IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES AND APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Allam Barrett,
William Exall, Charles James Andrewes, and Alfred Barrett, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 2nd June
1863. :
We, GEORGE ALLAM BARRETT, WILLIAM EXALL, CHARLES JAMES ANDREWES,
and ALFRED BARRETT, all of Reading, in the County of Berks, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES AND
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES," that the same has
been partly communicated to us from abroad by Frederic Perry, of Newark,
New Jersey, United States of America, and partly invented by ourselves, to
be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention has for its object improvements in valves and
apparatus for governing the supply and admission of steam to the slide valves
and cylinders of steam engines, so as to regulate the speed thereof.
The second part of the Invention relates to an arrangement or combination
of wheels or apparatus for equalizing the speed of steam engines. For this

page_text: .
purpose in carrying out the first part of this Invention the back face of the
slide valve A is "surfaced up," as shewn in the accompanying Drawing, and
surface valves A', A', are fitted thereon, the surfaces of the combined valves
being pressed together by springs B. The friction thus produced between
the contact surfaces of the valves A and A¹, causes them to move to and fro
together as one valve until the movement of one or other of the valves A' is
arrested by coming in contact with the fixed stop C³, C³, on the inner surface
of the valve box C, the extent of their movements being also governed as here-
after described. The valves A', A', are furnished with ports A2, A3, which
correspond with the ports A3, A3, in the slide valve A for the admission of
steam to the steam cylinder from the steam chest or valve box C, the slide
valve A being furnished with a chamber-or cover A', to conduct the exhaust
steam from the cylinder into the exhaust passage, which arrangement will be
readily understood on examining the Drawing; D is an axis passing through
a stuffing box into the steam chest C; the outer end of the axis D is con-
nected by suitable levers and apparatus to a governor actuated by the steam
engine. On the inner end of the axis D a lever arm or cam surface D¹ is
fixed, which, according to the speed of the governor, is caused to assume
different positions, and thus act as a stop to the projections A*, A*, on the
back of the valves A¹, A¹, so as to govern the amount of movement of such
valves from time to time to cut off and regulate the amount of steam admitted
to the steam cylinder.
In carrying out the second part of this Invention, a fly or other wheel is
firmly keyed on the end of the crank shaft, a corresponding fly or other wheel
being firmly connected to the end of the shaft or machinery the engine is
intended to drive, the axis of the two shafts corresponding; the aforesaid
two fly or other wheels are connected together by means of spiral or other
springs, through which the motive power is transmitted, the relative position
of the wheels, varying in proportion to the inequality of the work performed.
The advantage of this Invention is, that the variation of work on the shaft
driven is felt by the steam engine only through the springs, and according to
the variation of the work, the relative position of the wheels being changed,
proper and requisite adjustments are made to act upon the expansion valve by
which the supply of steam is instantly regulated.
This Invention may be modified so as to take the power from the loose fly
or other wheel by means of a strap to the machinery intended to be driven.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said George Allam Barrett, William Exall, Charles James Andrewes,
and Alfred Barrett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd December
1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
ALLAM BARRETT, WILLIAM EXALL, CHARLES JAMES ANDREWES, and ALFRED
BARRETT, all of Reading, in the County of Berks, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of June, in the year of our Lord, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Allam Barrett, William Exall, Charles James Andrewes, and Alfred
Barrett, Her special licence that we, the said George Allam Barrett, William
Exall, Charles James Andrewes, and Alfred Barrett, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we; the said George Allam Barrett,
William Exall, Charles James Andrewes, and Alfred Barrett, our 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES AND APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED
OF STEAM ENGINES," (the same has been partly communicated to us from abroad
by Frederic Perry, of Newark, New Jersey, United States of America, and
partly invented by ourselves), upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said George Allam Barrett, William Exall, Charles James Andrewes, and
Alfred Barrett, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in' writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Alfred Barrett, on behalf of myself and
the said George Allam Barrett, William Exall, and Charles James Andrewes,
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 thereof, that is to say :-
The first part of this Invention has for its object improvements in valves

