Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Dec., 1888
1, EDGAR CONISTON MILLS of No. 49, Victoria Buildings Manchester in the county of
Lancaster Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention consists of an improved mechanism for controlling the operation of
Speed regulators for Steam Engines of the class for which Letters Patent No. 14431
of the year 1886 were granted to R. Wilby and is also applicable to supplementary
Governors for Steam Engines of the class for which Letters Patent No. 784 of the
year 1883 were granted to W. Knowles.
The controlling of such Regulators has hitherto been effected in such a manner that
the Regulator has continued to open or close the valve or cut off as the case may bo
not only while the Governors have been travelling away from their normal position
but also while they have been returning thereto and has continued such correction
until or nearly until they have actually reached such normal position. The effect of
this has been to cause in some cases too much correction by the Regulator and the
valves have been left in such a position when the said normal point has been reached
that another variation of speed in the opposite direction has immediately ensued and a
consequent oscillation or excursion of the Governors has resulted.
To remedy this defect I have invented the hereinafter described mechanism the
effect of which is to cause the correction by the Regulator to operate only so long as
the Governors are departing from their normal position or while in a stationary position
elsewhere than in the normal position. It can also be arranged by my invention if
desired that the correction shall continue during a greater or less portion of the period
of returning towards the normal position.
To the lever controlling the catches in Wilbys' Regulator (or controlling the
corresponding parts in Knowles' or other Regulators) I attach an ordinary double
spring or cam arrangement which always tends to keep the said levers in the central
or normal position in which no correction in either direction is effected, and to cause
them to return thereto when released after disturbance.

page_text: Instead of the controlling rod sliding through holes at each end as described in
Spec No. 14431 before referred to I separate the said controlling rod at some con-
venient point in its length and to one end I attach a suitable piston or pistons. In
one form the Cylinder really consists of three Cylinders on one centre-line the middle
one being simply an enlargement or clearance Cylinder along which either of the two
pistons which are used in this form can travel in either direction without resistance. The
other two Cylinders in which the pistons are a-good-fit are coterminous with the one first
described and the pistons being mounted on one piston rod which is the continuation
of one end of the controlling rod are placed so far apart that one shall just enter its
fitting Cylinder at or about the time when the other piston emerges from its fitting
Cylinder. All three Cylinders are filled with oil or suitable fluid. Either by valved
holes through the pistons or by exterior by-pass connections also suitably valved the
fluid can pass freely from the central Cylinder to the outer ones but can only return
through restricted orifices the result of which is that when the piston rod and pistons
are forced from their normal position in either direction they exert a force upon
the Cylinder end through the medium of the fluid, but exert no such force while
returning to normal position as then the fluid can flow easily before the piston.
In some cases I insert a spiral spring into the outer portion of each fitting Cylinder
so that a force shall continue to be exerted upon such Cylinder end even after the
piston shall have ceased to travel outwards and by making this spring longer or shorter
1. obtain a continuance of said pressure for a longer or shorter portion of the returning
travel of the piston.
In another form I use a single Cylinder and single piston and a simple throttled
cataract without any easy return arrangement. In this case the pressure is exerted
upon the respective Cylinder ends in whatever.direction the piston moves.
By the first form as described the correcting influence of the Regulator is only
exerted during the period of departure from normal speed in either direction.
By the second form the said influence is exerted during the period of departure and
while Governors remain at rest at a speed other than normal speed and also during a
determinable period of the returning to normal speed.
By the third form the said influence is exerted in one direction during period of
departure from and in the opposite direction during period of returning to normal
speed.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1888

page_text: I, EDGAR CONISTON MILLS of No. 49, Victoria Buildings Manchester in the county
of Lancaster Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to he performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of apparatus for avoiding over correction by Speed Regulators
for Steam Engines.
The accompanying drawings shew the apparatus as applied to a Wilby's Patent
Speed Regulator.
Fig. I. is a sectional Elevation
Fig. II. is a sectional Plan, and
Fig. III. is a Plan with the Cap removed, of the apparatus as constructed in
accordance with the first and second forms.
a, is a Cataract Cylinder which for convenience of construction may be made in two
halves and jointed at a'. The upper part marked and the lower part marked are
the fitting Cylinders in which the pistons e and c¹ (formed preferably in one piece with
the piston rod c¹¹) work casily, but the pistons are a good fit in the Cylinders. The
central part of Cylinder is of larger diameter and of length equal to the distance
hetween the outer shoulders of the pistons, c. The Cap d carries a stuffing box and
the Cap has secured to it the rod e. Upon the faced outer ends of the Cylinders
are fitted the small non-return valves and f' carried by springs "see Fig. III.
The pallettes of these valves close up the outer ends of holes g and g which at their
inner ends communicate with the central cavity or clearance Cylinder . Forming a
communication between the two cavities formed by the end Caps d and d¹ is the
straight hole having at a convenient point a stop valve or tap k, by which it can be
throttled or stopped entirely. The whole of the Cylinders and passages are filled with
oil or other suitable fluid (by means of hole V) to the exclusion of all air.
Fig. IV. shews the general application of the apparatus. I is the rod by which the
ordinary Governors control the throttle or cut-off valves and which is shortened or
lengthened in the ordinary and well known way by the Regulator R or by a supple-
mentary Governor motion not shewn. a is the Cataract Cylinder which it will be
observed is introduced into the length of what is called the controlling needle of the
Regulator. The piston rod c¹¹ passes through a hole in the arm m and is held by a
binding screw n, which can be slacked when the Engine is about to be stopped. The
rod e is continued downwards and passing through an eye in lever o of the Regulator
actuates the same by by means of locknuts p. and p¹. The double spring knuckle or
cam arrangement shewn in Fig. V. is for the purpose of always keeping the said lever
in its central or normal position that is in which no correction in either direction is
effected and causing it to return thereto when released after disturbance.
The
knuckles qq carrying adjusting screws are formed upon the boss of lever o. An

