Improvements in Speed Controlling Devices for Rotary Motion.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1891
COBLE LETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speed Controlling Devices for Rotary Motion.
A communication from abroad by HARRIE ALBERT BALLARD, of Ashland, in the
County of Middlesex, and CHARLES JACKSON PILLSBURY, of 8, Allston
Street, Boston, both in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Inventor and Patent Broker respectively.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.1.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool and 6, Bank Street
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 invention has relation to that class or kind of devices which are contrived to
regulate or control the speed at which machines may be operated; and it has for
its object the provision of such improvements as will cause the governor or regulator
to make instant response to any change in or variation of the load carried by the
machine.
Heretofore in devices of the kind to which this invention has reference a con-
siderable period of time elapsed between the moment of varying the load upon
the machine, and the time when the weighted levers of the centrifugal device
are able to assume proper position to secure an operation of the machine at the
same speed at which it was run before the load there was changed. For
example, if the machine should be carrying a heavy load, and a portion thereof
should be taken off, the machine would immediately start up at an unduly high
rate of speed until the centrifugal tendency imparted to the weighted arms threw
them out far enough from the axis of the shaft to release to a proper degree
the frictional connection between the driver and friction disk; and per contra,
should the machine be carrying a comparatively light load and more should be
added, an appreciable period of time would elapse between the time of such
addition to the load and the time when the momentum of the weighted arms
would be overcome, within which time the machine would be run at an unduly
slow rate of speed.
The invention here shown and described overcomes the objections and difficulties
mentioned and secures the purposes of the improvements, as herein before recited,
said invention consisting in securing the clutch disk or part with which the
driver co-operates so as that it may be moved axially as well as longitudinally
on the shaft, to a limited extent, and combining with the said disk or clutch
part and the movable collar adjacent thereto and intermediate of the same, a
clamping device constructed and arranged to be actuated by the increased
resistance to the rotation of the shaft to bear with increased force against the
friction disk or clutch part co-operating with the driver and cause said clutch
part to hug the driver to a greater degree, and to an extent corresponding to
the increased resistance to the rotation of the shaft; and when the load upon
the machine is lightened and the speed of the shaft is accelerated to cause said
clamping means to bear with less force against the said clutch part, the clamping
means responding instantly to increase and decrease of load upon the machine.
The invention also consists of improved combination of other parts in a speed
controller, and the combination of such other parts with the groups or combination
of parts herein before described.
Refrence is to be had to the annexed drawings, and to the letters marked
thereon, forming a part of this Specification, the same letters designating the same
parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.

page_text: Of the said drawings,
Figure 1 is a side view of the invention applied to a shaft.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view of Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, and showing the position
of the means for controlling the speed of the machine with reference to the load
when a heavy load is being carried.
Fig. 5 is a side view, partially in section, on the line 57, Fig. 3, showing a
position or relationship of parts represented in Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a cross section similar to Fig. 4, showing the position of the parts when
the machine is running with a light load or with substantially no load whatsoever.
Fig. 7 is a side view, partially in section on the line 5 7 Fig. 3, representing the
devices as shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the movable collar and its equipments which
co-operate with the clutch part and its equipments to control the speed of the
machine with reference to its load.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the clutch part and its equipment mentioned in
the description of Fig. 8, showing also the friction disk or washer interposed
between the two clutch parts, a portion of the clutch part shown.
In the drawings a designates the shaft to be driven. b is the driver which may
be a gear or other equivalent device, it being here shown as consisting of a pulley,
provided at one end with a disk c. d is a disk similar to disk c connected with the
driver b. Intermediate of the two disks c and d is a disk e of leather, leatheroid,
or other suitable frictional material.
Connected with the side of disk & facing away from the intermediate disk e are
blocks ff, the faces g g of which extend in plane radial to the axis of the said
disk.
h is a collar splined upon the shaft so as that it may be moved longitudinally of
the latter. The said collar is provided upon its side or face adjacent to the disk d
with blocks the faces jj of which extend in a plane radial to the axis of the
collar h. The blocks fand i are so arranged on their respective supports, as that
the adjacent sides of the collar and disk d may be brought into contact one with
the other, and the faces gj of the blocks fi brought into the same relation-
ship.
Both the driver band the disk d are loosely arranged on shaft a, but by reason
of the contact of the blocks i of the collar with the blocks f of the disk d the
latter will be driven when the shaft a is rotated.
The bases or inner ends of the said blocks are slightly inclined or bevelled, as is
best indicated at k in Figs. 4 and 6, so as to render the disk d revolubly movable on
the shaft a to a slight extent.
Sockets are formed in the opposing sides of the blocks, and helical springs m
seated at their ends in the said sockets serve to hold the blocks normally apart to
the degree permitted by their inclined ends k. Screws n tapped into the blocks,
and bearing at their inner ends upon the springs serve as a means for adjusting the
stress exerted by the said springs upon the blocks. Any other form and arrange-
ment of springs and adjusting means may however be used for the purpose
mentioned.
Chambers o are formed in the opposing sides of the blocks at their bases, and
levers p, seated at one end in the collar and at the opposite ends in the hub of the
disk d, and extending in an inclined direction with respect to the shaft a, are
arranged to operate in the said chambers.
9 is a collar or disk rigidly secured to the shaft a upon projections of which
are fulcrumed angle or bell crank levers, the longer outer arms t of which are
weighted. Link rods are pivoted at one end to the inner shorter arms s of the
angle levers, and are connected in like manner with lugs of a collar w, provided
with a screw threaded hub a loose on the shaft a.
y designates a washer surrounding the shaft a and bearing near its periphery
upon the inner ends of the arms s of the angle levers. The said washer also resta

