IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND DIRECTING BY SIGNAL THE SPEED OF ENGINES OR OTHER MOVING MACHINERY
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Beauchamp Tower, of No. 3, Beaufort Terrace, West
Brompton, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND DIRECTING BY SIGNAL THE SPEED OF
ENGINES OR OTHER MOVING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Beauchamp Tower at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd October 1880.
BEAUCHAMP TOWER, of No. 3, Beaufort Terrace, West Brompton, in the County
of Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND DIRECTING
BY SIGNAL THE SPEED OF ENGINES OR OTHER MOVING MACHINERY."
On board ship and in other situations it is often desirable to ascertain by an
indicator and to direct by signal the speed of engines or other moving machinery
at points distant from the engines or machines themselves. My Invention relates
to apparatus for accomplishing this object, and in order that its nature may be
better understood I will describe it as applied on board ship for the purpose of
enabling an officer on deck or elsewhere to ascertain by inspection of an indicator
the speed at which the engines of the vessel are moving, and also to direct by
signal the engineer to work them at any desired speed. For the purpose of
indicating the speed I provide a small air pump worked by the engines, or an
injector or ejector worked by a jet of steam or water so as to maintain in a pipe a
pressure of air greater or less than that of the atmosphere.
This air pipe
communicates at one end with a pressure gauge and at the other end with a hollow
spindle, which is driven by gearing from the engines or machines whose speed has
to be indicated. In the side of the hollow spindle there is an aperture provided
with a valve, against which bears a stem supported on springs and carrying a ball
or other suitable weight. When the spindle is made to revolve the centrifugal
force of this ball or weight causes the valve to be pressed against its seat with
force greater or less according as the velocity of rotation of the spindle is greater
or less.
Thus the pressure of air in the pipe is inade to depend on the velocity of

page_text: rotation of the spindle, and this pressure being shewn on the gauge indicates that
velocity and consequently the speed of the engines or machinery which work the
spindle. For the purpose of directing by signal the speed at which it is desired to
work the engines or machines I provide an air pipe in which the air is compressed
or rarefied by a pump, injector or ejector, this pipe communicating at each end
with a pressure gauge, and having an orifice provided with a valve, which is pressed
against its seat by a spring adjustable by a setting screw. By turning the screw
so as to increase or diminish the force of this spring the officer can vary the pressure
of air in the pipe, and varying it until the index of one of the gauges which is
visible to him points to the desired speed, the index of the other gauge which is
visible to the engineer pointing to the same speed serves as a signal to the engineer
directing him to work at the speed thus signalled. There may be several gauges
connected as above described to the air pipes mentioned, so that the speed can be
indicated or signalled at several different parts of the vessel. And in like manner,
in manufactories or other establishments the speed of engines or machines can be
indicated or directed by signal at various places distant from the engines or machines
themselves, suitable gauges being provided at these places in connection with air
pipes, as above described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Beauchamp Tower in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
March 1881.
BEAUCHAMP TOWER, of No. 3, Beaufort Terrace, West Brompton, in the County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND DIRECTING
BY SIGNAL THE SPEED OF ENGINES OR OTHER MOVING MACHINERY."
On board ship and in other situations it is often desirable to ascertain by an
indicator and to direct by signal the speed of engines or other moving machinery
at points distant from the engines or machines themselves. My Invention relates
to apparatus for accomplishing this object, and in order that its nature may be
better understood I will describe it as applied on board ship for the purpose of
enabling an officer on deck or elsewhere to ascertain by inspection of an indicator
the speed at which the engines of the vessel are moving, and also to direct by
signal the engineer to work them at any desired speed. For the purpose of
indicating the speed I provide a small air pump worked by the engines, or an
injector or ejector, worked by a jet of steam or water so as to maintain in a pipe a
pressure of air greater or less than that of the atmosphere. This air pipe
communicates at one end with a pressure gauge and at the other end with a hollow
spindle, which is driven by gearing from the engines or machines whose speed has
to be indicated. In the side of the hollow spindle there is an aperture provided
with a valve, against which bears a stem supported on springs or radius arms, and
carrying a ball or other suitable weight. When the spindle is made to revolve the
centrifugal force of this ball or weight causes the valve to be pressed against its
seat with force greater or less according as the velocity of rotation of the spindle
is greater or less. Thus the pressure of air in the pipe is made to depend on the
velocity of rotation of the spindle, and this pressure being shewn on the gauge
indicates that velocity and consequently the speed of the engines or machinery
which work the spindle. For the purpose of directing by signal the speed at which
it is desired to work the engines or machines I provide an air pipe in which the
air is compressed or rarefied by a pump, injector or cjector, this pipe communicating
at each end with a pressure gauge, and having an orifice provided with a valve.
which is pressed against its seat by a spring adjustable by a setting screw.
