IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANSION GEAR OR CUT-OFF MECHANISM OF STEAM ENGINES, AND IN GOVERNORS FOR CON- TROLLING THE SAME, AND FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Lewis Jones, of Garston, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANSION GEAR OR
CUT-OFF MECHANISM OF STEAM ENGINES, AND IN GOVERNORS FOR CON-
TROLLING THE SAME, AND FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES
AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS." Partly a communication from abroad by Louis
Reil. Mechanician of Paris. France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Lewis Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1877.
ROBERT LEWIS JONES, of Garston, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN EXPANSION GEAR OR CUT-OFF MECHANISM OF STEAM ENGINES, AND IN GOVERNORS
FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES
AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS." Partly a communication from abroad by Louis Reil,
Mechanician, of Paris, France.
My improvements relate to a novel description of expansion gear or cut-off
mechanism for steam engines, whereby such mechanism is rendered simpler, and
the use of eccentrics may be dispensed with. Now this Invention consists of a
series of cams mounted upon a shaft to which the same speed is imparted as the
crank shaft of the engine; one of these cams, herein-after called the governor cam,
is provided for controlling the admission of steam to each end of the cylinder, and
is mounted loosely upon such shaft so as to be capable of turning upon its axis
independant of such shaft. Each of these governor cams is provided upon its inner
side with an inclined projection, and also upon its periphery or side with a series of
serrations or teeth arranged at varying distances from its axis, and which thus con-
stitute a series of stops to control the cut-off as herein-after explained. The other cam
herein-after called the cut-off cam is so arranged upon such shaft as to be capable of
sliding sideways thereon, and yet compelled to turn with such shaft. This cut-off
cam is so formed upon its periphery that one extremity of the lever, which controls
the tappet or other steam admission valve, rests upon it, and thus admits steam to
the cylinder during the desired portion of the stroke. A corresponding inclined

page_text: •
projection (but reversed to that herein-before mentioned as being on the side of the
governor cam) is also formed upon the side of this cut-off cam.
The action of this cut-off mechanism is as follows:-The cam shaft revolving at
the same rate as the engine shaft carries the cut-off cam round with it, and mean-
while the governor cam remains stationary until the inclined projections meet,
when both cams commence to revolve together, and continue to do so until one of
the series of serrations on the governor cam comes in contact with a tongue or slide
which has been caused to protrude by the action of the governor herein-after
described, or any other suitable governor, and thus the turning motion of the
governor cam is brought to a stand still, and which happens sooner or later, according
to the speed of the governor. The cut-off cam however still continues its revolution,
and in passing the inclined projection upon the now stationary governor cam is
pushed sideways along the shaft, and thus permits the valve lever to fall off side-
ways, and so to cut off the steam from that end of the cylinder, whilst at the saine
time the governor cam is released, and accordingly returns to the stationary position.
This sideways motion has however placed the cut-off cam in the position for
opening the tappet or other steam admission valve to admit steain to the other end
of the cylinder, until, as the revolution continues, such steam is admitted and
again cut-off by the corresponding governor cam pushing the cut-off cam backwards
or in the reverse direction, when the same operation is repeated.
Although I have only described this expansion gear as applied to the direct
working of the tappet or other admission valves of steam engines, it will be readily
understood that it is equally applicable to actuating the independent "cut-offs" of
the ordinary slide or D valve.
Secondly. This Invention relates to improvements in that description of governor
known in the market as the Buss governor, the subject of Letters Patent, No. 161,
dated January 19th 1870.
This improved construction of governor being especially applicable for controlling
the cut-off gear, herein-before described, and also useful for regulating the speed of
steam engines and other prime movers.
Having discovered that the Buss governor, as described in the Specification of the
aforesaid Letters Patent, and as now manufactured and introduced into the market,
is capable of being inverted without in the least injuring, but rather improving its
nction, and moreover finding that this inverted position offers facilities for simplifying
the construction of the governor, and connecting it more directly with the throttle
valve or other regulating valve, I now wish it to be understood that the present
Invention consists in so inverting and simplifying the Buss governor, and also
in certain novel arrangements of mechanism for connecting the pendulums
to the vertical axis so as to obtain a wider range of oscillation for such pendulums,
and consequently greater sensitiveness in their action than has hitherto been
practicable.
