CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Wood, John Whitehead, and Thomas Tetlow,
all of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, for the Invention
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING
THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 31st March 1864, and dated the 9th October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Wood, John
Whitehead, and Thomas Tetlow at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 9th October 1863.
We, JAMES WOOD, JOHN WHITEHEAD, and THOMAS TETLOW, all of Oldham,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
GOVERNING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention is applicable to steam engines furnished with governors of
the ordinary construction, and it consists in combining therewith a hydraulic
cylinder and ram, by means whereof the speed of the engine is more effectually
governed than heretofore.
In performing our Invention we connect the governor by a rod to a lever,
to which is also connected the throttle or other valve for admitting steam to
the engine and the plunger of the hydraulic cylinder above referred to.
Water under pressure is supplied to this cylinder by a pipe in communication
with the steam boiler or otherwise, and the pipe has a tap or valve which is
also in communication with the governor or with the lever above referred to.
When the apparatus is at work, if the engine is going too slow, the governor

page_text: balls in collapsing admit water to the cylinder, thus moving the ram and with
it the fulcrum of the lever to open the throttle or other valve. The contrary
action takes place when the steam engine is running too fast.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Wood, John Whitehead, and Thomas Tetlow in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
WOOD, JOHN WHITEHEAD, and THOMAS TETLOW, all of Oldham, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Wood, John Whitehead, and Thomas Tetlow, Her
special license that we, the said James Wood, John Whitehead, and Thomas
Tetlow, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said James Wood, John Whitehead, and Thomas Tetlow, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might makė, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
GOVERNING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said James Wood, John Whitehead, and Thomas Tetlow, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or
one of our or 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Wood, John Whitehead, and
Thomas Tetlow, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
Our Invention is applicable to steani engines furnished with governors of the
ordinary construction, and it consists in combining therewith a hydraulic cylinder

page_text: and ram, by means whereof the speed of the engine is more effectually governed
than heretofore.
In performing our Invention we connect the governor by a rod to a lever,
to which is also connected the throttle or other valve for admitting steam to
the engine, and the ram or plunger of the bydraulic cylinder above referred to.
Water or other fluids under pressure is supplied to this cylinder by a pipe in
communication with the steam boiler or otherwise, and the pipe has a tap or
valve which is also in communication with the governor or with the lever above
referred to. When the apparatus is at work, if the engine is going too slow, the
governor's balls in collapsing admit water to the cylinder, thus moving the ram
and with it the fulcrum of the lever to open the throttle or other valves.
contrary action takes place when the steam engine is running too fast.
The
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood, we will proceed to
describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 is an
elevation of our improved machinery or apparatus, and of the
governor and
throttle valve of the steam engine to which our improvements are applied;
Figures 2, 3, and 4 are detached parts of our improvements.
a, a, are the balls of an ordinary governor; b the sliding bush; and c the
rod which is raised when the balls expand, and lowered when they collapse as
usual; d is the throttle valve which may be an equilibrium valve or of any
suitable construction for admitting steam to the engine; e is a bydraulic
cylinder to which water or other fluids under pressure is supplied from the
steam boiler or otherwise by the feed pipe f which is in communication with
one side of the three-way cock g, see Figures 2 and 3, and the water after
passing through the plug n, see Figure 4, of the cock g is conveyed
by the pipe to the cylinder e. In the pipe q is a stop-cock h by
which the quantity of fluid admitted to the cylinder e is regulated and the
speed of the ram i is governed, and the waste water or other fluid is carried off
from the cylinder e by the pipe r also connected to the cock g.
cylinder e works the ram, the spindle of which forms a moveable fulcrum for
the lever j, to the outer end of which is jointed the rod k connected above to one
arm of the double lever 1, the other arm being jointed to the rod c of the
governor. The lower end of the rod k is jointed to an adjustable stud in the
slotted lever m, which is fixed to the plug n of the cock g.
connected to the lever o of the throttle valve d by the rod p, all
Within the
The lever j is
these points of
connection are adjustable so as to be able to vary the length of leverage.
The Drawing represents the various parts of the apparatus in the positions
they occupy when the steam engine to which it is applied is working at its
regular speed, the feed water or other fluid from the pipef to the cylinder e

page_text: keeps the ram i, and the fulcrum of the lever j stationary. When the speed of
the engine begins to increase the governor balls 6 in expanding raise the rod
and lower the rod k and move the slotted lever m into the position indicated
by the dotted line m', the plug n of the cock g then partly opens the com
munication with the waste water pipe r, and allows a portion of the water
under the ram i to run off, the ram then descends, being assisted in its descent
by the weight t, and the rod p acting on the lever o partially closes the throttle
valve to reduce the quantity of steam admitted to the engine. When the
speed of the engine is reduced below its regular working speed the governor
balls in collapsing cause the lever m to assume the position indicated by the
dotted line m², the waste water pipe r is then closed, and the communication
between the supply pipe f and the cylinder e is opened to admit the water or
other fluid under the ram i, which in rising elevates the fulcrum of the lever j
and in so doing opens the throttle valve to admit more steam to the engine.
By means of our improvements the speed of the engine can be governed
more effectually than heretofore, for it is evident that the action of the governor
balls instead of being applied direct to the throttle valve is applied to the
three-way cock g, which opens and closes the communication to the hydraulic
cylinder e, and varies the fulcrum of the lever ; as described, whereby the
action of the throttle valve is regulated so as instantly to govern the speed of
the engine, and thus to prevent the irregularities heretofore unavoidable.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we wish to remark that we do not limit ourselves to
the details given, as they may be considerably varied or modified according to
the peculiar construction of the engine to which they are applied, but what we
do claim is, the application of a hydraulic cylinder and ram to steam engines
furnished with governors of the ordinary construction as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Wood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
JAMES WOOD. (L.S.)