By
turning the screw so as to increase or diminish tho force of this spring the officer
can vary the pressure of air in the pipe, and varying it until the index of one of
the gauges which is visible to him points to the desired speed, the index of the
other gauge which is visible to the engineer pointing to the same speed serves as a
signal to the engineer directing him to work at the speed thus signalled. There
may be several gauges connected as above described to the air pipes mentioned, so
that the speed can be indicated or signalled at several different parts of the vessel.
And in like manner in manufactories or other establishments the speed of engines
or machines can be indicated or directed by signal at various places distant from
the engines or machines themselves, suitable gauges being provided at these places
in connection with air pipes, as above described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a part sectional plan of apparatus
according to my Invention for indicating at a distance on a dial, Fig. 3, the speed
of an engine shaft, and for directing from a distance the speed at which the engine
is driven by the use of the valve arrangement shewn in section at Fig. 4 in
combination with two speed indicating dials, Figs. 5 and 6.
A shaft A, driven froin the engine shaft by gearing at any desired relative speed,
drives by bevil gear A', B¹, a vertical spindle B, the upper part of which is tubular
and extends through a stuffing box into an air chamber C. The shaft A, by means

page_text: of a crank, works a small air compressing pump D, which forces air into the
chamber C. This chamber communicates by a pipe C₁ with a pressure gauge E, or
with several such gauges arranged in any convenient positions at a distance, each
gauge having an index moving over a dial which is graduated with divisions
indicating speed. The tubular part of the vertical spindle B has a lateral hole
covered by a valve F, against which bears a stud projecting from a yoke G. This
yoke is mounted on radius arins g, g, and has at its end a weight H, which revolves
with the yoke and spindle. The centrifugal force of this revolving weight presses
the valve F against its seat with force depending on the velocity of revolution.
This force determines the pressure of the air in the pipe C, and this pressure read
on the gauges E gives indication of the speed of revolution of the spindle B and
consequently of the main shaft from which it is driven at a known ratio of speed.
For the speed signalling apparatus the shaft A, by means of another crank, works
an air compressing pump K, similar to D, which forces air into a pipe L. This
pipe leads to a valve box M, having an aperture covered by a valve similar to F,
which is pressed against its seat by a spring N with a force adjustable by a setting
screw O. The air pipe L has branches communicating with two pressure gauges P
and Q, having indices moving over dials graduated to indicate speeds. The one gauge
is visible to the officer or person who has to give the signal, and the other gauge Q
is visible to the engineer who has to receive the signal. The officer turns the
screw in the one direction or the other so as to increase or diminish the force of
the spring N, and thereby to increase or diminish the pressure in the pipe L and its
branches, until he sees the index of his gauge P pointing to the speed which he
desires to signal. The gauge Q, being subject to the same pressure, gives a
corresponding indication to the engineer, who thereupon speeds his engine as
directed, and the officer, by inspecting the speed gauge E, can ascertain whether
his directions have been attended to. It is useful to connect to the valve box M a
pipe R leading to a whistle in the engine room, so that the officer, when he is about
to signal a change of speed, can, by pressing a spring button S and thereby opening
a valve T, direct a current of air into the pipe R, causing the whistle to sound, and
so calling the attention of the engineer to the speed signal.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim,-
First. The use for indicating the speed of engines or other moving machinery of
a pressure gauge communicating with an air pipe, the pressure in which is
determined by the force with which an escape valve on a tubular revolving
spindle communicating with the pipe is pressed against its seat by the centrifugal
force of a weight revolving with the spindle and valve, substantially as herein
described.
Second. The use for directing by signal the speed of engines or other moving
machinery of two pressure gauges communicating with an air pipe the pressure in
which is adjusted by means of an escape valve, so that when one of the gauges is
set to indicate the speed desired the other guage, by giving a similar indication,
operates as a signal, substantially as herein described.
Third. The combination in one apparatus of speed indicating and speed signalling
instruments operating in the manner referred to in the preceding claims, substan-
tially as herein described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Beauchamp Tower, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.