page_text: upon (or it may be connected with) the ends of pins z, which extend through holes
formed in the collar or disk 9 and are tapped at their inner ends in the
collar h.
a¹ designates a helical spring surrounding the shaft a and bearing at one end
upon the washer y, and at the other upon the screw threaded collar b¹ turned upon
the hub z.
el designates a collar provided with a screwthreaded hub d', arranged to be
secured by a set screw or other suitable means upon the shaft a.
A collar or
collars el are twined upon the hub d' and are adapted to be adjusted nearer to or
farther from the hub " of driver b so as to hold the driver in place on the shaft,
and adjust it with reference to the position of friction disk d.
In the use of my invention with the weighted arms & in their normal position
the collars ¹ and will be adjusted so as to cause the spring a to frictionally
clutch or connect the disks c and d through the medium of the disk e to the
desired degree. In operating the machine should there be a tendency to drive
the shaft a at too great a speed, the centrifugal tendency imparted to the
weighted arms t will throw the free ends thereof outward, causing the ends of
the arms to bear upon the washer y and move it in a direction away from
the collar 9, the link rods u acting to move the collar win the same direction,
and consequently relieving the stress with which the spring a¹, (through the
medium of the washer y) exerts upon the pins connected with the collar h.
As a result of this operation the frictional connection of the disk c and d will
be lessened in force, and the former will slip upon the latter to the extent of
the unduly rapid movement of the driver.
Should, now, additional load be added to the machine connected with the shaft a,
the increased resistance to the rotation of the latter by the driver, will cause the
blocks connected with the disk d to overcome to a greater or less extent the stress
of the springs m, and, as it were catch up with the blocks i, actuating the levers p
(see Fig. 5) so as to cause the disks c d to hug each other with greater force, and
with a force corresponding to the increase of load upon the machine.
The instant the load upon the machine is lightened, and the resistance to the
rotation of the shaft a is lessened the springs m will operate to separate the block if,
moving the levers p to a position indicated in Fig. 7, and so lessening the degree of
frictional connection between the disks c d.
In the way described I am enabled to provide means for controlling the speed of
the shaft a with reference to the load upon the machine, and an unvarying speed of
the driver and separate means for controlling the operation of the said shaft with
reference to variations in the speed of the driver and an unvarying load.
If desired the outer free ends of the arms & may be made hollow with closeable
apertures so as that the weight thereof may be adjusted by means of shot or the
like, to suit circumstances, as shown.
It is to be observed that when the weighted arms t are thrown outward by
centrifugal tendency, the spring a¹ is moved bodily away from exerting pressure
upon the disk d, so that no force exercised by the levers t is lost in compressing
the said spring, but all of the said force or power is employed in relieving the
frictional connection between the driver and the disk d. This is an important
feature of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, it is declared that what is
claimed is-
1. A speed controller comprising in its construction a driver provided with a
friction disk, loose on the shaft to be driven, a co-operating friction disk
adapted to have a limited movement both longitudinally and revolubly on the
shaft, and provided with a clutching part, a collar on the shaft provided with
a clutch part to co-operate with the first mentioned clutch part, a spring for
holding the said clutch parts normally separated, and a clamping or pressing

page_text: device intermediate of the collar and last mentioned friction disk to press upon
the latter and cause the friction disks to hug the more closely as load is added
to the machine driven by the shaft, as set forth.
2. A speed controller comprising in its construction a driver provided with a
friction disk loose upon the shaft to be driven, a co-operating friction disk
adapted to turn with the shaft but movably longitudinally thereon, a collar
secured to the shaft, weighted angle levers pivoted upon said collar, a washer
surrounding the shaft, a second collar loose upon the shaft, a spring interposed
between the washer and second collar, link rods connecting one of the arms of the
said weighted levers with the second collar, the ends of the said arms extending
under the said washer, and devices intermediate of the washer and second
mentioned friction disk, as set forth.
3. A. speed controller comprising in its construction a driver provided with a
friction disk loose upon the shaft to be driven, a co-operating friction disk
adapted to turn with the shaft, a collar and clamping device intermediate of
the last mentioned friction disk and the said collar for causing the two disks to
hug the more closely as load is added to the machine driven by the shaft, n
spring surrounding the shaft, devices intermediate of the said spring and collar,
and a centrifugally operated device for overcoming the stress with which the
said acts upon the friction disks, as set forth.
4. A speed controller comprising a group of devices for controlling the driven
machine with reference to the driving means, and a group of devices for controlling
the speed of the driven machine with reference to the variation of load thereon, as
set forth.
མ་་
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.