IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEMAN
BAKER PITCHER, of Syracuse, in the State of New York, and United States of
America, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of October, in the fifteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Leman Baker Pitcher, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Leman Baker Pitcher, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Leman Baker Pitcher, my exors,
adiiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING
MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Leman Baker Pitcher, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Leman Baker Pitcher, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
Firstly, in an improved arrangement and construction of apparatus for
regulating the supply of steam or other elastic vapor to motive power engines;
and,
Secondly, in the mode of mounting or adjusting disc valves when applied to
such engines.
Fig. 1 represents in sectional elevation my improved regulator, in connection
with the valve of a steam supply pipe. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the
regulator, taken at right angles to Fig. 1, and shewing the steam supply pipe
and its valvular arrangement in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a partial elevation
of the regulator, shewing the outer case only in section. Fig. 4 is a sectional
plan, taken in the line 1. . . 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a similar plan view,
taken in the line 3. . . 4 of Fig. 1.
The principle on which this apparatus works is by causing a rod, which is in
connection with the valve of the steam supply pipe, to ascend and descend with
sudden jerks, and thereby either to act upon the valve at every impulse (the
amount of its action increasing or decreasing according as the speed of the
engine is either unduly increased or diminished), or acting only when the speed
of the engine is required to be changed. This up and down motion of the rod,
in connection with the valve, is obtained by forcing water or other fluid by
means of a reciprocating supply pump, against the under surface of a plunger
or piston attached to the rod, and by providing means for the escape of this
fluid from beneath the plunger or piston, whereby the rod is enabled to descend
by its own gravity.
I will now proceed to point out the nature and object of the several parts
constituting the improved regulating apparatus. a, a, is a cast-iron case,
secured by bolts to a bottom plate 6, and covered at top by a plate c, which is
also connected to the case by bolts. Attached to the plate b is a valve chest,
having two compartments d, e, which communicate with each other by a third
compartment f. The compartments d and e are provided with horizontal
partitions, having circular openings which form seats for disc valves g and h
respectively. The top of the valve chest is also provided with circular openings
immediately above the valve seats, and over these openings, in the top of the

page_text: valve chest, cylinders i and k are respectively fixed by screw bolts, as shewn
best at Fig. 4. In these cylinders the pistons and * respectively work, the
former being fitted in the ordinary manner of pistons; but the piston k* works
loose in its cylinder to prevent friction of contact therewith; and the rods
l, m, of these pistons pass upwards through the cover c, and through cups
attached thereto for returning the water that may be carried up by the rods.
The piston rod is connected to an excentric or a crank on the shaft connected
with the steam engine, which is required to be regulated, and the rod m is
connected with the valve of the steam supply pipe. The valves g and h work
on central guide rods, which are bolted to the bottom plate b, and they have
each a tendency to retain their seats by reason of a coiled spring interposed
between and confined by the head of the central rod and the valve itself. The
cylinders i and k are both open at top. The cylinder i with its piston forms a
force pump for drawing water or other liquid from the case a, and forcing it
into the cylinder k. This cylinder k is furnished with a lateral exit pipe n, the
capacity of which is determined by an adjustable plug, for the purpose here-
after explained. This plug consists of a rod o, which is threaded at each end,
and projects through the cover of the case a. At its upper end is a nut to keep
it in place, and its lower end projects into the lateral pipe n, through a tapped.
hole made to receive it. When, therefore, the rod o is turned by means of a
key applied to its upper or squared end, it is raised or depressed as required;
and thereby the capacity of the exit pipe is enlarged or diminished.
this exit pipe, which is intended to permit of an escape of the fluid pumped into
the cylinder k, or, in combination with it, an opening made for the same
purpose through the piston k* may be used, or the space between the piston k*.
and the cylinder may be sufficient to admit of the same effect being obtained.
By increasing or decreasing the capacity of the vents for allowing the escape of
fluid from under the piston ko, and thereby accelerating or retarding its descent,
the traverse of that piston in its cylinder will take place at a higher or lower
position in the said cylinder, and thereby bring the regulator valve into action
so as to adjust the speed of the engine. The rod which connects the piston
rod m with the valve of the steam supply pipe is passed through an eye q,
carried by an arm r on the valve spindle, and works freely therein. On this
rod are two nuts s, s, which are capable of being adjusted to any given position.
These nuts act as tappets, and cause the movements of the piston k*, when the
action of the supply pump is too feeble or too vigorous, to take effect upon the
valve, whereby a greater or lesser amount of steam will be allowed to pass
through the supply pipe to the engine, and thus bring the engine to work at
the snood required.
In lieu of

