IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE VALVES AND GOVERNORS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Max Sombart, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and
Company, Engineers and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of
Germany, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINE VALVES AND
GOVERNORS." A communication from Edward Buss, of Magdeburg, in the
Empire of Germany.
Sealed the 28th January 1879, and dated the 25th September 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Max Sombart at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th September 1878.
CHARLES MAX SOMBART, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and Company, Engineers
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany.
ENGINE VALVES AND GOVERNORS." A communication from Edward Buss, of
Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany.
The improvements consist in making valves to equilibrate by constructing them
so that both the inlet and outlet ports shall lead to one plane, upon which a slide
valve is operated to shut off at the same time the inlet and outlet ports, and for use
in combination with said valves, or otherwise; the Invention embraces the con-
struction of centrifugal governors with a horizontal driving shaft, the centrifugal
force being counterbalanced by a lever charged with one or more weights. The
whole is made of metal, the various parts being proportioned to the power to be
used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Max Sombart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
March 1879.
CHARLES MAX SOMBART, of the Firm of Buss, Sombart, and Company, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ENGINE VALVES AND GOVERNORS." A communication from Edward Buss, of
Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention relates to a centrifugal governor in connection with an equi-
librated throttle or admission valve. The governor itself is a centrifigul governor
with horizontal shaft, and it is arranged in such a manner that no springs need be
applied, but that the gravity of a weight only acts against the centrifugal force of
the pendulum. Two rotating pendulums connected with the horizontal shaft move
directly a contrivance substituted for the sliding sleeve of Watt's governor, and
indirectly, that is to say, by means of this contrivance, a weighted angular lever.
The rotating pendulums may be either ordinary conical pendulums or, better,
cosine penduluins (such as described in Engl. Pat. Spec., No. 1604, A.D. 1876).
The equilibrated admission valve is a flat slide, constructed in such a manner that
the entrance and exhaust ports open on the same surface, whence the pressure
existing in the entrance port acts on one side and the pressure in the exhaust port
on the other side of the lower valve face, while the pressure in the inner space and
on the back of the valve is the average between the said pressures. The accom-
panying Drawings, in which similar letters represent the same parts, show the
governor in connection with the equilibrated admission valve. Fig. 1 is a vertical
section; Fig. 2, another vertical section; and Fig. 3, a horizontal section; while
Fig. 4 represents a plan of the valve face and of the slide; and Fig. 5, a rotating
pendulum. The hollow driving shaft B rotating in the long box a of the casing A
forms on one end the flat pulley b with two pairs of long projections or arms c,
each pair carrying a short shaft d of a pendulum. Outside the box a the shaft B
carries the driving pulley C, for which a spur wheel may be substituted. In the
present case cosine pendulums" have been adopted, arranged in such a manner
that they occupy for a given weight the smallest possible space; but otherwise
constructed pendulums, for instance, ordinary conical pendulums, may be used
instead. Each of the two equal cosine pendulums D consists of a long boss e, a
semicircular disc f, and a semi-annular rim g. The slide rod E carries a cross
piece F, each arm of which is provided with a bore parallel to its axis for
the reception of a bolt h with oblong head; the latter is also perforated and
secured against axial dislocations. The bores of the two bolt heads receive the
pegs i connected with the pendulums. The extreme end of the slide rod E is
provided with a circular disc abutting against the plate k, which is slightly
movable on a vertical pin l fastened to the casing m. The latter moves on two
horizontal pins o between the forked upper end of the bell-crank lever G, which is
supported at n and carries at its lower bent arm the weight H.
If now the shaft B is set in rotation the centrifugal force will try to remove the
centres of gravity of the pendulums D from the axis of rotation, whence the pegs i
exercise upon the cross piece F as well as upon the slide rod an axial pressure,
which tends to remove the casing m with the horizontal pins o from the apparatus.
The loaded bell-crank lever however produces through the plate k a counter pressure
upon the slide rod E. Now the resulting centrifugal force acting at the centre of
gravity of a cosine pendulum is perfectly independent of the angle formed by the
arms of the pendulum, and with a given angular velocity remains the same for all
positions of the pendulum. The line connecting the centre of gravity with the axis
of rotation d of a pendulum forms with the line of connection between peg i and
axis da right angle, in consequence of which the axial pressure exercised through
the pegi on the slide rod E is also independent of the axial position of this rod,

page_text: and remains constant for a given angular velocity. If the two arms of a bell-crank
lever form now a right angle this lever will produce on o an invariable horizontal
pressure, in consequence of which the cosine pendulum can produce an equilibrium
only for a fixed angular velocity. For this velocity however exists then also an
equilibrium in all positions of the lever and of the slide rod, that is to say, the
governor is completely astatic. An enlargement of the angle formed by the two
arms of the lever makes the apparatus stable, and the degree of stability depends
upon the size of this angle. In order to suit now the apparatus for the most
various requirements the lower arm of the lever g is made adjustable within
certain limits by providing it near the weight H with a joint, round which the
weight may be raised or lowered relatively to the lever, and a peg p serves for
securing the weight in the required position. The weight itself consists of a cast-
iron circular casing, into which round plates of various sizes may be placed, so as
to alter the number of revolutions of the apparatus at will. If instead of the
cosine pendulums ordinary conical ones are used, with a suitable choice of the angle
formed by the two arms of the lever, a pseudo-astatic governor may be produced.
