IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE GOVERNORS. AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS. PATENT to Martyn John: Roberts, of the City of Bath,
Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE GOVERNORS.
AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH.
"
Sealed the 18th May 1873, and dated the 15th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said: Martyn John Roberts
at the Office of the Commissioners of' Patents, with his- Petition, on
the 15th November 1872.
I; MARTYN JOHN-ROBERTS; of the Oity of Bath; Esquire; do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE
GOVERNORS, AND INʼAPPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows :—
My Invention consists, firstly, in so constructing governors or
apparatus connected with governors that a moderate variation in the
supply of steam to an engine shall be permitted within certain limits-of
the engine's speed, and that immediately the highest limit is exceeded
the governor or the apparatus shall then suddenly shut off the whole or
any desired part of such supply. This property in a governor is espe-
cially useful to marine engines when under certain circumstances these
engines run too fast; and my Invention consists secondly in an improved
form of governor.

page_text: According to one mode of carrying the first part of my Invention into
effect I cause the governor to be checked in its operation on the throttle
or other form of valve used for regulating a supply of steam to an
engine by a system of weights, springs, or combination of weights and
springs in such manner that the resistance they oppose to the action of
the governor upon the valve which regulates the supply of steam shall
increase and decrease with the speed of the engine until a speed higher
than is desired is attained, then the resistance to the said action of the
governor shall no longer increase, and the governor is consequently able
suddenly to shut off the supply of steam either entirely or in such
measure as may be desired.
According to another mode I fix a lever and weight or spring to the
throttle or regulating valve in such a position that within desired limits
of engine speed the weight hangs or the spring presses on one side of
the top centre of a circle of which this lever is a radius, thus tending to
keep the valve open; the lever vibrates through a portion of this circle
by the action on it of the governor, thus allowing a moderate variation
in the supply of steam; but immediately the desired limit of engine
speed is exceeded the governor turns the lever so far that the weight or
spring going over the top centre to the other side, and having a certain
degree of freedom of action independent of the governor, presses on this
side of the centre and suddenly shuts the throttle. When the engine
slackens in its speed the weight or spring by the action of the governor
is carried back over the top centre to its former side of that centre and
the throttle or regulating valve is again opened.
Other modes may be adopted for carrying out this part of my Inven-
tion, which consists essentially in permitting a moderate variation in the
supply of steam within certain limits of engine speed and in suddenly
shutting off the steam to any desired extent when the highest limit of
speed is exceeded.
My improved form of governor consists of a spindle or tube driven by
the engine, on which spindle or tube is fixed a vane or vanes, which are
vibrated or deflected from their place of rest by the action of the air
upon them when the spindle revolves and in ratio to the engine speed.
These vanes by rods or other modes of communication give motion to
the throttle or other valve for regulating the flow of steam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Martyn John Roberts in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th May 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTYN
JOHN ROBERTS, of the City of Bath, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Martyn John Roberts, Her special
licence that I, the said Martyn John Roberts, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Martyn John Roberts,
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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN ENGINE GOVERNORS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Martyn John
Roberts, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Martyn John Roberts, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :—
My Invention consists, firstly, in so constructing governors or
apparatus connected with governors that a moderate variation in the
supply of steam to an engine shall be permitted within certain limits
of the engine's speed, and that immediately the highest limit is exceeded
the governor or the apparatus shall then suddenly shut off the whole or
any desired part of such supply. This property in a governor is espc-

page_text: cially useful to marine engines when under certain circumstances these
engines run too fast; and my Invention consists secondly in an improved
form of governor.
According to one mode of carrying the first part of my Invention into
effect I cause the governor to be checked in its operation on the throttle
or other form of valve used for regulating a supply of steam to an
engine by a system of weights, or springs, or combination of weights and
springs, in such manner that the resistance they oppose to the action of
the governor upon the valve which regulates the supply of steam shall
increase and decrease with the speed of the engine until a speed higher
than is desired is attained, then the resistance to the said action of the
governor shall no longer increase and the governor is consequently able
suddenly to shut off the supply of steam either entirely or in such
measure as may be desired.
According to another mode I fix a lever and weight or spring to the
throttle or regulating valve in such a position that within desired limits
of engine speed the weight hangs or the spring presses on one side of
the top centre of a circle of which this lever is a radius, thus tending to
keep the valve open. The lever vibrates through a portion of this circle
by the action on it of the governor, thus allowing a moderate variation
in the supply of steam, but immediately the desired limit of engine
speed is exceeded the governor turns the lever so far that the weight or
spring going over the top centre to the other side, and having a certain
degree of freedom of action independent of the governor, presses on this
.side of the centre and suddenly shuts the throttle. When the engine
slackens in its speed the weight or spring by the action of the governor
is carried back over the top centre to its former side of that centre, and
the throttle or regulating valve is again opened.
Other modes may be adopted for carrying out this part of my Inven-
tion, which consists essentially in permitting a moderate variation in the
supply of steam within certain limits of engine speed and in suddenly
shutting off the steam to any desired extent when the highest limit of
speed is exceeded.
My improved form of governor consists of a spindle or tube driven by
the engine, on which spindle or tube is fixed a vane or vanes, which are
vibrated or deflected from their place of rest by the action of the air
upon them when the spindle revolves and in ratio to the engine speed.