page_text: and apparatus for governing the supply and admission of steam to the slide
valves and cylinders of steam engines so as to regulate the speed thereof.
The second part of the Invention relates to an arrangement or combination of
wheels or apparatus for equalizing the speed of steam engines. For this purpose,
in carrying out the first part of this Invention, the back face of the slide valve
A is "surfaced up," as shewn in the several Figures of the accompanying
Drawing, and surface valves A', A¹, are fitted thereon, the surfaces of the com-
bined valves being pressed together by springs B. The friction thus produced
between the contact surfaces of the valves A and A', causes them to move to and
fro together as one valve until the movement of one or other of the valves A¹ is
arrested by coming in contact with the fixed stops C¹, C', on the inner surface
of the valve box C, the extent of their movements being also governed as
hereafter described.
The valves A¹, A¹, are furnished with ports A2, A3, which correspond with
the ports A, A, in the slide valve A for the admission of steam to the steam
cylinder from the steam chest or valve box C, the slide valve A being furnished
with a chamber or cover A' to conduct the exhaust steam from the cylinder
into the exhaust passage, which arrangement will be readily understood on
examining the Drawing. D is an axis passing through a stuffing box into the
steam chest C; the outer end of the axis D is connected by suitable levers and
apparatus to a governor actuated by the steam engine. On the inner end of the
axis D a lever arm or cam surface D¹ is fixed, which, according to the speed of
the governor, is caused to assume different positions, and thus act as a stop to
the projections A*, A*, on the back of the valves A', A', so as to govern the
amount of movement of such valves from time to time to cut off and regulate
the amount of steam admitted to the steam cylinder.
In carrying out the second part of this Invention a fly or other wheel is
firmly keyed on the end of the crank shaft, a corresponding fly or other wheel
being firmly connected to the end of the shaft or machinery the engine is
intended to drive. The axis of the two shafts corresponding. The aforesaid
two fly or other wheels are connected together by means of spiral or other
springs through which the motive power is transmitted. The relative position
of the wheels varying in proportion to the inequality of the work performed.
The advantage of this part of the Invention is that the variation of work on
the shaft driven is felt by the steam engine only through the springs, and
according to the variation of the work the relative position of the wheels
being changed, proper and requisite adjustments are made to act upon the
expansion valve by which the supply of steam is instantly regulated.
This part of the Invention may be modified so as to take the power from

page_text: the loose fly or other wheel by means of a strap to the machinery intended to
be driven.
And in order that this part of the Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into practice, we will now describe the arrangement of
apparatus suitable for this purpose, shewn at Figures 4 and 5 of the Drawing
hereunto annexed.
Figure 4 shews an elevation and Figure 5 a transverse section of apparatus
suitably arranged for carrying out the second part of our Invention. The crank
shaft or axis a receives motion from the steam engine, and the driving strap b
on the fly wheel d transmits this motion to be applied to any desired purpose.
The fly wheel c is firmly fixed by keys or otherwise on the crank shaft or axis
a, the fly wheel & being loose on the shaft a and capable of making a partial
revolution thereon. The power is transmitted from the fly wheel c to the
fly wheel d through the spiral springs f, f, mounted on the ring f' carried by
the fly wheel c, as shewn; e is an excentric fixed on the boss of the fly wheel
wheel d, and el is a strap and rod in connection with the expansion valve of
the steam engine.
b
It will be seen that any excess of power given off by the fly wheel c will be
absorbed by the spiral springs f, f, and consequently the position of the excen-
tric e will be altered in relation to the crank on the crank shaft a, thus cutting
off more or less steam in proportion to the power transmitted to the spiral
springs f. When other mechanical means in place of the strap 6 is employed
for transmitting the power, the fly wheel d is mounted on a separate shaft or
axis concentric with the shaft or axis on which the fly wheel c is fixed, the two fly
wheels having spiral or other springs between them or in combination therewith
through which the power is transmitted to the concentric axis, the effect being
the same as that previously described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Barrett, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,.
ALFRED BARRETT. (L.8.)
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.