IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Shanks and James Gordon Lyon, of Arbroath, in
the County of Forfar, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GOVERNORS FOR MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES."
Scaled the 11th October 1878, and dated the 22nd Juno 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Shanks and James
Gordon Lyon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd
June 1878.
JAMES SHANKS and James Gordon LYON, of Arbroath, in the County of Forfar,
Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES."
This Invention relates to an improved construction of governor for motive-power
cugines.
In carrying out the same the two pendulum levers are arranged crosswise, and
pivotted together, and are each provided with two balls fixed one to each end of
the lever. On the pendulum lovers are cast or formed projections, through which
pins are passed. A spindle connected to the throttle valve is provided with two
projecting parts with slotted holes, into which the pins in the projections of the
pendulum levers work. A spring surrounding the said spindle is employed in
order to retain the balls in their normal position until the centrifugal force is suffi-
cient to overcome the power of the spring, and a set pin is provided which forces
forward a socket, which in its turn compresses the spring, and thus regulates the
speed of the engine to any number of revolutions desired.
The whole of the working parts are enclosed in a cast-iron case, and the entire
governor may be supported by a suitable bracket, more particularly when the
governor is arranged horizontally.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Shanks and James Gordon Lyon in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st December 1878.
JAMES SHANKS and JAMES GORDON LYON, of Arbroath, in the County of Forfar,
Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES."
Our said Invention relates to an improved construction of governor for motive-
power engines, whereby increased facility is provided for regulating the speed of
the engine to which the governor is applied.
In carrying out our said Invention the two pendulum levers of the governor are
arranged crosswise, and are pivotted together, and to a revolving frame or casing,
which receives its motion from the engine. Two balls are employed to each lever,
one at each end thereof, and projections are also provided on the levers, which are
connected by pins to a cross bar secured upon a spindle leading to the throttle
valve, slots being provided, through which the pins pass in order to admit of the
diverging and converging motion of the balls, and of the consequent longitudinal
notion of the spindle which regulates the throttle valve. The spindle, which is
carried in bearings in the revolving frame or casing, is acted upon by a spring, which
has a constant tendency to force it in a direction opposite to that in which it is
impelled by the divergement of the governor balls, the balls being maintained in
the normal position until the centrifugal force is sufficient to overcome the power
of the spring. A screw is provided for the facility of adjusting the compression of
the spring, and regulating the speed of the engine accordingly. As an equivalent
for the spring a lever may be employed, carrying a weight, which is adjustable
thereon so as to admit of the required regulation of the speed being effected.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the saine, and for that purposo shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of our Drawings represents a longitudinal section of a governor con-
structed according to our said Invention, and Figure 2 is a transverse section of the
samne.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section illustrating a modification of the governor
shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
A is a frame or casing, which is mounted in bearings bearings a, a, in a bracket B
attached to the engine in any suitable manner, and is provided with a pulley b,
over which passes a belt for the transmission of rotatory motion to the said frame or
casing A from another pulley fast on the crank, or any other revolving shaft of the
engine.
In the interior of the revolving frame or casing A are mounted the two pendulum
levers C, C¹, each having two balls c or c', one at each end thereof. These levers
are arranged crosswise, and are pivotted together, and to the frame or casing A by
pins d, d, in such a manner that the levers, whilst partaking of the revolving
inotion of the frame or casing A, shall be free to turn upon their pivots d, d, as
they are impelled under the varying centrifugal force to which the balls c, c¹, are
subjected. The levers are slotted, so that the lever C partially surrounds the
lever C, and the latter in its turn partially encloses the spindle D, which passes
through it, and is connected with and actuates the throttle valve. This spindle
(which has its bearings at one end e in the revolving frame or casing A itself, and
at the other end e¹ in a sleeve E fitted therein) is provided with a cross bar, or
with projections f, f, at opposite sides thereof, having slotted holes g, g; and the
levers C, C, are also formed with projections f¹, ¹, having holes, through which
and through the slotted holes g, g, pass pins h, h, in such a manner that as the
balls c, c¹, diverge, assuming the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure, or any
intermediate position, a longitudinal motion will be imparted in the direction
indicated by the arrows in Figure 1 to the spindle D, and the position of the
throttle valve will be regulated accordingly.

page_text: Around the spindle D, between the inner end of the sleeve E and a shouldor or
collar on the spindle, is fitted a spring F, which maintains the spindle in its
normal position until the centrifugal force is sufficient to overcome the force of the
spring when the balls diverge, as herein-before explained, the said spring serving
also to bring back the levers to their normal position, when the centrifugal forco is
diminished by reason of a reduction in the speed of the engine.
In order to enable the mean speed of the engine to be regulated as required a
screw G is employed screwed into the end of the frame or casing A so as to bear
against the outer extremity of the sleeve, by adjusting which screw the compression
of the spring may be increased or diminished, and the speed of the engine varied
accordingly.
In lieu of applying a spring and screw for controlling the action of the governor
a weighted lever may be used for the same purpose.
An example of this modification is illustrated in Figure 3. F¹ represents a bent
or curved lever mounted on a centre or fulcrum at k in a projection from the
bracket B, and provided with a weight G', which is adjustable thereon, the lever F¹
being screw-threaded at its lower extremity, and provided with a thumb nut, by
which the weight may be raised or lowered. The lever F' bears against a shoulder
or collar formed on or secured to the spindle D, and as the centre of the weight G¹
is situato in a vertical plane parallel to the vertical plane passing through the
fulcrum kit is obvious that a pressure is exerted upon the spindle, similar to
that exercised by the spring F employed in the arrangement shewn in Figures 1
and 2.
The lever may be fitted at the point at which it bears upon the shoulder or collar
with anticipation rollers if desired.
By adjusting the position of the weight G₁ upon the lever F' the leverage is
iucroased or diminished, and the pressure upon the spindle is varied as required.
The arrow in Figure 3 indicates a motion of the spindle corresponding to that
denoted by the arrow in Figure 1.
It will be observed that both in the arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and
in the modification illustrated by Figure 3, the centres of the pins h, h, are arranged
in a vertical plane parallel to the vertical plane passing through the pivots d, d.
Although in our Drawings we have represented the governor as arranged hori-
zontally, it is obvious that our said Invention is equally applicable to vertical gover-
nors, with slight modifications only in the details of the arrangement of the parts.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is, the combination in a governor of two intersecting
pendulum levers carried by a revolving frame or casing, and having double balls
of a sliding shaft, to which the said pendulum levers are connected for the purpose
of actuating and regulating the throttle valve, and of a spring or its equivalent, the
tension or pressure of which is adjustable for the purpose of controlling the speed
of the engine, the whole being constructed and arranged so as to operate sub-
stantially in the manner herein-before described, and illustrated by the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Shanks and James Gordon Lyou, have
to this our Specification set our hands and seals, the Ninth day of