page_text: These vanes by rods or other modes of communication give motion to
the throttle or other valve for regulating the flow of steam.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front elevation partly in
section, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 a plan of the vane
governor which constitutes the second part of my Invention.
In Figure 1 is also shewn the mode first herein-before described of
carrying out the first part of my Invention.
a is a spindle free to slide within certain limits in a tube a¹.. This
spindle and tube are driven from the engine by means of bevel gearing b
or otherwise. They rotate at their lower part within a socket c.
d is a
boss keyed to the tube a' and carrying a pair of radial arms e, e, which
form sockets in which axles f. f, are free to turn to the extent of about
a quarter of a circle. Each of these axles carries at its outer end a
vane g, and at its inner end a rod or lever h. These rods or levers / are
jointed to other rods i, i, which in turn are connected to a sleeve or
cap fixed upon the upper end of the spindle a.
The action is as follows:-The position of the vanes when at rest is
indicated by the line g¹ in Figure 2, and the sleeve / then rests upon the
flange or shoulder q. When the engine is at work the rotary motion
imparted to the vanes causes them, owing to the action of the air upon
them, to vibrate or become deflected in ratio to the engine speed to a
position more at right angles to the plane of their rotary motion, and a
movement being thus imparted to the rods h and ; the sleeve k and the
spindle a are proportionately raised, thereby acting upon the devices
which actuate the throttle or regulating valve. In Figure 1 the con-
nection between these parts and the valve is shewn as made by a lever 7,
which is centred at m and has attached to it a spring n connected to a
weight o, which rests upon a shelf p. The weight and spring are so
adjusted in relation to the vanes that within certain limits of the engine's
speed the vanes lift the sleeve k and spindle a only sufficient to stretch
the spring, but when the speed exceeds the given limit the weight is
lifted off its shelf, and once this is effected no greater resistance is offered
to the further rise of the sleeve k and spindle a, so that the throttle or
regulating valve is at once closed. The weight o and its spring n may
be made adjustable on the lever so as to rise at any given number of
revolutions of the engine. If desired the weight may rest upon a shelf
attached to the tube a' and be capable of sliding up and down the tube,

page_text: one or more springs on the weight being connected by a rod or rods to
the sleeve k, but I prefer the position and arrangement represented in
Figure 1; or, as the pressure increases as the square of the velocity, the
weight may be dispensed with and a long spring be employed, a moderate
extension of which will not very much increase the resistance.
my
E
Figure 4 represents another mode of carrying out the first part of
Invention. Upon the spindle of the throttle or regulating valve I
fix a weighted lever 8, 8', which carries two arms t, u; l is a lever centred
at m and connected at one end to the governor, while its other and plays
between the arms t, u. It will be seen that the weight s¹ hangs on one ]
side of the top centre of a circle of which the levers is a radius. In
this position it tends to keep the valve open, but when the end of the
lever through the vertical movement of the governor acts upon the
arm u the lever s rises towards the perpendicular position, which it
attains when the desired limit of engine speed is reached, and should 1
this limit be exceeded the lever & is pushed past its top centre and the ..
weight & causes it suddenly to close the valve. When the engine speed
slackens the lever acts upon the arm u and returns the lever a to its
normal position.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in 2
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. Constructing engine governors or apparatus connected therewith
in such manner that a moderate variation in the supply of steam is
permitted within certain limits, and that when the highest limit of speed
is exceeded the steam is suddenly shut off to any desired extent, substan- 2
tially as herein-before described.
Second. Constructing engine governors with one or more vanes
arranged and acting substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof I, the said Martyn John Roberts, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, One thousand 3
eight hundred and seventy-three.
MADAVN T DADEDMS