In carrying out the Invention I employ a pair of toothed quadrants (connected
to or forming part of the double weighted pendulums and gearing into a toothed
rack on either side of the vertical axis), and thus I increase the traverse of the
collar which actuates the throttle valve or other regulating medium, or instead of
such quadrants or toothed racks I employ a pair of links for connecting the weighted
arms of the pendulums to the sides of the vertical axis. I also connect the upper
part of the pendulum framing which carries the inverted pendulums (and is capable
of rising and falling as the pendulums move by centrifugal force) to the throttle
valve, either directly by a rod passing through a hollow spindle, or such framing
may be connected thereto by means of levers and connecting rods.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Lewis Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
September 1877.
ROBERT LEWIS JONES, of Garston, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN EXPANSION GEAR OR CUT-OFF MECHANISM OF STEAM ENGINES, AND IN GOVENORS
FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES
AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS." Partly a communication from abroad by Louis Reil,
Mechanician, of Paris, France.
My improvements relate, first, to a novel description of expansion gear or cut-off
mechanism for steam engines. And my Invention consists of a series of cams
mounted upon a shaft to which the same speed is imparted as the crank shaft of
the engine; one of these cams, herein-after called the governor cam, is provided for
controlling the admission of steam to each end of the cylinder, and is mounted
loosely upon such shaft so as to be capable of turning upon its axis independant of
such shaft. Each of these governor cams is provided upon its inner side with an
inclined projection, and also upon its periphery or side with a series of serrations
or teeth arranged at varying distances from its axis, and which thus constitute a
serries of stops to control the cut-off as herein-after explained. The other cam,
herein-after called the cut-off cam, is so arranged upon such shaft as to be capable of
sliding sideways thereon, and yet compelled to turn with such shaft. This cut-off
cam is so formed upon its periphery that one extremity of the lever which controls
the tappet or other steam admission valve rests against it, and thus admits steam to
the cylinder during the desired portion of the stroke. A corresponding inclined
projection, but reversed to that herein-before mentioned as being on the side of the
governor cam, is also formed upon the side of this cut-off cam.
This expansion gear is equally applicable to actuating the independant "cut offs"
of the ordinary slide or D valve, and these may be worked by causing the cam
shaft to revolve at twice the speed of the crank shaft, in which case only one
governor cam is required.
And in order that this my said Invention may be the more readily understood,
and carried into practical effect, I have hereunto annexed a Drawing illustrative of
my improved cut-off mechanism, and of one modification of the improvements in
Buss governors.
Fig. 1 on the accompanying Drawing is a side sectional view; Fig. 2, an end
exterior view; and Fig. 3, a plan of so much of a steam engine cylinder (having an
ordinary slide or D valve) as is necessary to explain the application of my improve-
ments which are shewn applied thereto.
In all the views the same letters of reference are used to indicate similar
parts.
A is the valve chest; B, the slide valve; and C, the steam supply pipe, the
admission to which is controlled and cut off by the valve D, as herein-after explained.
This valve D is connected by its spindle E and link F with a lever G mounted upon
the pedestal H, as illustrated. I, I, are a pair of brackets or standards, shewn, rising
from the valve chest cover, but which may be affixed to any other convenient and
suitable part of the engine. In these brackets is mounted the cam shaft J, to which in
the case of a single ordinary cut-off slide valve, as at present being described, a speed
twice that of the crank shaft of the engine is imparted. This cam shaft is provided
with a pair of cams K and L, the cam K, herein-after called the "governor cam,"
being mounted loosely upon such shaft, so as to be capable of turning upon its axis
independantly, and the cam L, herein-after called the "cut-off cam," being mounted
upon the same shaft, but in such a manner as to be compelled to turn with such
shaft, and yet capable of sliding sideways thereon by being slotted upon the fixed
key M. The governor cam K is provided at one side with an inclined projection N,
and upon its periphery or edge with a series of serrations or teeth O, arranged at
varying distances from its axis (as seen dotted in Fig. 1), and which thus constitute

page_text: .
a series of stops to control the cut-off, as herein-after explained. The cut-off cam L is
of a volute form upon its periphery (as seen more clearly in Fig. 1), and which is so
designed to hold open the steam admission valve D by its lever G, being in contact
with it during the required portion of the stroke, and it has upon each of its sides
an inclined projection marked P and Q respectively. Affixed to one of the standards I
is a plate R, upon the inner side of which is an inclined projection S, and upon an
extension of the other standard is mounted an arm T branching from a rocking
shaft T, the other extremity of which rocking shaft carries a pawl U. The arm T
is connected by a link V (shewn broken off) to the operating part of the
governor.
