IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1869

page_text: BETTERS PATENT to Robert Spear, of New Haven, Connecticut,
United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES."
Sealed the 11th February 1870, and dated the 23rd December 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by tlie said Robert Spear at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 23rd December 1869, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
SPEAR, of New Haven,. Connecticut, United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for. "IMPROVEMENTS:
IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES," and have petitioned Her.
Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,.
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declara-
tion that I am the true and first Inventor thereof..

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Spear, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement:
The nature of my Invention consists in so constructing a governor
that its action will be entirely independent of any motion derived from
the engine or machinery to be regulated, and by the combined and
reciprocal action of gravity, with the pressure of steam or other motor,
a uniform force will be exerted upon the engine or machinery to be
operated, regardless of the amount of force or its sudden changes when
in excess of that at which the governor is set or rated, substantially as
herein-after set forth.
In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my Invention
appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its
construction and operation, referring to the annexed Drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section; and Figure 2 is a side
elevation of my Invention.
A represents the casing or shell of my machine so constructed as
to form a chamber B at its lower end, having the pipe C connecting
with the boiler or power source; and D, the egress or connection with
the engine. Above the chamber B is a cylindrical shaped portion E,
open at both ends and connecting with the upper chamber G, on top of
which is the cover H. On top of the cover H is placed a cap I, the
use of which will be herein-after described. The piston rod J extends
through the centre of the entire machine, uniting the piston K and the
valve L, the piston being placed within the cylindrical portion E and
the valve at the entrance to the chamber B. The sides of this entrance
are inclined, resembling an inverted cone, and the sides of the valve L
have the same angle, as seen in Figure 1. d represents a pin through
the piston rod J, for the purpose of arresting the downward motion of
the piston. To the piston rod J a suitable distance above the machine
is attached a beam M, the ends of which are by means of pivoted bars
N, N, connected with two levers O, O.
inner ends between two semicircular
centre of which the piston rod J passes.
adjustable balls or weights R, R. The
These levers are pivoted at their
guide bars P, P, between the
On the levers O, O, are placed
guide bars P, P, are secured in

page_text: any suitable manner to the cap I. From the inlet pipe C or from the
boiler or power source pipe S leads upward, conducting by means of
a branch pipe T steam or fluid into the chamber G above the piston K,
and the upper end of the pipe S conducts into the space or chamber W
formed between the cover H and cap I. The required amount of the
balls or weights R, R, depends upon the difference in the area of the
upper surface of the valve L and the lower surface of the piston K, as
well as the length of the levers O, O, upon which said weights are
suspended. The top of the piston K and the bottom of the valve L
being the same size, when the steam or fluid is admitted from the pipe C
through the pipe S and branch pipe T into the chamber G_the force or
pressure in it becomes the same as in the boiler or power source, con-
sequently the pressure on the lower side of the valve is neutralized.
When now force is admitted into the chamber B it tends to elevate the
piston K in proportion to its increased area over the upper surface of
the valve, which in turn is counteracted by the resistance of the weights
R, R, upon the piston rod J, as also by the tendency of the valve L
from its peculiar shape to close the aperture of its case. If now the
outlet D is of the proper size as compared with the inlet O, or if too
large, reduced by means of a stop-cock, the fluid or steam will be
uniformly discharged, regardless of the increase or diminution in the
power source or boiler, so long as the pressure is greater than that at
which the governor is set in gear by the position and amount of the
weights. The reason of this is obvious, by considering the tendency of
an increase of force to elevate or approximately close the valve L, while
a diminution of force of the steam or fluid must have the opposite effect
of tending to weaken the force in the chamber B, which force is the
prop or support for the weights, which by their dropping depress the
valve, thus enlarging the space between it and its seat.
By this means a constant pressure is maintained in the chamber B,
except that there may be an amount of friction caused by the action of
the piston K in its cylinder, and the piston rod J through its stuffing
box in the cover H. This it is intended to obviate by the elastic part a
of the cap I (which is a cover to the chamber W) and the position it
assumes by slipping upon the piston rod J, said elastic cover being
inflated by the steam or fluid entering the chamber W through the
pipe S. As the governor is set in gear the elastic cover is attached to
the piston rod by a thumbscrew passing through its stuffing box c:

page_text: Should, then, the power increase causing a slight elevation in the piston
'there is also an increased expansion of this elastic cover, the tube or
pipe S connecting the chamber W with the power source; but if the
force decreases the elastic cover being suitably tempered exerts a certain
depression on the piston rod, which is intended and found by experiments
to correspond with the amount of friction in the machine, the friction
being plus the weight ascending, but minus descending, for which is
substituted the accumulated force, as above described. Supposing that
fifty-one pounds of force per inch is required to raise the piston up, fifty
of which are the gravity or weight to be raised, and friction amounting
to one pound per inch to be overcome, then by the action of the elastic
cover a the piston will not be delayed in its descent till the pressure in
the chamber B has decreased to forty-nine pounds or thereabouts, as
would otherwise be the case, but it will instantly fall so as to increase
the receiving orifice in proportion as the force may have weakened.
I would observe that while I prefer to make the sides of the entrance
'to chamber B inclined or like an inverted cone, yet I am fully aware
that this entrance might be differently constructed or formed. I do not
therefore confine myself to any peculiar formation of the valve or entrance
to chamber B.
Having thus fully described my Invention, what I claim as new and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st. The case A constructed as described so as to form the chamber B
having inlets O and outlet D, the cylinder E, and chamber G, substantially
as and for the purposes herein set forth.
2nd. In combination with the case A, constructed as described the
cover H and cap I forming the chamber W, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
3rd. In combination with the case A, cover H, and cap I the piston
rod J, piston K, and valve L, all constructed as described and arranged to
operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.
4th. The arrangement of the semicircular guide bars P, P, piston
rod J, beam M, connecting bars N, N, levers O, O, and weights R, R, all
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
5th. The elastic cover a secured to the piston rod J by the thumb-
screw 6 or other suitable means, and operating substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth.

page_text: 6th. The arrangement of the pipes S and T whereby the steam or fluid
is conducted from the boiler or power source to the chambers G and W,
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
7th. The entrance to the chamber B formed in the shape of an inverted
cone in combination with the valve L, operating substantially as and for
the purpose described.
In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
ROBERT SPEAR. (L.S.)