AN IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Estus Lamb and Henry Stephen Mansfield,
of Blackstone, State of Massachusetts, and Lyman Arnold Cook, of
Cumberland, State of Rhode Island, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on
the 7th June 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS," to be
as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obviate the violent fluctuations of ball
governors and other governors, based on the principle of centrifugal force.
These violent changes cause sudden alterations in the quantity of steam
admitted to the oylinder upon a sudden increase or decrease of the resistance
to or work of the engine. By the present improvement the requisite quantity
of steam is admitted into the cylinder to cause the regulator balls to assume
and maintain a uniform position corresponding with the speed of the engine,
let the resistance, power, or labor of the engine be what it may, consequently
the governor has a more perfect action, and the engine a more uniform and

page_text: steady speed than when governors of the ordinary construction are employed.
The Invention consists in the application of a revolving screw rod to form the
connection between the governor and the cut-off or throttle valve in com-
bination with an arm which extends from a rock shaft connected with the
valve, or from the valve spindle, and the end of which is tapped to screw on
the screw rod, so that by the revolving motion imparted to the screw rod the
valve will be opened or closed independent of or in opposition to the action of
the governor, that is to say, the valve is partially closed when by some sudden
increase of the resistance or work to be overcome by the engine the balls sink
down; and the valve is partially opened if by some decrease of the resistance
or work the balls fly out, and the supply of steam is equalized by means acting
to some extent independently of the governor. The rotary motion of the screw
rod is governed by an escapement wheel with two pawls, one of which causes
the escapement wheel and screw rod to turn in one, and the other in the
opposite direction. An adjustable hinged shoe is applied to the escapement
"wheel, so that when the engine runs at its mean speed (or, at the speed for
which the governor is adjusted) the pawls are prevented from engaging with
the escapement wheel, in either direction; but if the speed of the engine
increases and the balls fly out (whereby the cut-off or throttle valve is partially
closed) one of the pawls engages with the teeth of the escapement wheel, and
turns the screw rod, so that by its action the cut-off or throttle valve will be
brought into such a position that the speed of the engine will fall off, and the
balls will drop to their adjusted place, and the engine will recover its normal
speed'; but if the speed of the engine falls off and the balls drop down,
whereby the cut-off or throttle valve is opened wider, the opposite pawl
engages with the teeth of the escapement wheel, and turns the screw rod in
the opposite direction until the balls again attain their adjusted place and the
engine recovers its normal speed. The position of the shoe is governed by a
cam slot in a rod, which rises and falls with the governor balls, and when the
valve or cut-off motion is in a position to give the required speed to the
engine the adjustable shoe is acted on, and by assuming a corresponding
position in reference to the escapement gear will prevent. the pawls from
engaging in it in either direction. A spring bar extending from the rock
shaft of the valve gear or from the valve spindle bears on the shank of the
shoe and throws it into the proper position, so that the pawls will not engage
with the escapement wheel in either direction, thereby producing a stop motion
to the escapement motion in case of deficiency of steam for the labor to be
erformed.

page_text: 2
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
: on the 7th December 1865:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
5 EDWARD NEWTON, of, the Office, for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing; date. the Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
0 Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto.
me, the said William Edward, Newton, Her special licence that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I; the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
5 time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, sbould
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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS," being
a communication to me, from abroad,. upon the condition (amongst others)
0 that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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
5 calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to, be particularly described and, ascertained in and by the following
30 statement; reference, being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked, thereon (that is to say):
This Invention relates to an improvement.in ball governors or in governors
of any other construction, based on, a similar principle to ball governors. The
object of the Invention, is to obviate the violent fluctuations of ball governors,
35 and consequent violent changes of the quantity of steam admitted to the
cylinder upon a sudden increase or decrease of the resistance to or work of
the engine. By the present improvement the requisite quantity of steam is
admitted into the cylinder. to cause the regulator balls to assume and maintain

