IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH GOVERNORS FOR MARINE ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Weir and James Weir, of Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH GOVERNORS FOR MARINE
ENGINES."
Sealed the 16th October 1874, and dated the 17th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Weir and James
Weir at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 17th April 1874.
We, GEORGE WEIR and JAMES WEIR, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH GOVERNORS FOR
MARINE ENGINES," to be as follows, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to improvements in combined centrifugal and

page_text: mitting the driving force from the engines to governors of the said or
other kinds, and also in the means of connecting governors with throttle
valves.
A governor made with the improvements comprises a drum fixed on a
shaft, and having jointed to diametrically opposite points inside of it a
pair of arms with weights at their ends to be acted on by the centri-
fugal force. The weights are formed with toothed sectors which gear
with a pinion fast on a tubular shaft that is loose on the governor shaft,
and has fast on it the pulley for receiving the driving cord from the
engines. In this way the drum is driven through the weighted arms so
that its momentum or inertia resists any sudden change of speed. The
centrifugal tendency of the weights is counteracted by a spring or springs
which being entirely apart from the governor can be adjusted with
facility at any time.
On the boss or centre of the drum there are mounted two small
pulleys, and chains connected to the weights are led round these along
the shaft to a cross key. A part of the shaft is made tubular and is
formed with slots for this cross key to work in, the key being fixed to a
central spindle which extending out beyond the governor shaft is con-
nected by a swivel joint to a rod, chain, or cord passing to the throttle
valve and to the spring. Instead of a metal spring there may be
substituted a piston in a cylinder with confined air or with one side in
communication with the condenser. A spring link is interposed in the
connection between the governor and throttle valve to prevent
overstraining.
To facilitate putting a governor into or out of gear the pulley on or
off which the driving cord is to be put is made with a second groove
which is shallow and round, and a notch is made in the flange between
this and the wedge-shaped driving groove. The cord is first put in the
round groove in which it will slip whilst gradually getting the governor
into motion, after which it is hitched into the notch by means of a rod,
and it then gets transferred to the other groove..
In transmitting the driving force to a governor the cord from the
driver is passed round a pulley on one end of a lever, thence round the
governor pulley, next round a second pulley on the other end of the
lever and back to the driver. The governor pulley is between the lever

page_text: with the two pulleys and the driving shaft or pulley. The lever is set
on a centre which is adjustable by means of a screw for tightening the
cord so that separate "binder" or tightening pulleys may be dispensed
with, and a third arm on the lever is connected to the throttle valve and
to a spring or cylinder and piston. The governor may be a simple fly
wheel or of any other suitable kind. When the governor is in action
the pulling part of the driving cord tends to draw towards the driving
shaft one end of the lever carrying the two pulleys, but this is resisted
by the spring connected to the throttle valve. On the engines beginning
to race the strain on the lever is increased and the throttle valve more
or less closed.
As a diminution of speed often takes place before the engines race it
is desirable to prevent this from reducing the speed of the governor,
otherwise its action will afterwards be too great in the opposite direction.
For this purpose the two ends of the lever carrying the pulleys are not
rigidly connected but have a spring interposed, so that the pulley having
on it what is ordinarily the slack part of the cord may yield when a
greater strain acts on this cord as will happen on the speed of the
engines diminishing. A similar action takes place after the throttlo
valve is closed, in such a way as to prevent the governor from too rapidly
gaining speed.
Where considerable power is required to move the throttle valve a
centrifugal governor, such as is herein-before described, may be used with
the weights or outwardly moving parts fitted with brakes to bear against
stationary brake surfaces when the speed becomes too great.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Weir and James Weir in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 16th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
WEIR and JAMES WEIR, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineers, send greeting.

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said George Weir and James Weir,
Her special licence that we, the said George Weir and James Weir,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said George Weir and James Weir, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH GOVERNORS
FOR MARINE ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, tho
said George Weir and James Weir, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, 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 Scal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
T 11
D

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 are sectional views as at right angles to each other of a
combined centrifugal and momentum governor for marine engines as made
with some of our present improvements. This governor comprises a metal
drum 1 fixed on a horizontal shaft 2 and having jointed to diametrically
opposite points 3, 3, inside of it, a pair of arms 4, 4, with weights 5, 5,
at their ends to be acted on by the centrifugal force, these weighted
arms turning on their joints 3, 3, in a plane at right angles to the
governor shaft 2. The weighted arms are formed with toothed sectors 6, 6,
which gear with a pinion 7 fast on a short tubular shaft 8 that is loose
on the governor shaft 2, and has fast on it the pulley 9 for receiving the
driving cord from the engines. In this way the drum 1 is driven
through the weiglited arms 4, 4, so that its momentum or inertia resists
any sudden change of speed. The centrifugal tendency of the weights 5, 5,
is counteracted by a spring or springs, which being entirely apart from
the governor can be adjusted with facility at any time.
On the boss or centre of the drum 1 there are mounted two small
pulleys 10, 10, and chains 11, 11, connected to the weights 5, 5, are led
round these pulleys and along the shaft 2 to a cross key 12. A part of
the shaft 2 is made tubular and is formed with slots 13 for this cross key
to work in, the key being fixed to a central spindle 14 which extending
out beyond the governor shaft 2 is connected by a swivel joint 15 to a
rod, chain, or cord (not shown) passing to the throttle valve and to the
spring. Instead of a metal spring there may be substituted a piston in
a cylinder with confined air or with one side in communication with the
condenser. A spring link or connection is interposed between the gover-
nor and the throttle valve to prevent overstraining, a rubber washer 16
being for this purpose shown in Figure 1 as introduced between a metal
washer fixed on the end of the spindle 14 and the swivel joint piece 15.
Figure 3 is an edge view of an improved pulley designed to facilitate
the putting of a governor into or out of gear. This pulley 17 which
may be the one fast on the engine shaft 18, Figure 4, is made with the
usual wedge-shaped driving groove 19, and with a second groove 20
which is shallow and round, and a notch 21 is made in the flange
between the two grooves. The driving cord is first put in the round
5 groove 20 in which it will slip whilst gradually getting the governor into
motion, after which it is hitched into the notch 21 by means of a rod,

