IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL GOVERNORS FOR STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anthony Dugdale, of Paris, France, Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL GOVERNORS FOR STEAM
ENGINES."
Sealed the 16th October 1861, and dated the 22nd April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anthony Dugdale at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1861.
I, ANTHONY DUGDALE, of Paris, France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL GOVERNORS
FOR STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the common vertical centrifugal governors
hitherto made use of in steam engines for regulating the speed of such
engines; the same consist in providing the sliding socket, to which are fixed
the links connecting together the two revolving ball arms with a suitable
weight, or acting on this socket by a suitable lever arm or arms and counter-
poise weight or weights for the purpose of causing the said sliding socket, and
with it the balls quicker to be carried down to their normal position than
was hitherto possible whenever, on a sudden diminution in the resistance, the
engine has to overcome; the said balls continuing to revolve with great speed,
would otherwise not be quickly enough carried down for causing the required
action of the throttle valve to take place at once, whereas, by means of the

page_text: additional weight of the sliding socket, or of the counterpoise weight or weights
and lever arm or arms acting on this socket, the same, and consequently the
balls and the throttle valve will much quicker renew their normal position
than by means of an ordinary centrifugal governor, while any jerks or trepi-
dations in the steam engine will be effectually prevented. In connection with
this arrangement, I propose to have a suitable lever and counterpoise weight
acting immediately on the throttle valve and slide valve rod for easily regu-
lating the position of these valves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Anthony Dugdale in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTHONY
'DUGDALE, of Paris, France, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Anthony Dugdale, Her special licence that I, the said Anthony Dugdale,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Anthony Dugdale, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CENTRIFUGAL GOVERNORS FOR STEAM ENGINES," upon the 'condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Anthony Dugdale, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Anthony Dugdale, 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:-
These improvements relate to the common vertical centrifugal governor

page_text: hitherto made use of in steam engines for regulating the speed and working of
such engines; the same consist in giving to the sliding socket, to which are
fixed the links connecting together the revolving ball arms, a suitable weight,
or providing this sliding socket or any other corresponding part of the governor
with a regulating or counterpoise weight, or acting on this sliding socket, or
any other corresponding part of the governor by a suitable lever arm or arms,
and counterpoise weight or weights, a spring or springs, or any other suitable
contrivance, for the purpose of causing the said sliding socket or any other
suitable corresponding part of the governor to be a perfect counterbalance or
constant equilibrium of the centrifugal force of the balls, the said socket being
connected in any suitable manner to the throttle cock, slide, or valve for the
admission of the steam into the engine.
In the annexed Drawing is shown an illustration of my improved construc-
tion of centrifugal governors.
A represents the vertical arbor or axis revolving in the ordinary manner in
a bearing or bearings B; C is the sliding socket to which are jointed the
arms a, terminated by the governor or revolving balls b, and attached by the
double links e to the sliding socket C; to this socket, C, I either give a much
greater weight, as has hitherto been done, or I provide the same with a counter;
weight, or I have a lever arm D, E, inserted in the groove d, round the peri-
phery of the socket; this lever arm D, E, has its fulcrum D in a fixed
bearing G, and to the opposite end is connected a moveable counterweight H,
which may be set at any suitable distance from the fulcrum D, viz., such dis-
tance as will be required for causing the socket C exactly to counterbalance
the centrifugal force of the balls 6 at the speed at which the engine is required
to work. The basis or main feature of my Invention being, of making the
sliding socket or any other suitable part of the governor counterbalance or form
equilibrium with the centrifugal force of the revolving balls, the sliding socket
being connected in any suitable manner to the throttle cock, slide, or valve by
which the admission of the steam into the engine is regulated.
It will be understood that the speed of the engine may consequently be
varied at pleasure by means of this counterweight H, or that instead of this
counterweight a spring or any other suitable arrangement acting according to
the principle may be substituted. The end D of the lever D, E, is connected
by a link D, I, to a rod I, J, acting on the arm J, K, of a bell-crank lever
J, K, L, which latter has its fulcrum in K, while a link L, M, connects the
lever J, K, L, to the counterweight lever arm N, M, O, the end N of which
latter is fixed in the usual manner to the spindle of the throttle valve.
It will be easily understood that the mechanical arrangement just described

page_text: may be varied in any suitable manner, but so as to keep up the principle of
action of my improved governor, viz., to make that the sliding socket or
other suitable part of the governor is constantly acted upon by a weight or
weights, a lever arm or lever arms, a spring or springs, or any other suitable
means, with a force sufficient for causing the said socket or other suitable part
of the governor to counterbalance the centrifugal force or momentum of the
revolving balls, and make the engine constantly give the required number of
strokes without any variation.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself to the
arrangement herein-before described and illustrated in the annexed Drawing,
.as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the main
feature of the Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and there-
fore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is, acting on the sliding socket or any other suitable corre-
sponding part of centrifugal governors for steam engines by means of a weight
or weights, a lever arm or lever arms, a spring or springs, or any other suit-
able contrivance, in such manner and for the purpose of constantly causing
the said sliding socket or other suitable corresponding part or parts of the
governor to counterbalance the centrifugal force or momentum of the revol-
ving balls at any required speed of the engine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anthony Dugdale, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
A. G. BRADE.
A. DUGDALE. (L:S.)