----
The apparatus thus described forms the governor proper, and could be used for
regulating all kinds of rotating machines. The annexed Drawing shows the
governor in connection with a new equilibrated throttle valve, the motion of the
governor being transmitted from the bell-crank lever g by means of a rod J to a
lever K, the axle of which passing through the stuffing box q carries inside the
casing L a forked lever M, which is connected with the equilibrated throttle
valve N. The latter travels on a flat surface and modifies according to the position
of a lever the openings of the steam ports r, r,----², r², and 8, 8¹. The steam enters
through O into the space P, and from there through the entrace ports r, r,
,, into the inner space (valve space) Q. From here it goes through the ports 8, 8¹,
and the exit space R to the steam chest of the engine. Slide and ports are so
arranged that, firstly, the sum of the areas of the exit ports 8, s', is equal to the sum
of the areas of the entrance ports r, r, 1, 71, and that further also for every
position of the slide, from the full opening to the complete closing; the sums of
the opened parts of the inlet and of the outlet ports are equal to each other.
If these conditions are fulfilled the slide, without taking into consideration its
own weight, will be fully equilibrated, because the pressure above the slide is
always the average between the pressures existing in the entrance chamber P and
in the exit space R, and the surface exposed to the high-pressure steam of the
entrance chamber is equal to the surface upon which the low-pressure steam of the
outlet chamber acts. The rod I is not directly fastened to the lever K, but the eye
of the latter is provided with the loose pin of a hand lever S. A projection of this
pin carries another eccentrically placed pin, which is directly connected with the
rod I. In the position shown in the Drawing the eccentric pin is turned upwards,
but if the hand lever is turned through an angle of 180°, so as to occupy the
opposite side, the eccentric pin will be turned downwards. The same lever is
further connected with the circular disc T, which on the lever being turned touches
a projection of the casing L. Through this arrangement the throttle valve is
changed into a completely tight and not equilibrated stop valve. The back surface
1-4 of the slide (Fig. 4) does not form a continuous plane, but two parallel
epipedic or prismatic pieces 1-2 and 3-4 are cut out from the valve. If there-
fore the slide is moved further than the position in which it completely covers all
ports a partial opening of the two ports r', ', takes place through the said cuttings. -
If the hand lever is turned round the disc T touches the projection t, thus pressing
the lever G into its highest position; and in consequence of the eccentricity of the
pin in the rod I the lever K will at the same time be raised to a still higher
position than that which the governor could give it, whence the slide N is also
inoved beyond the extreme position corresponding to the highest position of the
governor. The two entrance ports r, r¹, are therefore opened a little at their back
ends, whilst the exit ports 8, 8, still remain completely covered. Consequently the
full pressure of the steam enters into the valve space Q, pressing the slide tightly

page_text: against the edges of the outlet ports 8, s¹, so as to secure an independent tightening.
A return motion of the hand lever opens again the slide used as a stop valve and
exposes it to the action of the governor.
The ports 7, 1, 8 and s¹, may differ. both in shape and in size from those shown
by the Drawing, for the only condition to be fulfilled is to make the pressure in the
valve chamber sufficient to resist the pressure existing on the lower surface of the
slide. Claims. 1. A centrifugal governor with a horizontal shaft, substantially as
described. 2. The combination of the mechanism of the pendulum with a weighted
bell-crank lever in such a manner that the governor by simply altering the angle
of the lever may be changed from complete isochronism to any degree of stability.
3. The application of cosine pendulums to centrifugal governors with horizontal
shaft. 4. An admission valve for steam and other engines, which is equilibrated
by means of an arrangement in which the entrance and exit ports open on the same
surface and are covered by the same slide, whilst the pressure in the valve chamber
is the average between the pressures in the exit and entrance ports. 5. A flat
equilibrated admission or throttle valve, which by moving it beyond the position of
complete cut-off is changed into a non-equilibrated but firmly-tightened stop valve.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Max Sombart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, A.D. 1879.