IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF MARINE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bristow Hunt, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF MARINE AND OTHER STEAM
ENGINES." A communication from abroad by Caldwell Culberson Jenkins,
of Philadelphia, and Charles Barrington Lee, of West Chester, both places
being in Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 23rd September 1879, and dated the 28th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bristow Hunt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th March 1879.
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF
MARINE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES." (A communication from abroad by
Caldwell Culberson Jenkins, of Philadelphia, and Charles Barrington Lee, of West
Chester, both places being in Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.)
The object of this Invention is to regulate the speed of steam engines, and
especially of marine engines, by the apparatus or devices described hereinafter, so
that although the duty of the governor is light there shall be a prompt action of the
heaviest throttle valve in obedience to the governor.
The distinguishing feature of the Invention is the use in combination with certain
valves of a single piston adapted to a cylinder of uniform bore throughout instead
of two pistons of different diameters adapted to two cylinders or to a duplex
cylinder as usual.
The cylinder is closed at both ends and has a piston the rod of which passes
through a stuffing box in one of the ends of the cylinder and is connected to a
lever pivoted to a plate or to any fixed framework.
One end of the lever is connected to the throttle valve of the engine, the other
end thereof passing between two stops which form parts of plates so secured to the
plate or other frame as to be adjustable from and towards each other.
Each stop has a pad made of rubber, leather, or other like cushioning material
for the lever to strike against during its operations.
Two valve chests are secured to and communicate with the interior of the
cylinder above the piston, and two other valve chests are secured to and communicate
with the interior of the cylinder below the piston,

page_text: While the mechanism is in operation one of the first and one of the second valve
chests communicate at all times through branches with a steam supply pipe, and
the other pair of valve chests communicate at all times through branches with an
exhaust pipe.
To bearings forming in the present instance part of pillars secured to the cover of
the cylinder is adapted a rock shaft which is provided with a series of arms.
One
of these arms is adapted to the sliding sleeve of a centrifugal governor of any
desired construction, and serves as the medium whereby the governor imparts a
rocking movement to the rock-shaft as the speed of the engine increases or
diminishes. Another of the arms carries a counter-balance weight adjustable on it
so as to ensure the proper delicacy in action of the governor at all times. A third
of these arms is connected to the spindle of the valve in the upper steam valve
chest, and a fourth of these arms is similarly connected to the spindle of the valve
in the lower steam valve chest, two other of these arms being also similarly
connected to the spindles of the valves in the upper and lower exhaust valve
chests.
The proper setting of the valves in the steam and exhaust chests will be best
understood by the following description of the operation of the regulating
mechanism —
When the engine is running at its normal and uniform speed, the valves in the
upper steam valve and lower exhaust valve chests will be open and the valves in
the reverse pair of chests closed, in which case the interior of the cylinder above
the piston will be open to the steam, and the interior of the cylinder below the
piston to the exhaust. The piston will then be in such a position as to cause one
end of the lever to bear against the lower of the said stops, and the main throttle
valve to which the opposite end of the lever is connected will open to an extent
sufficient to permit the passage of a proper quantity of steam for driving the engine
under ordinary circumstances.
Should there be a tendency of the engines to race, which is always the case with
marine engines when the propeller rises from the water, there will be an increased
speed of the governor corresponding with the increased speed of the engine, and
the rock shaft will be turned so as to impart such a movement to the valve actuating
arms as will close the valves in the upper steam and lower exhaust chests, and open
the valves in the other chests.
The immediate result of this will be that the interior of the cylinder above the
piston will be cut off from the steam and opened to the exhaust, while the interior
of the cylinder below the piston will be cut off from the exhaust and opened to the
steam, consequently a sudden rising of the piston will take place, thereby moving
the lever to such a position as to close the main throttle valve.
Should the speed of the engine be suddenly diminished, a reversal of the above
described operations will take place and the lever will be restored to the firstly
described position so as to again open the main throttle valve.
The above description refers to the action of the regulating apparatus under a
sudden increase or diminution in the speed of the engine. A gradual increase or
diminution of speed would result in the gradual operation of the steam and exhaust
valves, and a consequent gradual movement of the piston and of the main throttle
valve; the movement of the piston and throttle-valve in fact will be in exact
accordance with the requirements of the engine, and almost simultaneous
therewith.
The steam and exhaust chests are fitted preferably with ordinary cylindrical
balanced valves as they can be operated with but little exertion on the part of the
governor.
Although the lever is described as the means of transmitting the movement of
the piston rod to the throttle valve, and although it is preferred to use such a lever,
it may be dispensed with if desired, the piston rod for instance being connected to
the stem of a throttle valve directly, or by means other than the lever.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Bristow Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th September
1879.
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF
MARINE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES." (A communication from abroad by
Caldwell Culberson Jenkins, of Philadelphia, and Charles Barrington Lee, of West
Chester, both places being in Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.)
The object of this Invention is to regulate the speed of steam engines, and
especially of marine engines, by the apparatus or devices described hereinafter, so
that although the duty of the governor is light there shall be a prompt action of the
heaviest throttle valve in obedience to the governor.
