Improvements in Apparatus for Governing Gas and other Motive Power Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left. 7th May, 1890-Accepted, 7th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Governing Gas and other Motive
Power Engines.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM LANCHESTER, of 13 Bedford Row London W.C. Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention for improvements in apparatus for governing gas and other motive
power engines, relates to governing or controlling engines in which the motive power
is directly derived from an inflammable gas or vapour, and belongs to that class of
governor by means of which the admission of inflammable material is only permitted
when the speed of the engine falls short of a predetermined amount, and has for its
objects to simplify the mechanism, to more effectually govern the engine, and instead
of completely cutting off the gas when the speed of the engine falls below a pre-
determined amount, to increase or decrease the supply of gas between certain limits
when the speed of the engine falls short of or exceeds such predetermined amount.
A governor constructed according to this invention comprises a lever working on
a fixed pin and actuated by a cam driven from the engine-bereinafter called the
admission lever; and a lever-hereinafter called the governing lever-pivotted to
the admission lever and so arranged that the two form and act as a toggle when the
extremity of the governing lever engages with a regulating lever which in its turn
actuates the gas valve. This lever has a number of notches at different distances from
the fulcrum and it will thus be seen that the admission of gas will be greater or less
according as the governing lever engages the regulating lever at a point nearer or
further from the fulcrum. The point at which the governing lever engages with the
regulating lever or whether it misses the said lever is determined in either of the
following ways.
The governing lever is prolonged beyond its pivot to form an arm to which is
In this arrangement
attached a spring serving to balance a weight on the main arm.
the speed with which the admission lever is moved by the cam will determine
whether or not the spring will overcome the inertia of the weight and thus the point
at which the governing lever will hit or whether it misses the regulating lever.
In another arrangement the governing lever is prolonged to form an arm
terminating in a friction roller actuated by a separate cam driven from the engine
and is acted on by a spring and weight as in the before described arrangement.
When the prearranged speed is exceeded or is not reached the momentum given to
the weight for a time overcomes or is overcome by the force of the spring, and at the
stroke of the admission lever the governing lever hits the regulating lever at a greater
or less distance from its fulcrum or fails to engage with it..
In another arrangement the beforementioned spring is dispensed with and the
weight preferably forms part of a separate lever on which the governing lever is held
by a light spring. A cam actuated by the engine throws these levers to a height
dependent on the speed of the engine, and on their return under the influence of both
spring and weight the governing lever will be caught and held by that notch in the
regulating lever which it is opposite to when the admission lever acts thus regulating
or failing to admit the gas supply; the weighted lever not forming part of the
governing lever is free to return to its original position.
The gas admission will be greatest when the governing lever acts at a point near
the fulcrum of the regulating lever at which time the toggle is furthest from its dead
point and vice versû.
Dated thi. 7th day of Anous 1889
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
156, Strand, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: ♥DI DEI DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Governing Gas and other Motive
Power Engines.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM LANCHESTER of 13 Bedford Row, London, W.C., Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement-
My invention for improvements in apparatus for governing gas and other motiv
power engines relates to regulating or controlling the speed of ongines in which the
motive power is derived from an inflammable gas or vapour which is admitted
together with a suitable proportion of atmospheric air into the working cylinder and
there burnt or exploded thus increasing its pressure to actuate the piston of the
engine during the working stroke after which it is exhausted; and has for its
object to more effectually regulate or control the speed of the engine.
This invention consists in providing a ready means whereby the supply of inflam-
mable gas or vapour is completely cut off from the working cylinder when the speed of
the engine exceeds a predetermined amount; or in a slightly modified arrangement
whereby the supply of inflammable gas or vapour to the working cylinder is regulated
according to the speed of the engine and is completely cut off when the speed exceeds
a certain predetermined amount.
In a governor constructed according to my invention, a gas governing lever
pivotted to an admission lever operated by a cam, driven by the engine, and acting
directly on the stem of the air admission valve, has one end bearing against the stem
of the gas admission valve and its other end carries on one side a catch plate which
normally when the air admission lever is actuated by its cam bears against the end of
a steel blade actuated by a weighted lover or pendulum pivotted to a fixed support
and raised by an arm projecting from an exhaust lever operated by a second cam, also
driven by the engine, and actuating the exhaust valve so that slightly before the air
admission lever is operated the pendulum, previously raised by the exhaust lover, is
released and if the speed be not above the predetermined amount returns to its normal
position in time for the steel blade to engage with the catch plate and form a fixed
fulcrum for the governing lever which then opens the gas valve at the same time that
the air valve is opened by its lever; but if the speed of the engine be above the
predetermined amount the said steel blade does not return in time to gear with the
catch plate when the governing lever, instead of opening the gas valve, fulcrums on
it. The gas and air valves are both closed by springs.
It will readily be seen that the steel blade may be arranged to catch in one of
several notches in a catch plate on the governing lever or to miss the catch plate
altogether so as to regulate the lift of the gas valve according to the speed of the
engine or to miss it altogether when the speed exceeds a certain predetermined
aniount.
