and casing
for the purpose of shutting off steam of the engine or machine when the speed becomes
too high. The improvements have for their object, simplicity, and considerable
reduction of cost of such governors and consist in arranging the governor weights,
which are of hemispheroidal form (forming when closed a spherical figure or other
simple form) so that they can be hinged at their lower ends to a cross-head or joint,
caused to rotate by bevel gearing or other means and attached by means of links
at their upper ends or near their upper ends to another small cross head or joint
containing, the swivel or running joint whereby the throttle valve is actuated.
Recesses are formed on the sides of the weight in which lie the tension springs
that bind the two weights together and resist their centrifugal tendency. The
said two cross heads or joints are bored out so that they can be mounted or run on
a tube fixed in the governor frame down which a spindle extends to the throttle
valve. By means of a lever acting on the throttle valve spindle, which by the
employment of a spring is arranged to offer more or less resistance to the motion
of the spindle, an additional resistance can be applied to the centrifugal tendency
of the weights. The governor is equally applicable to the controlling of an
automatic expansion gear as by reason of the considerable weight that can be
conveniently given to the rotating governor weights (or balls as they are called)
and the absence of internal friction due to the direct attachment by the springs of
the weights to each other, the arrangement has very considerable governing power
and can be made sensitive as desired by a proper proportion of the springs to the
weight.
And in order that my invention may be better understood I have caused to
be appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference,
corresponding letters indicating like parts in the various figures.
Fig 1 shows an elevation of the governor.
Fig 2 is also an elevation shown partly in section but at right angles to that of
Fig 1.
1, 11 are the hemi-spheroidal weights hinged at their lower ends by the joint
pins 2, 21 and having recesses in their sides in which lie the springs 3, 3¹. These
springs are attached to pins 4, 41 which also serve as attachments for the lower
ends of the links 5, 5'. These links lie in recesses a, a¹ cast in the hemi-spheroidal
weights 1, 1, and are attached at their upper ends to the rotating cross head or
joint piece 6. by pins 7. 7'. The lower cross head 8 contains the joints 2. 2¹ of the
hemi-spheroidal weights 1, 11, and the hevel wheel 9 by which it is caused to
rotate on the tube 10, being driven through the other bevel wheel 11. shaft 12 and
pulley 13, which in turn is driven by means of a chain or belt in the usual way
from some rotating part of the engine or machine which requires to be governed.
The upper cross-head or joint 6 also rotates on tube 10 being carried round by
the links 5. 5¹ attached to the rotating weights 1, 11. It will thus be seen that
when sufficient speed has been obtained to cause the weights 1, 11 to fly out,
against the resistance of the springs 3. 3' which tie them together, the upper cross-
head is caused, by the links 5, 51, to slide down the tube 10 and thus depress,
through the medium of the swivel or running joint 14, the valve spindle 15 or any
other part that it may be desired to move either for the purpose of shutting off
steam (in a steam engine) or gas (in a gas engine) or to operate any mechanism for

page_text: regulating the amount of cut off for a steam cylinder or to operate any stopping
or throwing off motion in any other piece of mechanism. In order to vary the
speed at which the hemi-spheroidal weights 1, 1¹ begin to act and thus to vary
the speed of a machine or engine that is to be controlled I add a varying
resistance to the outward motion of the weights 1, 1' either tending to accelerate
or retard their motion and that in a variable amount To this end I attach to the
spindle 15 a collar piece 16 having two collars between which are the rounded ends
of the forked lever 17. This lever is fastened at its other end by means of an eye
or boss to a short shaft 18 cast in, or otherwise secured to, a cross frame 19.
containing a screw 20 which can be turned in either direction by means of the
milled head 21. A nut 22 threaded on this screw has a stud or projection 23,
thereon and is also provided with an inclined surface which slides in contact with
a similar inclined surface 24 formed on the cross frame 19. A spring 25 attached
at one end to any convenient part of the frame of the governor, or at 26, and at
the other end to the stud 23 or nut 22 serves to put a strain or pull on the cross
frame 19 through the inclined surface 24 and nut 22, the screw 20 being thus
relieved of the strain due to the pull of spring 25. It will now be seen that when
the nut 22 and stud 23 are at the centre of the frame 19 the pull of the spring is
exerted in merely producing a pressure on the bearings of the short shaft 18 and
has no effect on the spindle 15. If however by means of the screw 20 the nut 22
is caused to slide or move to the upper end of the cross-frame 19 the pull of the
spring 25 will be exerted on a lever of variable length (according as the nut is
moved farther away or nearer to the centre of the frame) which will in turn, by
means of the short shaft 18 cause the forked lever 17 to put a downward pressure
on the collar piece 16 and on the spindle 15, and through the cross-head and
links 5, 5¹ to the weights 1, 11 thus helping, as it were, the weights 1, 1¹ against
the springs 3. 31, and causing the same to fly out at a lower speed than they
otherwise would. If on the contrary, the nut 22 is depressed on the cross frame 19
the effect will be to cause the lever 17 to exert an upward thrust on the spindle,
and thus a greater speed will have to be obtained before the weights 1, 1¹, can
overcome the pull of springs 3. 3¹
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be
understood that I am aware that governors have been made in which weights have
been restrained by springs in many ways, the weights being hinged to rotating
portions and attached in various ways to running joints or other devices for
transmitting motion to a valve or other spindle, but what I claim and believe to be
new is;-
First. The form of weights 1, 1' wherein tension springs 3, 31 are used which lie
in recesses a, a¹ cast or formed in the weights 1, 1' and attached to pins 4. 4'
forming also the attachment for the ends of links 5, 5' that transmit the motion to
the valve or spindle 15.
Second. The device or arrangement of parts whereby, by means of a spring 25
acting on a nut 22 capable of being slid about a cross-frame 19. a pressure, variable
both in amount and direction can be put on the spindle 25 or similar moving part
of a governor whereby the speed of the governor and consequently that of a
machine or engine under its control may be varied or any mere modification or
colourable imitation thereof.
Dated this 97th day of August. A D 1881