IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR REGULATING AND CON- PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION CONTROLLING THE SPEED OF STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Gibson and Josias Vowell, both of the
Town of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR REGULATING AND CON-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Gibson and
Josias Vowell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 24th January 1873.
We, GEORGE GIBSON and JOSIAS VOWELL, both of the Town of
Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR
REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE SPEED OF STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES," to be
as follows:-

page_text: This Invention is applicable to all kinds of motive-power engines; its
controlling power is obtained partly from centrifugal force and partly
from the inertia of a ſly wheel.
A governor constructed according to our Invention consists of a shaft
driven by the engine, on which is fastened a spur wheel geared into two i
racks fixed to weights mounted upon a fly wheel which is free to turn
upon the shaft. The weights move in guides from the centre of the
shaft to the periphery of a fly wheel. A lever is attached to one of the
weights which conveys the motion to the valve of the engine. Two
springs keep the weights in towards the centre until the centrifugal
force on the inertia of the fly wheel causes the springs to be overcome.
The levers may be attached to the shaft with connecting rods to tho
weights instead of the spur gear.
The action of the governer is thus:-When the governor is driven at
such a speed that the centrifugal force is greater than the power of the 1
springs the weights move out to the periphery of the fly wheel and
shut the engine valve; also when the engine suddenly increases its
speed the inertia of the fly wheel causes the fly wheel to lag behind the
spur wheel on the driving shaft. Thus the weights are moved out to the
periphery of the wheel.
2
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Gibson and Josias Vowell in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
GIBSON and JOSIAS VOWELL, both of the Town of Sunderland, in the 2
County of Durham, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in thic
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, 3
give and grant unto us, the said George Gibson and Josias Vowell, Her
special license that we, the said George Gibson and Josias Vowell, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
George Gibson and Josias Vowell, our exccutors, administrators, and

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR
REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE SPEED OF STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Gibson and
Josias Vowell, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and scals, or under the hand and scal
of one of us or them, 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 we, the said George Gibson and Josias Vowell,
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 :-
-
This Invention is applicable to all kinds of motive-power engines; its
controlling power is obtained partly from centrifugal force and partly
from the inertia of a fly wheel.
A
governor constructed according to our Invention consists of a shaft
driven by the engine, on which is fastened a spur wheel geared into two
racks fixed to weights mounted upon a fly wheel which is free to turn
upon the shaft. The weights move in guides from the centre of shaft to
the periphery of the fly wheel. A lever is attached to one of the weights
which conveys the motion to the valve of the engine. Two springs keep
the weights in towards the centre until the centrifugal force or the
inertia of the fly wheel causes the springs to be overcome. Levers may
be attached to the shaft with connecting rods to the weights instead of
the spur gear.
The action of the governor is thus:- -When the governor is driven at
such a speed that the centrifugal force is greater than the power of the
springs the weights move out to the periphery of the fly wheel and shut
the engine valve; also when the engine suddenly increases its speed the
inertia of the fly wheel causes the fly wheel to lag behind the spur wheel

page_text: on the driving shaft, and thus the weights are moved out to the
periphery of the wheel.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings liere-
unto annexed.
Figure 1 is an end elevation; Figure is 2 a plan; Figure 3 a longitudinal
section; and Figure 1 a transverse section of a governor constructed
according to our Invention.
a, a, is a fly wheel consisting of two discs, by preference circular, and 1
which are bolted together so as to enclose a space between them. Tho
fly is mounted upon an axis driven by the engine, and is able to turn
upon this axis. and b'are two weights carried within the fly, and
capable of moving radially in guides to and from the axis ; * and b¹×
are racks forming parts of the weights band & respectively; c is a spur 1
wheel fixed upon the axis and gearing with the two racks. The axis is
hollow, and it is slotted at d to receive a pin d' which connects a collar
on the exterior of the axis with a rod which is free to slide within it,
and which in so moving (in the case of a steam engine) opens and closes
a throttle valve. e is a bell-crank lever at one end, it is forked and g
embraces the collar, and at the other it enters a recess in the weight b'.
The fulcrum of this lever is carried upon one of the discs of the fly.
Sf, are coiled springs connecting the two weights and b', and tending
to draw them together and inwards towards the axis; y is a frame of
any convenient form carrying the axis of the governor. As already :
stated this governor operates in two ways; it acts by a centrifugal action,
for as the speed of the engine and governor axis increases the weights
move outwards from the axis, and so (in the case of a steam engine)
cause the throttle valve to close more or less. In this way the engine
is prevented from attaining an excessive velocity. This governor also
acts by the inertia of the fly, for whenever the speed of the engine and
consequently of the governor axis increases suddenly the fly tends to
lag behind, and it turns upon its axis, causing the weights and b' to be
moved outwards by the pinion c acting upon the racks and then through
the lever c. The throttle valve (in the case of a steam engine) is closed a
more or less in the manner already described.

page_text: Figure 5 illustrates a method in which in these governors a lever and
links may be substituted for a spur wheel and racks, the lever i, i, being
fixed upon the axis of the governor and connected with the weights b
and by the links j and j¹.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
claim, the construction of governors substantially as described, such
governors operating both by the rotary motion of a fly upon an axis, and
also by the motion of weights to and from the axis.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Gibson and Josias Vowell,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.
GEORGE GIBSON. (L.s.)
JOSIAS VOWELL.
(L.S.)