IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hepburn, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS
FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES."
Sealed the 10th October 1872, and dated the 16th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hepburn at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th April 1872.
I, GEORGE HEPBURN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to governors or apparatus for controlling the
speed of steam and other engines operated by fluids at pressure, and
has for its object rapidity of action from simple and durable parts,
small in themselves yet so disposed that they occupy but little space.
In addition to the action of ordinary pendulum or centrifugal governor
balls, operated from any convenient rotatory part of the engine to be

page_text: regulated, I employ pressure of steam or other fluid, the admission and
exit of the said steam or other fluid to the governor being controlled
by motion transmitted from the engine.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawings contains views illustrative of
three modifications of governors constructed in accordance with my
Invention. These have been specially devised for governing the speed
of marine steam engines, but the variations necessary for adapting them
for land purposes will be evident to the engineer.
.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a modification in which the steam is
admitted to act on the under side of a concentrically corrugated or
flexible plate; a novel form of arms for carrying the governor balls is
shown. 1 is the frame; 2, pulley receiving motion from the engine
to be controlled, and causing the adjustable spindle and parts 3 to rotate;
4, governor balls and arms, the latter jointed at 5. The higher the
speed of rotation the greater will be the pressure of the horizontal parts
of 4 on the piece 6, supported by the returning spring 7, secured to the
valve spindle 8. Any movement of 8 due to increased speed of 2 causes
the valve 9 to open the way 10 and admit steam or fluid from 11
through 12 under the corrugated plate 13, connected by the stud 14 to
the supported lever 15, from which latter motion is conveyed by ordinary
connections to the throttle valve. Exhaust from under 13 takes place
upon reduction of speed through the passage 16. The arms here shown
being entirely new are applicable to governors employed without the
steam or fluid pressure adaptations.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a modification in which the arrangement
of the governor balls and arms are the same as in Fig. 1, but instead
of a corrugated or flexible plate being used to receive the pressure of
steam or other fluid a trunk piston is employed. 1, frame; 2, pulley;
3, parts rotating with 2; 4, balls and arms, the latter hinged on 5;
6, piece supported by spring 7; 8, disc attached to spindle 9 of valve 10;
this disc is caught during rapid rotation by the pressure pieces of the
arms 4, and is carried round with the valve 10, thereby admitting steam
through 11, past the valve 10, underneath the piston 12, fitted in the
cylinder 13. Steam pressure is constant in the annular part 14 over
the piston 12. Exhaust takes place through 15. The motion to the
throttle valve is taken from 16.
10

page_text: weights 4 being fitted with springs 5; 6 are shoulders or catch pieces
on 4 which press against the disc 7, secured to the valve spindle 8. In
this modification the piston and cylinder and the arrangements for
transmitting motion to the throttle valve are the same as in Fig. 2 above
described.
SPECIFICATION în pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Hepburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HEPBURN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Hepburn, Her special licence that I,
the said George Hepburn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said George Hepburn, 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 GOVERNORS FOR STEAM
AND OTHER ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Hepburn, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-.
ticularly 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Hepburn, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of illustrative Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
hat is to say:

page_text: My Invention relates to governors or apparatus for controlling the
speed of steam and other engines operated by fluids at pressure, and has
for its object rapidity of action from simple and durable parts, small in
themselves and so disposed that they occupy but little space.
In addition to the action of ordinary pendulum or centrifugal governor
balls, operated from any convenient rotatory part of the engine to be
regulated, I employ pressure of steam or other fluid, the admission and
exit of the said steam or other fluid to the governor being controlled by
motion transmitted from the engine.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawings contains six views illustrative
of governors constructed in accordance with my Invention. These have
been specially devised for governing the speed of marine steam engines,
but the variations necessary for adapting them for land purposes will
be evident to the engineer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of a modification in which the
steam is admitted to act on the under side of a concentrically corrugated
or flexible plate or disc. 1 is the frame; 2, pulley receiving motion
from the engine to be controlled, and causing to rotate with it the
adjustable spindle 3 and parts 4; 5, governor balls and arms, the latter
jointed to 4 at 6. The higher the speed of rotation the greater will be
the pressure of the horizontal parts of 5 on the piece 7, supported by
the returning spring 8, and secured to the valve spindle 9. Any
movement of the valve spindle 8 due to increased speed of the pulley 2
causes the valve 10 to open the way 11 and admit steam or fluid under
pressure from 12 through the way 13 and under the corrugated plate
or disc 14. The said plate or disc 14 is connected by the stud 15 to the
lever 16, through which motion is communicated by ordinary connections
to the throttle valve. Exhaust from under 14 takes place through the
passage 17 upon reduction of speed. The governor arms here shown
being entirely new are applicable to governors employed without the
steam or fluid pressure apparatus.
A governor of this description is illustrated by vertical section Fig. 2.
Here 1 is the framework; 2, motion pulley attached to and driving
sleeve 3; 4, supporting bracket for governor arms attached to and
driven by 3; 5, governor balls and arms jointed to 4 and acting on the
piece 6, said piece 6 is supported by the return spring 7, and connected

page_text: •
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by the pin 8-passing through slots in the sleeve 3 to the spindle 9, from
which latter motion is conveyed to the throttle valve.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a modification in which the arrangement
of the governor balls and arms is the same as in Fig. 1, but instead of a
flexible plate being used to receive the pressure of the steam or other fluid
a trunk piston is employed. 1 is the frame; 2; pulley; 3, parts rotating
with 2; 4, balls and arms, the latter hinged at 5 to 3; 6, piece supported
by spring 7; 8, disc attached to spindle 9 of valve 10. This disc is
caught during rapid rotation by the pressure pieces 11 of the arms 4,
and is carried round together with valve 10, thereby admitting steam
from 12 past the valve 10 and underneath the trunk piston 13, steam is
always present in the annular part 14 over the piston 13. Exhaust
takes place through 15. The motion to the throttle valve is taken
from 16.
Fig. 4 is a view partly in vertical section of a second modification of
governor where a trunk piston is used; here all the arrangements are
the same as those illustrated and described under Fig. 3, except that
the steam is controlled by a reciprocating instead of a rotary slide valve,
motion being communicated by the governor arms to the said valve by
means of the rocking lever 1 and connecting pieces 2 and 8; 4 is the
valve.
Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section of a third modification of trunk
piston governor. The arrangement being the same as that illustrated
and described in Fig. 8, except that instead of the governor ball and
arm mechanism centrifugal spring resisting balls are used. Here 1 is
the frame; 2, pulley; 3, rotating parts, the balls or weights 4 being
fitted with springs 5; 6, are shoulders or catch pieces which press
against the disc 7, secured to the valve spindle 8.
.
Fig. 6 is a view illustrative of the means I prefer, to employ to give
motion to the driving pulleys of my improved governors. 1 is a pulley
fixed on any convenient shaft of the prime mover; 2, pulley with india-
rubber tyre running in contact with 1, and secured on the arm 3. The
said arm 3 is supported by pin 4 and adjusted in position by quadrant
and nut 5; 6 adjusting pulley working in slot on arm 3; 7, pulley
3 giving motion to governor arms; 8, band or strap passing around
pulleys 7 and 2 and kept tight by pulley 6.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and par-
ticularized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to
make and use my said governors I claim, constructing and arranging
governors substantially as herein described for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hepburn, have hereunto set t
my hand and seal, the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
In the presence of,
J: T KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
GEORGE HEPBURN. (L.S.)