In the accompanying three sheets of illustrative drawings
Fig. 1 is a front sectional elevation of a governor constructed according to my
invention, and
Fig. 2 is a side sectional elevation of the same, and
Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation of the same to a reduced scale showing the
connections to the cam shaft and admission valves.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified arrangement of governor constructed according
to my invention for regulating the lift of the gas valve according to the speed of
the engine.
The admission lever A and exhaust lever B are arranged side by side and pivotted
on the same axis T, fixed in a suitable support V and are operated by separate
cams Xdriven by the engine. The admission lever A actuates the air admission
valve C directly and to it is pivotted the gas governing lever E, one end of which
bears against the stem of the gas valve D, the other end carrying the catch plate O.

page_text: A pendulum F is pivotted loosely on the axis I carried by a bracket K bolted to the
fixed support V. A small carrier L also pivotted loosely on the axis I carries a steel
blade M and is forced against a stop N on the pendulum F by the spiral spring S
supported on a guide rod P having one end centered in the adjusting screw R and its
other end passing loosely through a hole in the blade M. The spring S bears against
the blade M, and adjusting screw R. which is mounted in the fixed support V. The
pendulum F is raised by the adjustable screw G mounted in the projection H from
the exhaust lever B. The projection Q from the support V forms a buttress for the
pendulum to rest against instead of hammering the screw G. A stop may be provided
to limit the displacement of the pendulum.
The pendulum F being raised by the exhaust lever Bas before described carries
with it the steel blade M and is released on the return of the exhaust lever slightly
before the admission lever A is operated by its cam. If the speed of the engine be
above its predetermined amount, the pendulum F and blade M will not return in
time for the blade M to gear with the catch plate O before the admission lever A is
operated by its cam and the governing lever E consequently will not open the gas
valve D but will bear on its stem as a fixed support, the end carrying the catch
plate O being free to move. If the speed of the engine be at or below its normal rate,
the pendulum F and blade M will return before the admission lever A is operated by
its cam and the blade M will engage with the catch plate 0, and consequently form a
fulcrum for the governing lever E which will then open the gas valve D at the same
time that the air valve C is opened. The spring S serves to regulate the speed at
which the blade M will just miss the catch plate O. The objects of having the steel
blade M and pendulum F separate are to throw the momentum of the weight. F on to
the buttress instead of it being taken up by the catch plate O and also to allow a
certain free motion of the weight in order that any rebound that takes place shall not
affect the blade.
In a modification of the last described arrangement, shown in fig. 4, the pendulum F
pivotted loosely on the axis carried by the bracket K is raised by the projection G
The steel
on the exhaust lever which is directly behind the admission lever A.
blade M is secured on a small carrier L which is pivotted on the air admission lever A
and forced against the stop N on the pendulum F by the spiral spring S supported by
the guide rod P having one end sliding in a sleeve centered in the adjusting screw R
and its other end centered in a block pivotted to the pendulum.
The notched plate or block O is fixed on the end of the gas valve and bears against
a guide on the underside of the bracket K.
It will be seen that when the speed of the engine is above a certain amount, the
blade M will not engage with the block O but when below that amount it will engage
with a corresponding notch of the plate O according to the speed and open the gas
valve more or less according as the point of engagement is nearer to or further from
from a line joining the pivot of the carrier L and the pivot of the lever A. The action
is somewhat similar to a pair of toggle levers. The spiral spring also serves to
regulate the speed of the engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it understood
that I am aware it is not novel to govern gas engines by hit and miss arrangements
for actuating the gas valve whether operated by a weighted lever or pendulum or by
a centrifugal governor but that what I claim is :-
1. A governor for regulating or controlling the speed of gas and other motive
power engines consisting of a gas governing lever pivotted on the admission lever and
having one part bearing on the stem of the gas valve and another part free or fixed
according as the speed of the engine exceeds or falls short of a predetermined amount
substantially as described.
2. A governor for regulating or controlling the speed of gas and other motive
power engines consisting of a steel blade operated by a pendulum, raised by any
moving part of the engine, and released slightly before the air valve is opened by its

page_text: cam so that, according as the speed of the engine exceeds or falls short of its
normal rate, the said blade misses or returns in time to hit a catch plate connected
to the gas valve which consequently remains shut or is opened substantially as
described.
3. A governor for regulating or controlling the speed of gas and other motive
power engines substantially as claimed in claim 1 or in claim 2 but modified to
regulate the lift of the gas valve according to the speed of the engine substantially
as described.
4. In governors for regulating or controlling the speed of gas or other motive
power engines and in which the admission of gas or vapour to the working cylinder
is controlled by a steel blade connected to a weighted pendulum or lever so that
according to the speed of the engine the said blade misses or hits a catch plate
connected to the gas valve which consequently remains closed or is opened, arranging
the said blade so that when its motion is arrested by engaging with the said plate, the
pendulum or weighted lever is free to continue its course substantially as described
and for the purpose set forth.
5. A governor for regulating or controlling the speed of gas or other motive
power engine substantially as described with reference to figs. 1. 2. and 3 and to
fig. 4 of the drawings.
Dated this 7th day of May 1890
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40; Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.