IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Davies, of Mansfield, in the County of
Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING
THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 17th March 1874, and dated the 8th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th January 1874.
I, DAVID DAVIES, of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED Apparatus
FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:--
This Invention consists principally in attaching a screwed rod to the
steam valve, and in so connecting such screwed rod with the sliding
bush on the "governor" spindle that as the arms of the governor expand
the valve is screwed down or closed, and as the said arms collapse or fall

page_text: the valve is screwed up or opened. The sliding bush works on a feather
or key on the governor spindle so as to revolve with it, and is provided
with a projecting finger which when the engine is running at its normal
speed runs freely between two projections or lugs, each of which is on
the boss of a bevil wheel. These two bevil wheels are mounted loosely
face to face on the governor spindle and are both in gear with a third
bevil wheel keyed on a horizontal shaft. This horizontal shaft is con-
nected by worm and other gearing to a toothed wheel, the boss of which
forms a nut through which works the screwed rod attached to the steam
valve, as above mentioned.
The result of this arrangement is that as the expansion of the arms of
the governor due to any abnormal increase of speed raises the sliding
boss its finger comes into contact with the projection on the boss of one
of the bevil wheels, and thus causing it to revolve imparts a revolution
to the horizontal shaft in such a direction as will cause the screwed nut
or boss of the toothed wheel before mentioned to turn and screw down
or partially close the steam valve so as to admit less steam and con-
sequently reduce the speed of the engine until the collapsing of the
arms of the governor shall cause the finger on the sliding boss to run
free of both projections. But if the speed of the engine shall be from
any cause so far reduced as to cause a further collapse of the governor
arms then the finger comes into contact with the projection on the boss
of the other bevil wheel and consequently causes it to turn the horizontal
shaft in the reverse direction and screw up or open the valve until the
engine has again arrived at the normal speed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
DAVIES, of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of January, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said David Davies, Her special license,
that I, the said David Davies, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said David Davies, 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said David Davies, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said David Davies, 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 and accompanying Drawing (that is to say):-
"
This Invention consists principally in attaching a screwed rod to the
steam valve, and in so connecting such screwed rod with the sliding
bush on the " governor spindle that as the arms of the governor
expand the valve is screwed down or closed, and as the said arms collapse
or fall the valve is screwed up or opened.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to
be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order
that the same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a
Drawing illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof.
The annexed Drawing is an elevation (drawn partly in section)
showing my improved apparatus as arranged to work an equilibrium
steam valve by means of an ordinary "governor."

page_text: •
a, a, is the governor spindle, and b, b, is the ordinary sliding bush
thereon, connected to the arms c, c, of the governor in the usual manner
by links d, d; above the governor is a second sliding bush e, e, con-
nected by side rods f, f, with the ordinary bush b, b, so that they rise
and fall together; the sliding bush e, e, works on a feather or key 9, 9,
on the governor spindle a, a, so as to revolve with it, and is provided
with a projecting finger or driver h, h, which when the engine is running
at its normal speed runs freely between two projections or lugs i, i*,
each of which is on the boss of a bevil wheel k, k*; these two bevil
wheels are mounted loosely face to face on the governor spindle a, a,
and are both in gear with a third bevil wheel 1, 1, keyed on a horizontal
shaft m, m; this horizontal shaft is connected by worm and other
gearing n, n, to a toothed wheel o, o, the boss of which forms a nut p, p,
through which works the screwed rod q, q, attached to the steam valve r, r,
as above mentioned.
This result of this arrangement is that as the expansion of the arms c, c,
of the governor due to any abnormal increase of speed raises the sliding
boss e, e, its finger or driver h, h, comes into contact with the projection i
on the boss of one of the bevil wheels k, and thus causing it to revolve
imparts a revolution to the horizontal shaft m, m, in such a direction as
will cause the screwed nut or boss p, p, of the toothed wheel o, o, before
mentioned to turn and screw down or partially close the steam valve r, r,
so as to admit less steam, and consequently reduce the speed of the
engine until the collapsing of the arms c, c, of the governor shall cause
the finger h, h, on the sliding boss e, e, to run free of both projections i
and ; but if the speed of the engine shall be from any cause so far
reduced as to cause a further collapse of the governor arms then the
finger comes into contact with the projection * on the boss of the other
bevil wheel k*, and consequently causes it to turn the horizontal shaft
m; m, in the reverse direction, and screw up or open the valve r, r, until
the engine has again arrived at the normal speed.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention I
wish it to be understood that I claim, attaching a screwed rod to the
steam valve and so connecting such screwed rod with the sliding bush
on the governor spindle that as the arms of the governor expand the
valve is screwed down or closed, and as the said arms collapse or fall

page_text: the valve is screwed up or opened, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by the Drawing annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Davies, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
DAVID DAVIES. (L.S.)