Improved Means for Governing Steam or other Motors.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Governing Steam or other Motors.
We, WILLIAM ARTHUR STEVENS, Electrical Engineer, and REGINALD ALFRED
BARKER, Engineer, both of Victoria Works, Maidstone, in the County of Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows: —
The object of this invention is more particularly to prevent the racing
of marine engines, but the invention is applicable to various classes of
engines or motors in which it is desired to prevent the acceleration of speed exceed-
ing a predetermined maximum.
From the following description it will be seen that the present invention may be
employed separately or in conjunction with the invention described in
Specification 16,405 of 1895.
The nature of the invention may be described as follows:-The main shaft of
the governor is driven by the engine or motor to be governed. Such shaft carries
a fly wheel mounted freely thereon and driven by a friction drum carried by the
shaft upon which it and its gear wheel are loosely mounted. Such shaft further
carries à second gear wheel which is keyed thercon and engages a gear on a counter
shaft upon
which is 3 second gear
driving the friction drum gear
on the main shaft. The gears being preferably so arranged that the
friction clutch driving the fly wheel will have about 2% or other
increased ratio of rotation above that of the shaft the object of this being to
ensure when the motor is evenly working that a contact disc or arm which is loosely
mounted on the shaft and frictionally driven from the fly wheel shall be caused to
move and keep an insulated projecting piece in contact with a conducting pieco
on a second disc or arm insulated from but rigidly attached to the shaft. The
second disc or arm and the friction drum are electrically connected to the respective
terminals of a battery or other source of electricity the circuit being broken when
the engine or motor is normally running owing to the insulated piece on the first
dise or arm being in contact with the conducting piece on the second disc or arm
as before described. The first disc or arm also carries a conducting piece and a
ratchet wheel and pawl are connected to the friction drum and fly wheel all for
purposes to be now described.
-
With this construction the action of the governor is as follows:-
When the engine is running steadily the fly wheel is being carried round by
the frictional drum with an excess of speed of, say 2% over that of the sheft. This
causes the insulated piece on the first disc or arm to come in contact with the con-
ducting piece on the second disc or arm and the frictional arrangement driving
the first disc will slip slightly to allow of the difference of speed between the fly
whed and the second disc.
If for any cause there should be an abnormal acceleration of speed in the engine
this will be imparted to the shaft and transmitted by the gear wheels to the
friction drum which will cause the frictional arrangement driving the fly wheel
to slip owing to the inertia of the latter, should the slip exceed the 2% allowed
by the gearing, the second disc which is rigidly keyed to the shaft will be carried

page_text: forward in the direction of rotation and the contact piece will overtake the conduct-
ing piece on the first disc and close the electrical circuit. This will excite an
electro-magnet which will operate a device to close the valve, put on a brake or
otherwise retard the engine.
It will be seen that this arrangement allows of a steady increase of speed, the
acceleration of which can be regulated by the relative sizes of the cog-wheels and
also by the amount of friction applied to the parts.
Should the engine slow down rapidly the fly, wheel is prevented from slipping
its frictional arrangement on the drum in the direction of rotation by the pawl
which engages in the teeth of the ratchet wheel rigidly attached to the drum.
Consequently the fly wheel cannot by its own momentum exceed the speed of the
drum, thus ensuring its speed not exceeding the percentage allowed by the gear
wheels and keeping it always in the best position to prevent any tendency on the
part of the engine to race.
The speed of the engine can be prevented from exceeding a predetermined
maximum by the improved means of governing steam or other.motors as described
in Specification 16,405/95, or by any form of centrifugal governor which by means
of a lever (similar to the one which operates the throttle valve) or other device.
will close an electric circuit which will operate the valve in the same way as already
described.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicants.
We, WILLIAM ARTHUR STEVENS, Electrical Engineer, and REGINALD ALFRED
BARKER, Engineer, both of Victoria Works, Maidstone, in the County of Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and- ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of this invention is more particularly to prevent the racing of marine
engines but the invention is applicable to various classes of engines or motors in
which it is desired to prevent the acceleration of speed exceeding a predetermined
maximum.
!
The invention may be employed in the form shewn in the drawings in which it
is illustrated as a complete apparatus arranged more particularly for use with
marine engines and adapted not only to control the, engines by cutting off steam
or applying a brake when the acceleration of speed exceeds a certain amount but
also adapted to act as a governor to similarly control the engines so that they shall
not exceed a predetermined speed.
