AN IM- PROVED REGULATOR FOR PRIME-MOVER ENGINES."
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pierre Adolphe Gillis, of Braine-le-Comte, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Machine Builder, for the Invention of "AN IM-
PROVED REGULATOR FOR PRIME-MOVER ENGINES.""
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by tho said Pierre Adolphe Gillis
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th February 1860.
I, PIERRE ADOLPHIE: GILLIS, of Braine-le-Comte, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Machine Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED REGULATOR FOR PRIME-MOVER ENGINES," to be as follows:
This new regulator is illustrated in the annexed Drawing, it is composed of
a conical pendulum A, which is actuated as usual by a pair of bevil wheels
b, b, the first is fixed on the shaft of the pendulum, and the other on a
horizontal shaft c, which drives a shaft d, by means of the pinions e, c¹. The
shafts c and d are carried by the bearings h, h', the brace i, of the first bearing,
and which carries the shaft d, can move up and down; the end of this shaft d,
is engaged in a circular groove of the slider f, which can slide up and down
with the balls a, a, of the pendulum according to the speed of the engine.
The slider f carries along the shaft d as it moves; this shaft carries a screw
worm m, which gears by turn either with the upper wheel k, or the lower
one k', the first one being keyed on the vertical shaft I, whilst the second one
is loose, but as the latter wheel carries teeth on both sides, the lower teeth
gear with the pinion, which drives the wheel, keyed on the vertical shaft I,

page_text: so that this shaft can be driven either right or left by the wheels or 1, and
the said shaft I opens or shuts more or less a butterfly valve or cock to let in
more or less steain or water, in order to regulate the speed of the engine.
SPECIFICATION-in--pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Pierre Adolphe Gillis in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th August 1860."
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
ADOLPHIE GILLIS, of Braine-le-Comte, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Machine
Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year of our.
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ine, the said Pierre Adolphe Gillis, Her special licence that I, the said
Pierre Adolphe Gillis, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such-
others as I, the said Pierre Adolphe Gillis, my 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 Invention for "AN IMPROVED REGULATOR FOR PRIME-MOVER ENGINES,"
upon, the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Pierre Adolphe Gillis,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 I, the said Pierre Adolphe Gillis, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
It is sometimes most important to have prime-mover engines running with
a-regular speed and free from the variations which would happen by a change
in the resistance or pressure. This condition is of the utmost importance in
several branches of industry, such as cotton spinning, or weaving, paper

page_text: manufacturing, and the like, where any irregularity of speed has a great and
direct consequence upon the quality of the goods produced.
My regulator fulfils all the required conditions; 1stly, it gives an almost
certain regularity to the prime mover to which it is applied, even in the event
of very great variations, either of resistance or pressure; 2ndly, it is not liable
to get out of order; 3rdly, it is inexpensive; 4thly, my improvement can be
easily applied to the old ball governor.
The annexed Drawing is an illustration of my improved regulator; Fig. 1
and 2 are two corresponding views, in which the same parts are indicated by
the same letters.
A, conical pendulum, actuated by the prime mover; a grooved slider Fis
adjusted on the shaft of the pendulum; B, B', bevel wheels in gear with one
another; the first one is fixed to the sleeve F, and the second one is fixed on
the horizontal shaft E, running in the bearings H, H', the braces carrying the
bearing I can move up and down, so as to allow the rounded end of the
shaft E catching in the groove of the sleeve F to partake of its motion due to
its being connected to the pendulum A by the hinged rods G. A worm
screw X, with angular thread, is keyed on the middle of the shaft E; its duty
will be explained presently. A rod U is attached to the induction cock or
valve T; it is connected with the vertical rod or shaft I, the lower end of
which bears in the socket D, whilst the upper end runs in the brass ring M,
fitted at the top of the support N. In the upright portion of this support there
are two slots into which the shafts C, and C', are fitted and fixed by nuts; tho
spur wheels K and K', run freely upon the shafts C and C¹; bevel wheels O
and O', embodied with the wheels K, K', gear with toothed segments P, P',
shewn separately, Fig. 3, which segments are keyed on the vertical rod or
shaft I the whole being supported by the bracket S.
Now I will proceed to describe the work of the apparatus; for instance, I
will suppose that the normal speed of the vertical shaft carrying the conical
pendulum is 50 revolutions per minute. With this speed the sleeve F and
screw worm X will be in the position shewn on the Drawing, that is to say,
an intermediate position between the wheels K and K³, without touching either
of them, consequently the rod or shaft I will remain motionless. But as
soon as from either an increase of pressure within the boiler, or lessening of
the resistance, the speed of the machine becomes accelerated, then the balls of
the pendulum will move away from one another, the sleeve F moves upwards,
carrying with it in its motion the end of the shaft E, the threads of the
worm X catch into the teeth of the wheel K, which impels the shaft I, and
the latter actuates the throttle valve through the rod U, contracts the steam

page_text: passage,
and brings back the engine to its normal speed. When the contrary
effect happens, that is to say, if there is a'decreasing in the pressure or increase
in the resistance to be overcome, the balls of the pendulum move nearer
towards each other, the sleeve slides downwards carrying along the shaft E
and worm, which then catches into the teeth of the wheel K, actuating the
rod I in the direction for opening the throttle valve. In either case the
prime mover after an almost unappreciable variation is brought back to the
normal speed without any sudden change or jerk.
The imperfect action of an ordinary governor arises from the opening of the
throttle valve always corresponding to a certain position of the balls, so that
for the throttle valve to remain more closed or open, the governor must con-
tinue to rotate faster or slower; it is the same with the air regulators. For
example, suppose a prime mover of 50 horse-power is running at a normal
speed of 30 revolutions per minute, if the exertion to overcome is reduced to
half, or if only 25 horse power are required, the balls of the pendulum move
away from one another, partially closing the throttle valve, but when they
move back to their normal position they reopen it again, allowing the passage
of 50 horse-power, whilst the half only is required.
The action of my regulator is essentially different from the old ones, for
each time the screw worm has acted, either for increasing or lessening the
steam passage, the balls of the conical pendulum moving back to their normal
position throws the screw worm out of gear, which leaves the valve in the new
position required, until a new variation causes it to be again acted upon.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the mode of working
the induction cock or throttle valve of prime-mover engines, which shall
be substantially as described and illustrated on the annexed Drawing, so
that when any variation of speed arises to bring the eugine back to its normal
speed without any sudden change, and to maintain it at a regular speed.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Pierre Adolphe Gillis, have hereunto-
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witnesses,
KAILOOR.
VICTOR CATALA.
P. A. GILLIS. (L.S.)