page_text: arms hinged at s¹ is pulled inwards by the spring t and bears against the screws rr.
The outer end of lever o is projected beyond the fulcrum and has an adjustable sliding
weight u upon it.
The action is as follows:-So long as the Speed of the Engine remains normal the
pistons ce remain in central position as drawn in Fig. I. and the spring pressing
lever against the knuckle screws keeps the Regulator catches both out of gear so
that no correction at all is effected. So soon however as the speed varies the pistons.
commence to travel in one direction-let us say upwards. The stop plug-valve k
having been adjusted to throttle the passage the oil above a can only escape very
gradually and consequently a pressure is exerted through the medium of the fluid upon
the inside of Cylinder Cap d as shewn by small arrows. This pressure being
transmitted through the body of the Cylinder and rod e lifts the lever o against the
tendency of springt and throws into gear the required one of the Regulator catches.
This catch will continue in action so long as the piston c, by travelling away from
normal position continues to exert an upward pressure. When it comes to rest the
. pressure ceases and the spring causes the controlling lever o to return to normal
position and hence both catches are out of gear. If the correction effected has been
sufficient the piston c will begin to descend towards its central position by reason of
the Governors returning to their normal plane, but during this downward stroke of
the piston the valve fopens and the fluid flowing freely before the piston there is no
pressure exerted and no disturbance of lever nor catch thrown into gear, nor will
there be any until or unless the normal position is reached and a further departure
therefrom commenced in either direction. In case of a downward departure it will be
readily understood that a pressure is exerted upon Cap d' as shewn by the dotted
arrows and the other catch of the Regulator is thrown into gear.
=
y
It is necessary in some cases to provide that the correction by the Regulator shall
continue while the Governor rod and pistons are stationary at their extreme points of
traverse and also in some cases that the correction shall continue during a determinable
portion of the returning traverse towards the normal position. This I accomplish by
the insertion of internal springs wand w¹ in Fig. I. or by the external spring Win
Fig. VI.
As shown in Figure 1. the pistons themselves come into contact with the
springs and through them as a medium cause a pressure against the Cylinder Caps.
This pressure being independent of the fluid continues while the piston is stationary
at its extreme point-and if the spring is long enough will also continue during its
return stroke to an extent dependent upon the spring's length. As shewn in Fig. VI
d is the upper Cap of the Cylinder. The bridge piece a is fixed to it and also carries
the spring W to whose upper end is secured washer and wires. An adjustable
stop piece is secured to wires by screws 11. The piston rod c¹ passes freely
through a hole in centre of thand of y and has secured to it by a binding screw
a small bush . It will be readily understood that by this arrangement when u comes
in contact with washery a downward pressure-again independent of the fluid-is
exerted and an upward pressure when a comes into contact with 1. The point at
which this shall occur and its duration (if any) during return can easily be adjusted
by varying the positions of t¹ and . Fig. VII. shews a third form of my invention
which consists simply of a single Cataract Cylinder a and piston e with communication
passage throttled as required by valve k. There is no easy return arrangement and
the action in this case is simply to cause correction by the Regulator in which ever
direction the Governor rod may be traversing irrespective of whether it be departing
from or returning to normal position. When my invention is applied to supplementary
Governors of the class referred to in my Provisional Specification as represented by
Specification of Patent No. 784/83. or to Regulators in which the action is obtained
by the friction of bevil wheels or Discs, a suitable knuckle joint or cam is applied
giving a tendency for the Discs to remain in and return to normal position and the
Cataract motion as hereinbefore described is introduced in the connection between the
Governors supplementary or otherwise-and the moveable Disc or Discs. In this
case it is preferably made somewhat larger and stronger to transmit the strain necessary
to produce the proper pressure between the friction surfaces.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. Cataract or pneumatic Cylinders with pistons, interposed in the controlling
mechanism of Steam Engine Regulators or supplementary Governors for the purpose
hereinbefore named and substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
II. Double Cataract Cylinders and piston with by-pass capable of being throttled
and with easy return valves and with enlarged cavity between the Cylinders for the
purpose hereinbefore named and substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
III. The internal springs within the Cataract Cylinders operated upon by the pistons
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
IV. The external spring attached to the Cataract Cylinder and operated upon by
a bush or collar on the piston rod substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
V. The knuckle spring or Cam mechanism used in connection with Cataract motions
for controlling Steam Engine Regulators, and having the effect of causing the
Regulator mechanism to remain in normal or central position and to return thereto
when disturbed, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
VI. The single Cataract Cylinder and piston without any easy return arrangement
but with throttled by-pass substantially as and for the purposes herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1888.