AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES." -A
communication from abroad by Matthew Muchin, of Riga, in the
Empire of Russia.
Sealed the 9th October 1874, and dated the 10th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th August 1874.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
5 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR STEAM
ENGINES," a communication, to be as follows:-
The operation of my Invention is based upon the principle of inertia,
that is to say, the principle by which bodies in motion tend to preserve
Otheir existing velocity.

page_text: My Improved governor is constructed as follows:-A horizontal shaft
arranged between two fixed bearings receives a rotative movement
relative to the engine by means of a belt and pulley. The said shaft is
formed with a many threaded screw, having a wide pitch. The elongated
boss of a small fly wheel serves as a nut for this screw.
The movement
of this fly wheel along the screw part of the shaft is limited by two
collars placed at suitable distances apart. The said screw shaft driven
by the pulley, which receives motion from the main shaft of the engine,
imparts to the nut, and consequently by friction to the fly wheel, a
rotative movement, whose speed becomes quickly equal to that of the
engine. But if the speed of the engine and that of the aforesaid screw
shaft has changed, and this change is such that the tangential force at
the circumference of the screw exceeds the friction between the screw
and nut, the said fly wheel by its inertia will cause the recoil or
advance of the nut along the screw part of the shaft. The nut and fly
wheel will recoil or move back when the speed of the engine is acccle-
rated, and advance when this speed is diminished. This movement of
the fly wheel is transmitted to the register or throttle valve of the engine
by a pinion upon the axis of the register. The exterior surface of the
nut has transverse channels or grooves which gear with the said pinion
and impart motion thereto.
For indicating the position of the valve in the steam pipe, the spindle
of the said valve is furnished with a pointer arranged to turn in front of
a fixed quadrant or scale.
In order that the governor constructed as above described may tend
to preserve its normal position, that is to say, that it may have stability,
I fix at the lower extremity of the said pointer a counterweight, whose
action upon the axis of the valve increases as the said weight is raised,
and which therefore tends to keep the said valve in its normal position.
I modify the construction of this governor as follows:-The pitch of
the screw is made smaller than in the governor above described, and
the screw shaft is vertical. The rotative movement is transmitted to
this shaft by means of bevel wheels and a pulley. The fly wheel rises
when the speed of the engine increases, and descends when this speed
diminishes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, 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
"AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES," a communication to me from
abroad by Matthew Muchin, of Riga, in the Empire of Russia, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describo 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 William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification :—
The operation of my Invention is based upon the principle of inertia,
that is to say, the principle by which bodies in motion tend to preserve
their existing velocity.

page_text: My improved governor is constructed as shown in the accompanying
Drawing.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, a horizontal shaft b, arranged between two
fixed bearings, receives a rotative movement from the engine by means
of a belt passing over the pulley a. The said shaft 6 is formed with a
many threaded screw c, having a wide pitch. The clongated boss of a
small fly wheel & serves as a nut for this screw. The movement of this
fly wheel along the screw part of the shaft is limited by two collars "", "",
placed at suitable distances apart. In this manner the said screw shaft b,
driven by the pulley a, which receives motion by means of an endless
belt from the main shaft of the engine, imparts to the nut d', and con-
sequently to the fly wheel d by reason of the friction which exists
between the screw c and nut &, a rotative movement, whose speed.
becomes quickly equal to that of the engine. But if the speed of the
engine and that of the aforesaid screw shaft has changed, and this change
is so great that the tangential force at the circumference. of the screw c
exceeds the friction between the screw and nut, the said fly wheel d, by
reason of its inertia, will cause the recoil or advance of the nut d' along
the screw part of the shaft b. The nut and fly wheel will retire or move
back when the speed is accelerated, and advance when this speed is
diminished. This movement of the fly wheel is transmitted to a register
or throttle valve of the engine by a pinion & keyed upon the axis ƒ of
the register e. The exterior surface of the nut & has transverse channels
or grooves, which gear with the said pinion and impart motion
thereto.
For indicating the position of the valve e in the steam supply pipe,
the spindlofis furnished with a pointer arranged to turn in front of
a fixed quadrant or scale i.
In order that the governor constructed as above described may tend
to preserve its normal position, that is to say, that it may have stability,
I fix at the lower extremity of the pointer a counterweight g, whose
action upon the axis f increases as the said weight is raised, and which-
therefore tends to keep the valve e in its normal position.
"
I modify the construction of this governor as shown in Figure 4. Tho
pitch of the screw c is in this instance made smaller than in the
governor above described, and the shaft 6 is vertical. The rotative move-
ment is transmitted to this shaft by means of bevil- wheels 8 and a

page_text: pulley a'. The fly wheel d rises when the speed of the engine increases,
and descends when this speed diminishes.
The mode of transmission of this movement of the fly wheel to the
register is the same as first above described, and is effected by means of
the pinion k fixed on the axis of the register.
When this governor is applied to the engine of a steamboat, or to a
stationary engine, the result is equally satisfactory.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I laim, the construction of a governor,
whereby I utilize the inertia of moving bodies without the aid of
centrifugal force as herein described.
•
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
JA³. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)