A part of the apparatus here represented comprises a portion of the invention
described in the Specification to Letters Patent No. 16,405 of 1895.
In the accompanying drawing:
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan of same.
Fig. 3 is a left hand end elevation of Fig. 1 showing however only a part of
same.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 1 on line a.
The apparatus consists of a suitable frame or bed plate 1 carrying standards 2
in suitable bearings in which is carried the main shaft 3.

page_text: On one end of this shaft is fixed a pulley 4 or any other suitable device or part
by which it may be driven from the engine or motor to be controlled and a pinion 5
gearing with a pinion 6 on a countershaft or stud 7 secured to the bracket or some
other part. Situated next to the pinion 5 and loose on the shaft is a pinion 8
attached to or forming part of a drum 8 to which is also attached or which is
otherwise provided with a ratchet wheel 9.
The pinions 5 and 6 have the same number of teeth, say 100, but the pinion 8
has a fewer number, say 99, so that it will run at an increased speed over the
shaft 3, in this case one per cent. in amount.
The drum forms part of a friction clutch the gripping parts of which consist of
blocks 10, 10, faced to correspond with the drum as shown in Fig. 4 carried by
levers 10 10 the amount of pressure which can be brought upon the drum being
regulated by a rod 11 passing through the ends of the levers 10 such rod being
provided with a spring 11* and a nut adjustable on a screwed part of the rod. The
levers 10 are pivoted on studs 12 carried by a fly wheel 13 loose on the shaft.
The ratchet wheel 9 is engaged by pawls or clutches 14, 14, pivotally hung on
studs also carried by the fly wheel such pawls being kept in engagement with the
ratchet wheel during the rotation of the parts in one direction by springs 14°
surrounding the studs.
On the other side of the fly wheel is a similar clutch arrangement to that
previously described, studs 15 (one of which only is shown) secured to the wheel,
carrying levers 16 having blocks 10" which bear on a cylindrical part of a disc 17
loosely mounted on the shaft. The disc has a projection 18 provided with an
electrical contact making stud 19 of platinum or some suitable material which
in the position shewn in Fig. 2 is in contact with a similar stud 20 carried by a
projection 21 of a disc 22 facing the disc 17 such disc 22 being fast on shaft 3."
The disc 22 is formed in parts insulated from each other in some suitable way
the object being to provide an outer ring which is insulated from the rest of the
disc and the shaft carrying same. The disc 17 also carries an insulated
projection 23.
The shaft 3 also carries a governor 24 of any suitable type such governor con-
trolling a lever 25 pivoted in a bracket 26 carried by the frame 1 the lower end of
said lever being attached to a spring 27 provided with adjusting means and secured
to a fixed part 28. Said lever 25 carries a spring contact plate 29 adapted to make
electrical contact with the point of an adjustable screw 30 carried by a post which
is suitably insulated from the frame and connects beneath the latter with a
terminal 30*.
The discs 22 and 17 are each provided with a metal brush 22 and 17ª carried
respectively by posts 22b and 17b the post 22b being insulated from the frame 1
and provided with a terminal 22° and the post 17b being electrically connected to
said frame to which it is held by nut 17°.
At some other suitable point on the fame there are terminals 32, 33 the latter
being insulated from the frame but the former being in electrical connection there-
with. These form a part of an electrical circuit in which is included a battery
and an electro magnet or solenoid as shewn, the latter with its armature forming
the controlling part of a device of some suitable nature adapted to control the main
steam valve in the case of a steam engine or to control or apply a brake to any
other engine or motor.
The shaft 3 finally carries a disc 34 provided with a spring operated stud 35 the
end of which is suitably shaped to frictionally engage in a groove in the shaft 3.
The disc also carries an insulated contact plate 36 on which under normal con-
ditions press contact fingers 37, 37 insulated from each other by a plate to which
they are attached and which plate is carried by the end bracket.
Carried also by this bracket is a pin 38 adapted to form a stop to prevent the disc
being turned too far in the opposite direction in event of the engines being reversed
the obstacle this pre ents hing suffer it to cause the spring stud 35 to lip in
the groove in the shaft so that when revolving in one direction the contact plate 36

page_text: is kept away from the fingers 37 which form part of an electric circuit in which
is included the terminal 33 the terminal 30° and the terminal 22º.