The distinguishing feature of the Invention is the use, in combination with
certain valves, of a single piston adapted to a cylinder of uniform bore throughout,
instead of two pistons of different diameters adapted to two cylinders or to a duplex
cylinder as usual.
On the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 represents a front view, partly in
section, of the improved regulating device for steam engines; and Figure 2, a section
of part thereof taken through the line 1-2..
The cylinder A is closed at both ends and has a piston a, the rod b of which
passes through a stuffing-box in one of the ends of the cylinder, and is connected to
a lever B, pivotted at b¹ to a plate D or to any fixed framework.
One end d of the lever B is connected to the throttle valve of the engine, the
other end e thereof passing between two stops f,f', which form parts of plates f³,
so secured to the plate D or other frame as to be adjustable from and towards each
other.
Each stop has a pad h, made of rubber, leather, or other like cushioning material
for the lever B to strike against during its operations.
Two valve chests i, m, are secured to and communicate with the interior of the
cylinder A. above the piston a, and two other valve chests i¹, m³, are secured to
and communicate with the interior of the cylinder below the piston.
While the mechanism is in operation the valve chests i, i¹, communicate at all
times through branches n', n¹, with a steam supply-pipe n, and the valve chests
m, m³, communicate at all times through branches 8', 81, with an exhaust pipe 8.
To bearings p, p, forming in the present instance parts of pillars p¹, p', secured
to the cover of the cylinder A is adapted a rock-shaft E, which is provided with a
series of arms I, I', M, M, F, and G.
The arm F is adapted to the sliding sleeve 9 of a centrifugal governor J, of any
desired construction, and serves as the medium whereby the governor imparts a
rocking movement to the shaft E as the speed of the engine increases or
diminishes.
The arm G carries a counter-balance weight g adjustable on it, so as to ensure
the proper delicacy in the action of the governor at all times.
The arm I is connected to the spindle t of the valve in the chest i, and the arm I'
to the spindle t¹ of the valve in the chest i', the arms M, M³, being similarly con-
nected to the spindles w, w¹, of the valves in the chests m, m².
The proper setting of the valves in the chests i, i¹, m, m³, will be best understood
by the following description of the operation of the regulating mechanism :-
When the engine is running at its normal and uniform speed the valves in the
chests i, m, will be open and the valves in the chests and m closed, in which
case the interior of the cylinder A above the piston a will be open to the steam
from the pipe n, and the interior of the cylinder below the piston to the exhaust
pipe 8.
The piston will consequently be in the position shown in Figure 1, and the
lever B in that shown by the full lines, the end e of the lever bearing against the
stopf, and the main throttle-valve, to which the opposite end d of the lever is

page_text: connected, being open to an extent sufficient to permit the passage of a proper
quantity of steam for driving the engine under ordinary circumstances.
Should there be a tendency of the engines to race, which is always the case with
marine engines when the propeller rises in or from the water, there will be an
increased speed of the governor J corresponding with the increased speed of the
engine, and the rock-shaft E will be turned so as to impart such a movement to
the arms I, I, M, M¹, as will close the valves in the chests i, m³, and open the
valves in the chests i¹, m.
The immediate result of this is that the interior of the cylinder A above the
piston a will be cut off from the steam, and opened to the exhaust, while the
interior of the cylinder below the piston a will be cut off from the exhaust and
opened to the steam, consequently a sudden rising of the piston a will take place,
thereby moving the lever B to the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1,
and closing the main throttle-valve.
Should the speed of the engine be suddenly diminished a reversal of the above
described operations will take place, and the lever B will be restored to the position
shown by the full lines so as to again open the main throttle-valve.
The above description refers to the action of the regulating apparatus under a
sudden increase or diminution in the speed of the engine. A gradual increase or
diminution of speed would result in the gradual operation of the steam and exhaust
valves, and a consequent gradual movement of the piston a and of the main
throttle-valve; the movement of the piston and throttle-valve, in fact, will be
in exact accordance with the requirements of the engine and almost simultaneous
therewith.
It has not been deemed necessary to exhibit the character of the valves used in
the chests i, i, m, m³, as various kinds of valves may be employed; the ordinary
cylindrical balanced valves being preferred, however, as they can be operated with
but little exertion on the part of the governor.
Although the lever B is described and shown as the means of transmitting the
movement of the piston b to the throttle-valve, and although it is preferred to use
such a lever, it may be dispensed with if desired; the piston rod b, for instance,
being connected to the stem of a throttle-valve directly or by means other.than
the lever B.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I claim as
communicated to me by the aforesaid Caldwell Culberson Jenkins and Charles
Barrington Lee, and as constituting the Invention secured by the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is,—
A regulating device for steam engines in which are combined the following
elements, namely:-A cylinder A, closed at both euds, and having a piston, the rod
of which is connected to the throttle-valve, valves for admitting steam to and
exhausting it from both ends of the cylinder, a governor J, and devices, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described, whereby the valves are operated in pairs by the
governor so as to open one end of the cylinder to the exhaust as the other end is
opened to the steam, all substantially as herein before described, and as illustrated
on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bristow Hunt, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.