page_text: a uniform position corresponding with the speed of the engine, let the
resistance, power, or labor of the engine be what it may, consequently the
governor has a more perfect action, and the engine a more uniform and
steady speed than when governors of the ordinary construction are employed.
The Invention consists in the employment of a revolving screw rod to form
the connection between the governor and the cut-off or throttle valve in
combination with an arm which extends from a rock shaft connected with
the valve, or from the valve spindle, and the end of which is tapped to screw
on the screw rod in such a manner that by the revolving motion imparted to
the screw rod the valve will be opened or closed independent of or in opposition
to the action of the governor, that is to say, the valve will be partially closed
when by some sudden increase of the resistance or work to be overcome by the
engine, the balls sink down, and the valve is partially opened; if by some
decrease of the resistance or work the balls fly out, and the supply of steam
is equalized by means acting to some extent independently of the governor.
The rotary motion of the screw rod is governed by an escapement wheel with
two pawls, one of which causes the escapement wheel and screw rod to turn
in one, and the other in the opposite direction. An adjustable hinged shoe is
applied to the escapement wheel in such a manner that when the engine runs
at its mean speed (or at the speed for which the governor is adjusted) the
pawls will be prevented from engaging with the escapement wheel in either
direction, but if the speed of the engine increases, and the balls fly out,
whereby the cut-off or throttle valve is partially closed, one of the pawls
engages with the teeth of the escapement wheel and turns the screw rod, so
that by its action the cut-off or throttle valve will be brought in such a
position that the speed of the engine will fall off, and the balls will drop to
their adjusted place, and the engine will recover its normal speed, but if the
speed of the engine falls off, and the balls drop down, whereby the cut-off or
throttle valve is opened wider the opposite pawl will engage with the teeth of
the escapement wheel, and turn the screw rod in the opposite direction until
the balls again attain their adjusted place and the engine recovers its normal
speed. The position of the shoe is governed by a cam slot in a rod which
rises and falls with the governor balls, and when the valve or cut-off motion
is in a position to give the required speed to the engine the adjustable shoe is
in such a position to the escapement gear as to prevent the pawls from
engaging in it in either direction. A spring bar extending from the rock
shaft of the valve gear, or from the valve spindle, bears on the shank of the
shoe, and throws it into the proper position, so that the pawls will not engage
with the escapement 'wheel in either direction, thereby producing a stop

page_text: wheel in one, and the other in the opposite direction. In order to p
the two pawls m, m³, from engaging with the teeth of the escapement w
during one and the same stroke of the elbow lever 1; 1, a shoe r is appl.
under them in such a position that either one or both pawls will be prevent
from engaging with the escapement wheel. The shoe is suspended from
lever which oscillates on a stud s¹ secured' in a standard t, which is rigidly
connected to the brackets j. The upper end of this standard forms the
bearing for an eye bolt u, the eye of which forms the guide for a vertical
rod v, which is adjustable by jam nuts n¹ in the end of a standard a', which
extends from the arm a of the sleeve G, as shown in Fig: 1. The lower
end of the rod v is flattened out and. provided with a cam slot h¹, Fig. 4,
which catches over a pin c projecting from the inner surface of the lever s:
The rod vis so adjusted that when the balls are down the pin c is in the
apper part of the cam slot; and the lever s with the shoe are held in such a
position that the pawl m is prevented from engaging with the teeth of the
escapement wheel. If an oscillating motion is imparted to the elbow lever 1, 1,
an intermittent rotary motion is imparted to the escapement wheel in the
direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, and by this motion the screw rod 6 is turned
in such a direction that the swivel nut on the end of the arm e is opened, or
the rock shaft & turns in the direction opposite to the arrow. If the balls fly
the rod v rises with the sleeve G, and by the action of the cam slot 6 on
pin'c¹ the lever s and shoe'r are slightly turned, and the shoe assumes
h a position that the pawl m engages with the teeth of the escapement
eel, and the pawl m¹ passes over them without taking any effect. The
escapement wheel now turns in the direction opposite to the arrow in Figure 3,
and the swivel nut travels up on the screw rod, and the rock shaft or valvė rod
turns in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. The valve thereby closes, the
balls drop down, and the speed of the engine slackens until the balls arrive at
their required position, corresponding to the desired mean speed of the engine.
When the governor has arrived in this position the shoe r is brought on a
parallel curve with the escapement wheel, so that neither of the pawls engages
with the teeth' of the wheel. This object. is effected automatically by con-
structing the shoe in two parts, one of which is rigidly connected to the
lever's, while the second part is attached to the first by a hinge joint, and
furnished with a tail d*, which projects beyond the circumference of the
escapement' wheel, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, while. a spring bar e', which
is connected to the rock shaft d, extends over the tail d*, and as soon as the
rock shaft arrives in a position to stop cutting off, the spring bar bears on the
tail and raises the hinged part of the shoe, and prevents the pawls m from