page_text: and it then by the continuation of the motion gets transferred to the
other
groove 19.
same.
Figure 4 is an elevation of a combination of marine governor apparatus
showing our improved mode of transmitting the force for driving the
The cord 22 from the pulley 17 on the driving shaft 18 is passed
round a pulley 23 on one end of a frame lever 24 (shown separately in
sectional plan in Figure 5), thence round the governor pulley 9, next
round a second pulley 25 on the other end of the lever 24 and back to
the driver 17, the governor pulley 9 which with the governor wheel 1 is
on a horizontal stud projecting from a bracket not shown is between the
lever 24 and the driving shaft 18 or pulley 17. The lever 24 is set on a
centre which is adjustable by means of a screw 26 carried by a bracket 27
for tightening the cord 22 so that separate "binder" or tightening pulleys
may be dispensed with and a third arm on the lever 24, and indicated by
dotted lines, may be connected to the throttle valve and to a spring or
cylinder and piston. Instead of using such third arm on the lever 24 wo
prefer to connect this lever to the throttle valve lever 28 by cords 29, 29,
as shown. These cords 29 have their lower ends fixed to the bottom of
the bracket 27, and are thence passed opposite ways over a pulley 30 at
the centre of the lever 24, thence under pulleys 31 at the ends of the.
lever, and next over guide pulleys 32 to the throttle valve lever 28.
This arrangement is such as to make unnecessary any readjustment of
the connection to the throttle valve when the lever 24 is screwed up or
down. The throttle valve lever 28 is connected to a spring 33, the other
end of which is attached to a hand lever 34, and by adjusting this last
the governor can at any time be made to suit a particular speed. The
governor may be a simple fly wheel 1 (Figure 4), or of any other suitable
kind. When the governor is in action the pulling part of the driving
cord 22 tends to draw towards the driving shaft one end of the pulley
lever 24, but this is resisted by the spring 33 connected to the throttle
valve. On the engines beginning to race the strain on the lever 24 is
increased and the throttle valve more or less closed.
As a diminution of speed often takes place before screw-propeller
engines race, it may in some cases be desirable to prevent this from
reducing the speed of the governor, as otherwise its action may afterwards
be too great in the opposite direction. For this purpose the two ends of

page_text: the pulley lever 24 may be in separate parts with a spring interposed, so
that the pulley 23 having on it what is ordinarily the slack part of the
cord 22 may yield when a greater strain acts on this cord as will happen
on the speed of the engines diminishing. Or the same end may be
gained in a simpler and more convenient way by introducing a rubber
ring or washer 35 to act as a spring between the top of the bracket 27
and the hand wheel of the screw 26. Stops 36 are fixed to the back of
the pulley lever 24 to limit the angular movement of that lever by coming
against the vertical part of the bracket 27, and when the lever has
turned as far as these stops allow the spring 35 yields and lets the lever
descend a little with any excess of strain. An action similar to what
has been referred to may take place after the throttle valve is more or
less closed, in such a way as to prevent the governor from two rapidly
gaining speed.
Where considerable power is required to move the throttle valve, a
centrifugal governor, such as is herein-before described, with reference to
Figures 1 and 2 may be used with the weighted arms 4 or outwardly
moving parts fitted with brake blocks to bear against stationary break
surfaces when the speed becomes too great..
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves
to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what we.
believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to us
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. Tho arranging or combining of the parts of combined centrifugal
and momentum governors for marine engines in the improved manner,
substantially as herein-before described, so that the spring or springs
counteracting the centrifugal force is or are apart from the governor.
2. The forming of a pulley for driving a marine governor, substantially
as and for the purposes herein-before described with reference to Figure 3
of the accompanying Drawings.
3. The transmitting of the driving force for actuating a marine.
governor and for acting on the throttle valve, substantially in the manner
herein-before described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 of the accom-
panying Drawings.

page_text: 4. The combining of apparatus for transmitting the driving force, sub-
stantially as herein-before described, with reference to Figures 4 and 5
of the accompanying Drawings with a simple fly wheel to form a
governor for marine engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Weir, on behalf of the said
George Weir and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JAMES WEIR. (L.S.)