The action of this cut-off mechanism is as follows:-The cam shaft J revolving
at twice the speed of the engine shaft carries the cut-off cam L round with it, and
meanwhile the governor cam K remains stationary until the inclined projections N
and Q meet, when both cams commence to revolve together, and continue to do so
until one of the series of serrations O on the governor cam comes in contact with
the pawl U, which has been caused to protrude by the governor acting upon the
arm T, as herein-before described, and thus the turning motion of the governor
cam is brought to a standstill, and which happens sooner or later, according to the
speed of the governor. The cut-off cam L however still continues its revolution,
and in passing the inclined projection N upon the now stationary governor cam K
is pushed sideways along the cam shaft J, and thus permits the valve lever G to slide
off sideways, and so byclosing the valve D to cut off the steam from one end of the
cylinder, whilst at the same time the governor cam is released, and accordingly
returns to the stationary position. The cam shaft J now continuing to revolve
causes the other projection P upon the cut-off can to come in contact with the
stationary projection S, and thus to push back the cut-off cam to the position for
re-opening the steam admission valve D until, as the revolution continues such
'steain is admitted and again cut off by the governor cam once more pushing the
cut-off cam backwards, when the same operation is repeated.
When applied to a Cornish or other engine having two distinct steam admission
valves to the cylinder, I employ two cut-off and two governor cams upon the cam
.shaft, a pair for operating each valve, and in this case it is only necessary to revolve
the cam shaft at the same speed as the engine.
Secondly. This Invention relates to improvements in that description of governor
known in the market as the Buss governor, the subject of Letters Patent, No. 161,
dated January 19th 1870.
Having discovered that the Buss governor, as described in the Specification of the
aforesaid Letters Patent, and as now manufactured and introduced into the market,
is capable of being inverted without in the least injuring, but rather improving its
action, and moreover finding that this inverted position offers facilities for sim-
plifying the construction of the governor, and connecting it more directly with the
throttle or other regulating valve, I now wish it to be understood that the
.present Invention consists in so inverting and simplifying the Buss governor,
and also in certain novel arrangements of mechanism for connecting the pen-
dulums to the vertical axis so as to obtain a wider range of oscillation for such
pendulums, and consequently greater sensitiveness in their action than has hitherto
been practicable.
The accompanying Drawing on Sheet 2 represents a Buss governor constructed
in accordance with this Invention, Fig. 1 being a front view, and Fig. 2, a plan
'partially in section. A is the vertical revolving spindle provided near its upper
extremity with a pair of toothed racks B, as illustrated. Upon this spindle is
amounted the pendulum framing C, which is capable of rising and falling thercon as
herein-after explained, but is prevented turning independently by means of a square
upon the topmost extremity of the spindle, passing through a correspondingly
shaped hole formed at the top of such framing. Within this framing Care mounted
the double weighted Buss pendulums D, having their axes at E in long bearings as
illustrated, and these pendulums are provided with toothed segments F, which gear,
P

page_text: with the racks B, as illustrated. The spindle is shewn hollow in order that a rod G may
be affixed to the top of the pendulum frame C, and passing down through such hollow
spindle, may thus transmit the movement of such framing directly to the throttle
or other valve when situated immediately beneath the governor, but it must be
understood that the framing C may communicate its motion to the valve from the
outside by means of levers or in any other convenient manner.
The action of this governor is the same as that described in the Specification of
Letters Patent horein-before mentioned, but in this case the pendulum framing is
caused to rise bodily, when the desired speed is obtained, it being impossible for the
balls H to diverge by centrifugal force, without such framing rising, in consequence
of the toothed segment gearing with the racks as herein-before described.
In this improved form of Buss governor I obtain an increased traverse or motion
for actuating the throttle valve or other regulating medium beyond what was
hitherto practicable.
Instead of quadrants and toothed racks I sometimes employ a pair of links for
connecting the weighted arms of the pendulums to the sides of the vertical axis,
or connect the same in a similar manner to that now employed in the original Buss
governor.
This construction of governor is applicable for controlling the cut-off mechanism
herein-before described.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this, the said
Invention, together with the best methods with I am acquainted for carrying the
same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim,-
1st. The general construction and arrangement of cams constituting a cut-off
motion for steam engines, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated on
the accompanying Drawing.
2nd. The improved arrangement and construction of Buss governor herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Lewis Jones, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 19th day of September, in the year of our Lord 1877.
R. L. JONES. (LS)