IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM OR OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM OR OTHER ENGINES
Communi-
cated to him from abroad by Junius Judson, of Rochester, New York,
United States of America Manufacturer'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th July 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM OR
OTHER ENGINES Communicated to me from abroad by Junius Judson, of
Rochester, New York, United States of America, Manufacturer,
The object of this invention is to render the governor inore sensitive to
variations in the speed of the engine caused by variations in boiler-pressure, or in
the resistance against which the engine labors. To this end the said Invention
consists partly in the combination in a governor, of springs connecting the governor-
balls, and a spring-tension-device connected with the valve-rod by a lever, the
whole operating in the manner hereinafter fully set forth. It also consists in the
peculiar construction of the piston as hereinafter described.

page_text: G is a coiled spring which is attached to studs a a, in the centre or other part of
the balls and extends crosswise from one ball to the other, as shown. There is one
of these springs on each side of the governor and they exert tension on the balls
and tend to hold them down, and therefore a more rapid motion is required to start
the balls up than in the ordinary governor where no springs are used.
His a spring-tension-device attached to the casing, and which I denominate the
spring speeder." It consists of a small barrel or cylinder holding a coiled
spring bresting on a follower c in the bottom of the barrel, the follower having a
stem & screwed therein which extends up through the top of the barrel and is
hooked upon the end of a lever f. The said lever is pivotted midway and its
opposite end forms a head g which is forked and embraces the valve-rod C and is
connected therewith so that as the lever is moved it will correspondingly operate
the rod up or down. The constant pressure of the spring downward in the barrel
has a tendency to raise the rod against the action of the balls. Both of these
devices, viz; the springs on the balls, and the "spring speeder," have before been
used on governors; but, so far as I am aware they have been used separately and
never both together. By their use in combination some advantages are obtained,
as follows, that is to say;-It is desired to exert as nearly as possible a regular and
gradually increasing tension on the balls and valve-rod during the whole range of
motion of the balls from their lowest to their highest position. It is also desired
to attain an increased velocity of the balls before they commence to rise, as, in that
case, when they do commence to rise they go through the range of motion with the
minimum of change of speed in the engine.
The tension of the "spring speeder" is the least on the balls in their lowest
position and this tension gradually increases as the balls rise. On the contrary,
the action of the springs on the balls is the greatest in the first movement of the
same and gradually decreases as the balls rise. This is owing to the springs
gradually approaching the pivots as the balls rise and drawing less directly
downward. If carried clear up in line with the pivots they would exert no
The effect is therefore to
action at all upon the balls to draw them downward.
equalize the action and make it more uniform and regular. As the springs
decrease in power upon the balls, the "spring-speeder "increases in power so that
at the highest position of the balls, the action is as regular as at the lowest. It
has been found in practice that, although the springs alone are effective in their
first action and during a portion of the movement of the balls, when the balls rise
high so much of the force of the springs is lost that the balls are accelerated in
revolution and the engine is irregular from want of steadiness of the governor, and
that the piston will plunge more or less, and much difficulty occurs from this source,
especially in largo engines where the "spring speeder" alone is used it is difficult
to obtain sufficient tension to get the proper speed before the balls begin to rise,
without making the "spring speeder" so stiff that, in the high position of the
balls, too much tension is obtained for the proper working of the governor. By
combining the springs and the speeder as described these difficulties are avoided.
The piston B consists of a body and two heads k, l, one at each end, which play
up and down in seats 1, 1, of the casing (see Figure 2). These heads are in the
form of discs and are flat on their faces and the lower one has lugs m m which
form guides resting in the lower seat to keep the piston centred when the heads
rise above the seats. The periphery of the upper head is very slightly bevelled on
its lower edge all the way around, as shown at n; and, if desired, the edge of the
lower disc may also be similarly bevelled, though usually this is not necessary
The beads are so arranged relatively to their seats that the bevelled part n of the
upper head strikes down its whole depth into the upper seat before the bottom of
the lower head commences to enter the lower seat, so that, in that case, the
cylindrical portion of the upper head and the cylindrical lower portion of the lower
head commence to enter their respective seats at the same time.
passes through the lower seat passes directly down into the steam chest below
while that which passes through the upper seat passes through a port 2 (Figure 2]
The steam which

page_text: in one side of the casing, and thence down into the steam-chest, the two currents
there mingling together.
By the use of this piston with cylindrical and bevel faced heads the steam is cut
off and admitted with great regularity and exactness, and much better results are
attained than in the usual cut-off. The bevel n in the upper head serves a two-
fold purpose; first, it serves as a guide to centre the piston as it slides in the
upper seat, thus dispensing with lugs on the upper head, and secondly, to graduate
the passage of the steam by leaving a small crack or passage around the head as it
closes in its seat the said crack gradually closing and thus preventing too sudden
abrupt a cut-off.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The combination, in a governor, of springs connecting the balls, and a
spring-tension-device connected with the valve-rod by a lever, whereby the action
upon the governor is equalized, as herein set forth.
Second. In a governor, the piston B constructed with cylindrical heads k, k, made
flat on their faces, the upper head being bevelled on the lower edge of its periphery,
as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twenty seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
Wª, ROB, LAKE (L.S.)