page_text: I will now describe the action of the apparatus and the means of regulating
the amount of steam to be supplied to the engine. The case a is filled with
water or other fluid, as shewn at Figure 3, and the engine having been set in
motion, the piston * of the cylinder i will cause a flow of water from the case
a into the compartment d of the valve chest, through the opening 1. As the
piston ascends the valve g will rise from its seat and allow the water to flow
into the compartment F. By the descent of the piston the water is driven
out of the compartment f through the opening 2 into the compartment e,
whence by lifting the valve h it flows into the cylinder k, and causes the piston
kto rise with a jerk. The descent of the piston is effected by gravitation,
(a weight being attached to the piston rod if required to expedite the move-
ment,) and it is controlled by the discharge of the fluid in the cylinder k below
the piston. Around the piston rod m is a coiled spring t for preventing the
rod from rising beyond the position for closing the regulating valve. Without
this precaution the cut-off valve might be driven past the cut-off position,
thereby letting in steam when it was least wanted. When the tendency of
the piston is by the increasing speed of the engine to rise too high, the spring
is brought into contact with the top c of the case a, and by presenting an
elastic resistance to the further upward movement of the piston, it will cause a
more rapid escape of fluid from under the piston. A similar effect may be
obtained by making lateral holes in the cylinder k as at p, p, which holes,
when the piston is driven past them, will form supplemental exit passages for
the water that has been forced into the cylinder, and thus relieve the piston
of the accumulation of water consequent upon the increase in the speed of the
engine.
It will now be understood that at every ascent and descent of the piston *
the rod m will rise and fall, and that according to the adjustment of the
tappets s, s, and the speed at which these pulsations follow each other, will be
the effect produced on the valve; that is, if from the engine working at an
increasing speed the supply of water to the cylinder k be greater than the
discharge, the water will accumulate under the piston and cause its recipro-
cating action to take place in a higher part of the cylinder than before. The
consequence of this will be, that the nuts or adjustable tappets will raise the
valve lever r, and thus change the position of the valve, and a reduced quantity
of steam will thereby be supplied to the engine until the amount of water
thrown into the cylinder k is brought down to equal the capacity of the vents
for discharging the same. If, on the contrary, the speed of the engine is
suddenly slackened by reason of a greater quantity of work being put upon it,
the piston will sink and perform its reciprocating action in a lower part of

page_text: the cylinder. The tappets s, s, following this change of position, will depress the
lever and open the steam-ways in the valve to a greater extent, and afford a
greater supply of steam to the engine. To prevent the piston or plunger k
from beating against the parts situate beneath it when the engine is below
speed, and so injuring the apparatus, a coiled spring u is provided, which will
come in contact with a lip on the head of the piston rod, and thereby
afford an elastic resistance to the further downward movement of the piston.
The construction of valve which I prefer to use in connection with my
improved regulating apparatus is that known as the "disc" valve, and shewn
in front view at Fig. 6; but other constructions may be used if thought
<lesirable.
I also prefer (although it is not absolutely necessary) that the distance
between the stops or nuts s, s, shall be so determined with respect to the
length of tranverse of the rod which carries them, that at every up and down
motion of the piston * the valve shall be cause to move slightly on its
seat. By this means the liability of the valve to stick will be avoided, and it
will be in constant readiness to answer to the motions of the regulating
apparatus.
My improved mode of mounting disc valves is shewn in cross section at
Fig. 2. The valve v is ground to a flat seat w, and both the valve and scat
are pierced with corresponding concentric holes set at equal distances apart.
x is the spindle which carries the valve, and to which the arm 1, Fig. 1, for
moving the valve is affixed. This spindle works in suitable bearings provided
for it in the steam pipe, and it is prevented from moving endwise (when not
required to do so) by means of an adjustable nut y, which is made to abut
against the removeable cap of the steam pipe. The inner end of the spindle
bears against the end of a screw z inserted in the steam pipe; and by means of
this screw and the nut y the proximity of the valve to its seat may be adjusted
to the greatest nicety, and thus the grinding of the two faces together, and the
loss of power, as well as the rapid destruction of the two parts consequent
thereon, will be avoided.
Having now described my Invention and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent, I claim the general arrangement of apparatus as above
described, for regulating motive-power engines; and particularly I claim,―
First, applying the motion communicated to a plunger by a force pump to
actuate the cut-off valves of steam and other motive power engines.
Secondly, actuating the valve which governs the supply of steam or other

page_text: motive power agent to the engine, to be regulated by means of adjustable
tappets, having a reciprocating motion, as above described.
And lastly, I claim the mode of mounting or adjusting disc valves in the
manner and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Leman Baker Pitcher, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.