page_text: a to the escapement motion in case of deficiency of steam for the labor
e performed.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a sectional front elevation of the
proved governor; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken
the plane indicated by the line x, x, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation
of the same; Fig. 4 is a detached front view of the rod and cam slot regulating
the position of the pawls.
.
A represents a governor of the ordinary construction. The balls B are
suspended from pendulum arms C, which are hinged to the upper end of the
spindle D, and which are connected by links E with a strap F, fitted into a
circular groove in the sleeve G, which rises and falls on the spindle D in the
usual manner. To prevent a fluctuation of the balls by the momentum caused
in the engine crank passing the dead centres a spring H is applied to bear on
to the sleeve G, which is connected by an arm a and screw rod 6 with an
arm c, which extends from the rock shaft d that carries the tappets acting on
the valve gear of a cut-off, or the arm may be connected directly to the spindle
of an ordinary throttle valve. The screw rod b is connected to the arms a
and c, so that when the speed of the engine increases and the balls fly out the
rock shaft or valve spindle d will turn in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1,
and the valve will close. The screw rod 6 turns freely in the arm a, and a
rotary motion is imparted to it by bevil gear e, f; it extends through
wheel e, the bub of which is fitted into a box g, so that the wheel can rot
freely, but is not allowed to move in any other way, and a key or feat
secured in the bore of a wheel and catching in a seat or groove in the scr
rod compels the latter to rotate with the wheel, while it is allowed to rise and
fall independently of the same. A portion of the rod 6 is provided with a
screw thread, or, if desired, the screw thread may be cut on a sleeve which is
adjustable on the rod 6 by means of a set screw, as clearly shown in the
Drawing, and this screw thread is tapped into a swivel nut secured to the end
of the arm c. The bevil wheel f is mounted on the inner end of a shaft i
which has its bearings in a bracket j, secured to the column which forms the
bearings for the governor spindle, and the outer end of the shaft i bears the
escapement wheel k and also a rocking elbow lever 1, 1, one arm of which
carries the pawls m, m', 'whereas its other arm is connected by a rod n with
a crank o mounted on the end of the shaft p, which imparts motion to the
spindle of the governor. The pawls m, m³, are connected to the arm 7 of the
elbow lever by a pivot q in such a position that they point in opposite
directions, and both engage with the teeth of the escapement wheel, and if a
rocking motion is imparted to the elbow lever one pawl turns the escapement

page_text: engaging with the teeth of the escapement wheel. When the balls fly out
sufficiently to raise the spring bar off of the tail of the shoe the pawl m
engages with the escapement wheel, turns it in a direction to open the valves,
and the steam is let in, sufficient to raise the balls to their required position,
both pawls are then detached from the escapement wheel by the adjustable
shoe, and the engine assumes its normal speed. By this arrangement a more
perfect action of the governor and a more uniform and steady speed is obtained
than by the ordinary ball or centrifugal governor, or by a governor of any other
construction.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid,―
First, the employment or use of a screw rod 6 screwing in the end of an
arm c, which extends from the rock shaft or valve spindle d in combination
with the governor and with suitable gear, for the purpose set forth.
Second, the escapement wheel k and pawls m, m¹, applied in combination
with suitable bevil gear e, f, screw rod b, and with the governor and valve gear,
for the purpose described.
Third, the shoe r and cam slot 6', arranged in combination with each other
and with the pawls m, m', escapement wheel k, screw rod 6, and with the
governor and valve gear, for the purpose; specified.
Fourth, making the shoe r in two parts, which are hinged together, as set
forth.
Fifth, the tail d*, applied to the hinged shoe r, and operating in com-
bination with the bar e*, secured to the rock shaft d, for the purpose
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
0
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
.66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)