When the engine or motor is running under normal conditions the pinion 5 will
be running one per cent. faster and through the clutch on its drum 8" will drive
the fly wheel 13 also faster. This through the clutch on the other side of same
will drive the disc 17 at a faster speed than the disc 22 so that the insulated
projection 23 is normally kept in contact with the projection 21 the circuit between
the brushes 22° and 17ª being broken.
If there should be any abnormal acceleration of speed on the engine such as
what is known as "racing" in a marine engine this will be imparted to the shaft
and be transmitted by wheels 5, 6 to wheel 8 the acceleration of which will overcome
the gripping power of the clutch and the fly wheel slipping owing to its inertia
the disc 17 will drop behind the disc 22 in its speed which latter on overtaking
it will bring the studs 19, 20 of the two discs in contact and close the circuit which
is then from the battery through the electro magnet which is thus caused to
operate the controlling device or valve of the engine or motor to stop or slow it
down, through insulated terminal 33 to one of the contact fingers 37 across plate 36
to finger 37 to post 22° brush 22 discs 22 and 17 brush 17 post 17b to the frame 1
to terminal 32 and to the battery again. Should the engine or motor slow down
rapidly the fly wheel is prevented from slipping its frictional arrangement on the
drum in the direction of rotation by the pawl or clutch 14 which engages in the
teeth of the ratchet wheel 9 rigidly attached to the drum. Consequently the fly
wheel cannot by its own momentum exceed the speed of the drum, thus ensuring
its speed not exceeding the percentage allowed by the gear wheels and keeping it
always in the best position to prevent any tendency on the part of the engine to
race.
The object of the governor 24 is to provide a general controlling device for the
engine or motor which will come into operation when the same exceeds a pre-
determined speed as with the arrangement of parts previously described no con-
trolling action will take place where a gradual increase of speed only is obtained
the action of the latter depending upon a Budden increase of speed which will bring
about a slip between the fly wheel and the clutch driving same.
The governing device 24 therefore is arranged to operate independently of the
other device and is placed in a branch circuit which is normally broken between
the contact plate 29 and screw 30 but when these parts are closed is from battery
through the electro magnet or solenoid (the valve operating or like device of which
is thus acted upon) to terminal 33 to terminal 30° screw 30 plate 29 onto the frame
or bed plate to terminal 32 and back to battery.
It will be obvious that were the engines to be reversed as soon as the disc 17
reached its increased amount of speed over the shaft 3 now running in the opposite
direction its contact making stud 19 would abut against the contact making
stud 20 and the circuit being completed the engine or motor would be stopped.
To obviate this we have provided the disc 34 and its contact plate 36 which upon
the reversal of the shaft 3 will be carried backward from the contact fingers 37 so
as to break the circuit previously described the disc being held from complete
rotation by the pin 38 the spring stud allowing the shaft to rotate without putting
any strain on same. This does not interfere with the governing device 24 which
is free to come into action.
It will be understood that our invention is not limited to the particular form of
apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawing as the arrangement of the
parts may be modified without departing from our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The improved means for governing steam or other motors consisting of a
contact piece forming part of an electrical circuit in which is included

page_text: device for the engine or motor and a second frictionally driven contact piece in
same circuit normally kept out of contact with the first by being driven at a
determined excess of speed from the same source of power but adapted to come
into contact with the first under a sudden increase of speed of the latter sufficient
to overcome the frictional driving of said second contact piece substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
2. The improved means for governing steam or other motors consisting of a
contact piece forming part of an electrical circuit in which is included a con-
trolling device for the engine or motor a rotatable shaft for carrying the contact
piece a second contact piece in said circuit frictionally driven from said shaft
through the medium of a fly wheel and normally kept out of contact with the first
by being driven at a determined excess of speed but adapted to come into contact
with same with a sudden increase of speed of the shaft sufficient to overcome the
frictional driving of the fly wheel substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The employment with means for governing steam or other motors of a shaft
a train of gears and a frictionally driven fly wheel such gears being arranged to
impart an excess of speed to the fly wheel under normal conditions to enable same
to keep open a circuit in which is a controlling device for the engine or motor
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4. The employment with the means for governing steam or other motors set
forth in Claim 1 of a governing device adapted to close a contact in a branch
circuit and operate the controlling device of the engine or motor when the latter
exceeds a predetermined speed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. The improved means for governing steam or other motors substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1898.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Annlicants.