IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING THE SPEED OF STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE POWER ENGINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Crosland, of Hulme, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING THE SPEED OF STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE
POWER ENGINES."
Sealed the 2nd May 1854, and dated the 4th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Crosland
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th November 1853.
I, WILLIAM CROSLAND, of Hulme, in the County of Lancaster,
5 Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING THE SPEED OF STEAM AND OTHER
MOTIVE POWER ENGINES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in a method of governing the speed of engines
by a peculiar arrangement constituting a differential motion. Across
two pullies is placed a chain, weighted so as to cause one of them to
revolve, such revolution, however, being regulated by a pendulum, the
vibrations of which, after the manner of an ordinary escapement, secure
an uniform velocity. The second pulley has motion communicated to

page_text: it by the engine, and will therefore partake of any fluctuations thereof
in speed. When the engine is moving at its proper rate the two sur-
faces and chain carried by them travel forward uniformly, but upon an
irregularity taking place then the said chain will be taken up and let
off unequally, so as to alter its general arrangement, and this altera-
tion I avail myself of for shifting the throttle valve or other such
apparatus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Crosland in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE-PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM CROSLAND, of Hulme, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord. One-thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in. the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William-Crosland, Her especial
license that I, the said William Crosland, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Crosland, my execu-
tors, 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
APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING THE SPEED OF STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE POWER
ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Crosland, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Crosland, do hereby de-
clare 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is, to
say):
-
My Invention consists in a method of governing the speed of motive.
power engines by an arrangement constituting a differential motion;
the principle of action depends upon the slackening or taking up of a
chain which passes over two surfaces; the one actuated by the motive.
power, and the other allowed to revolve by the vibrations of a pendu
lum. And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I have
appended to this my Specification an illustrative Drawing which I will.
now proceed to describe. Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a governor.
complete; Fig. 2, is a plan view thereof; and Fig. 3, a detached view
of the pendulum and escapement.. To a plate a are. affixed: two.
studs b, c, upon which are mounted pulleys d, e, provided with projecting.
teeth which take into the links of an endless chain f;. this chain passes.
at bottom over a pulley g, mounted upon a centre carried by a rod h,
which rod slides freely at its upper end in a guide.p, and is, connected
at bottom to a lever q, mounted upon a shaft r; the weight of the rod h,.
therefore, has a tendency to distend the chain f, and consequently to
turn the pulleys d, e, upon their centres c, b. Upon the pulley c.is¸à
pinion i, taking into a worm j, mounted upon a shaft k, which derives
rotatory motion from the engine intended to be regulated; the axis for
the pulley is provided with a disc, upon which are formed a series of
pins 7, and at right angles to these a disc m, having two circular pro-_
jections i, o, formed thereon, and suspended upon a.stud. which is
carried by the plate a; to the under part of this disc is attached a pen-
dulum s, capable of adjustment by a screw in the ordinary manner..
Suppose two of the, pins to be in the position shewn in Fig. 3, at.
--and that the upper part of the pendulum is moving in the direc-
tion of the arrow's flight, the weight of the rod h. will, through the
action of the chain f, impart to the pulley d a tendency to revolve, but
this is prevented by the pin 12, which now rests upon the circular.
flange o. Upon a vibration of the pendulum, however, taking place,..

page_text: the end o will pass the pin 12 so as to permit it to pass onward into
the position shewn by dots, and allow the pulley to revolve until the
pin shall have arrived in contact with the flange n, when the revolu-
tion will again be arrested until the vibration of the pendulum in
the other direction shall have carried the end of the upper flange
beyond the pin resting thereon, when it will be free to pass into the
position of that shewn in the Figure at 1, and a further revolution of
the pulley will take place. This operation being repeated in reference
to the whole series of pins 1, the pulley & will be allowed to revolve at
an uniform rate, the velocity of which may be varied by adjusting the
pendulum as in ordinary escapements.. The pins are formed with
rounded surfaces, and at every change press, in passing downwards,
against the ends n", o, of the flanges n, o, and by acting as inclined
planes impart the necessary impetus to the pendulum for keeping up
its vibrations. The pulley is, as before stated, connected to the
engine to be regulated, and will, therefore, partake of any fluctuations
of speed which may occur therein, and the chain will be passed
onward at corresponding varying rates, so as to gain upon or be kept
back from the uniformly revolving pulley d, and it is this effect I employ
for gaining the desired regulation. Suppose the engine to be running
at its proper speed, the length of the pendulum is so arranged that in a
given time the same length of chain will be passed onward as is wound
upward by the revolution of the roller e, and no change in its disposi-
tion will take place; the pulley g, and rod h, remaining constantly
in the same position. But now suppose that the engine is running at
a higher speed than is intended, then the pulley e will deliver more
chain than is taken up by the pulley d, and it will loop down at
point A; the effect of which will be to draw up the rod, thereby turning
the shaft, upon its centre, the motion of which may operate upon a
valve through any ordinary apparatus for the purpose of shutting off
steam or water to the condenser of steam engines, or otherwise operat-
ing to reduce the motive power. If the engine be running below its
proper speed, then the pulley e will not deliver so much chain as the
regular motion of the pulley d requires, and the looped part at A will be
drawn up and passed downwards, so as to allow the rod h, to fall and

page_text: turn the shaft in the direction for opening the valve. The regulated
speed of the engine will of course be in proportion to the uniform
revolution of the pulley d, and this may be varied according to the
velocity required by altering the length of the pendulum. I have
alluded to steam engines only, but it will be evident that my Invention
may be applied to regulate the supply of water to water wheels, or to
govern the speed of gas, air, or other engines.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it
to be understood that I do not limit myself to the form of escapement
described, or to the precise arrangement or construction of the several
parts, as other methods may readily be adopted for causing the chain
to operate upon suitable apparatus for opening or closing a throttle
valve; that which I claim as secured to me under the above in part
recited Letters Patent being the application for the purpose above set
forth of the chain or band f, receiving motion from an escapement
apparatus, and from the engine to be regulated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Crosland, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Third day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
WILLIAM CROSLAND. (L.s.)