IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO GOVERNING APPARATUS FOR MARINE ENGINES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Coutts and Henry Adamson, both of Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO GOVERNING APPARATUS FOR MARINE ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Coutts and Henry
Adamson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th July
1880.
JAMES COUTTS and HENRY ADAMSON, both of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO GOVERNING APPARATUS FOR
MARINE ENGINES."
ab
This Invention has for its object the prevention of racing in marine engines by
governing the engine by means of difference of pressure at or close to the propeller.
We place a stand pipe at the stern, preferably dipping down almost or quite to
the level of the keel, immediately behind or in front of the propellor; from this
pipe, which is open at the bottom, we bring a smaller pipe filled with air to a small
cylinder, preferably on a syphon filled with mercury. This cylinder is fitted with
piston or ram which works an equilibrium or other valve directly or by means
of intermediate levers or other mechanism. When the pressure is withdrawn.
from or a partial vacuum formed below the small piston the valve travels forward
and thereby admits steam to a second or intermediate cylinder and piston. This
intermediate piston. works the throttle valve. When the normal pressure is in the
pipe from the stern the valve keeps the second or intermediate cylinder always
open to the condenser, but when, through absence of pressure at the stern, the
small piston above the mercury is drawn back, the exhaust is cut off, and the
steam admitted. The upper end of the intermediate cylinder is preferably open
to the air. A spring or its equivalent, preferably situated round the piston rod in
the mercury cylinder, brings back the valve to its normal position, leaving the
intermediate cylinder open to the exhaust.
The mercury piston has preferably three or more grooves turned out of it filled
with mercury, and both it and the cylinder are made of iron.
Sometimes, instead of the mercury cylinder, a diaphragm of brass, phosphor
bronze, india rubber, or equivalent elastic material, is applied on an enlarged acting
area; the connections, modified only at their junction with the diaphragm, are the
same as before.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Coutts and Henry Adamson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th January 1881.
JAMES COUTTS and HENRY ADAMSON, both of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO GOVERNING APPARATUS FOR
MARINE ENGINES."
This Invention has for its object the prevention of racing in marine engines, and
belongs to that.class of governors which are actuated by means of the difference in
pressure at or near the propellor.
It is best described by aid of the accompanying Drawings taken from our very
successful experimental governor now at work on the Pacific Steam Navigation
Company's vessel, the "Iberia." In these Fig. 1 is an elevation of the stand pipe
and stern; Fig. 2, elevation, of governor; Fig. 3, enlarged details of same partly in
elevation partly in section; Fig. 4, side elevation of cylinder of governor showing
its mode of attachment. A is the stand pipe (in present instance 3 inch bore) at
the stern of the vessel, with an opening through the skin of the vessel close to the
propeller to admit sea water freely at its lower extremity; B, stop cock, which can
be worked by levers from above, but is in the present example worked by a rod
through the bulk head to shut off the connection with the sea when desired; C,
small air pipe ( of an inch bore on the "Iberia") connecting stand pipe with
diaphragm chamber of governor, which we have used as a mechanical equivalent of
or substitute for the mercury syphon and cylinder mentioned in our Provisional
Specification; D is the diaphragm chamber with flexible india-rubber or concen-
trically corrugated phosphor bronze or other metallic diaphragm E and spring F,
whose amount of compression is regulated by the screw G; H, valve rod, passing
through diaphragm E and firmly held to same by nuts, as shown; I, right and left
handed nut for regulating length of valve rod; J, equilibrium valve, with passages
for steam to pass through its centre and press equally above and below; K, port
leading to cylinder; M, exhaust to condenser; N, steam passage; O, single acting
steam cylinder open to atmosphere at P; Q, connecting rod, connected by link
motion or levers, as shown, with the throttle valve lever R; S is a spring to assist
in bringing the valve back, and T, india-rubber cushion.
The mode of action is as follows:-
When the normal pressure is in the pipe from-the-stern-the-valve_J_keeps_the_
cylinder O continuously open to the condenser, and the governor has no tendency
to shut off steam, but when, through absence of pressure on the stern, and conse-
quently on the upper side of the diaphragm E, the spring raises the diaphragm
and valve rod, the exhaust is cut off, and communication opened between K and
the steam pipe N. If a small syphon filled with mercury or other fluid be used
with a small cylinder and piston, as described in the first part of our Provisional
Specification, in lieu of the diaphragm we make the piston and cylinder of iron, and
turn out three or more grooves in the periphery of the piston, which fill with
mercury, which mercury itself acts as a packing. In practice, however, we prefer
the diaphragm arrangement, so have confined our Drawings and general description
to it.
Having now described our Invention, and the best mode known to us of carrying
it into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not claim as our Invention
the principle of regulating the governor by the pressure of water at the propeller,
but only our special application of that principle, and that what we believe to be
new, and desire to protect under the herein before in part recited Letters Patent
is,-
First. The manufacture and use of governors for governing marine engines,

page_text: composed of a cylinder and piston, or their mechanical equivalent, whose valve is
actuated by a subsidiary cylinder and piston or their mechanical equivalent,
actuated in one direction by pressure brought from water near the propeller, and
in the other by a spring weight or mechanical equivalent thereof, substantially as
described.
Second. The mechanism for governing marine engines, consisting of a stand pipe
or its equivalent near the propeller open to the water, an air pipe of much smaller
diameter connecting the same with an intermediate cylinder whose piston or
diaphragm rod or its equivalent controled in part by a weight or spring works the
valve of an intermediate cylinder or engine actuating the throttle valve or expansion
valve of the main engines.
Third. The metallic diaphragm constructed substantially as and for the purposes
described.
Fourth. The special arrangement and construction of the governing apparatus;
constructed substantially as herein described, no claim being made for any single
part taken separately, but only when combined with the others in the manner
specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Coutts and Henry Adamson, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.