An Improved Apparatus for Indicating and Registering the Speed of Steam Engine and other Shafts.
Year: 1898

page_text: An Improved Apparatus for Indicating and Registering the Speed
of Steam Engine and other Shafts.
I, JAMES LUMB, of Perseverance Engine Works, Elland, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in actuating the paper drum without the
aid of clock work. An upright spindle supported in a box frame, is driven by
the shaft whose performance is to be recorded. On this spindle I attach a pair
of governors with suitable connections to actuate the recorder marker. I employ
a paper drum on which is fastened a ribbon of paper to receive the record. This
drum is worked by the upright spindle by means of suitable worms and worm
wheels fastened on suitable shafts. The drum is thereby carried forward at a
uniform rate of speed as the upright spindle revolves, and being thus carried
forward forms a means of recording to the greatest nicety the movements of an
engine or other motor.
An Improved Apparatus for Indicating and Registering the Speed
of Steam Engine and other Shafts.
I, JAMES LUMB, of Perseverance Engine Works, Elland, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The invention relates to an arrangement of mechanism for continually indicating
and recording automatically upon a ribbon of paper, the variation in speed of
steam engines.or other machines as follows:-
One box frame with driving pulley underneath in centre, and one upright shaft
fixed in centre, with a pair of small governors to work the recorder marker, one
worm on upright shaft to drive horizontal shaft. At the opposite end of horizontal
shaft there is a worm gearing into a wheel at the bottom of a diagonal shaft, at
the upper end of the diagonal shaft there is, a worm geared to large wheel of paper
drum.
The particular object of this invention is to provide a portable recorder, to take
up little,room, for automatically giving a permanent record of the variation in
speed of an engine, revolving shaft, and the like without the aid of a clock.

page_text: to the accompanying sheets of drawings illustrative thereof wherein
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, of my improved recording machine.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation."
Fig. 3 is a sectional view through A B shewing how the weighted levers are
hung.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view through D E shewing plan of bottom horizontal
shaft F and worm G and worm wheel H and worm J.
K is a vertical spindle mounted in suitable bearings bolted to or formed in the
framework of the machine; at the bottom end of K is a pulley L to receive the
driving band or belt, M is a cross head which is fastened on the spindle K to M
are hung between pointed centres two weighted levers N and N on which are
formed projecting ears 0 and 0; between the ears of each lever are pulleys P
and mounted on pins carried in the ears 0 and 01. Q is a sleeve fitting loosely
on spindle K, with a circular flange R formed on it; sleeve Q is also formed
with projecting ends S and S¹; the angle of the ends S and S is such that if each
were continued to the point of intersection they would form an angle of 90 degrees, or
in other words each end forms an angle of 45 degrees with the centre line of
spindle K. The angle ends S and $1 rest on the pulleys P and P¹.
T is what I term the paper drum which is mounted together with the worm
wheel U on a shaft V which is carried in bearings formed in the framework.
W is a lever with forked end which straddles or spans the sleeve Q and on each
of the forked ends are carried small loose pulleys or bowls X and X' which said
pulleys or bowls rest on the circular flange R. The lever W is mounted on a
centre pin or gudgeon Y which is carried between pointed centres fixed in the
bracket Z; to the outer end of the lever W is attached a spiral spring 1, which
passes through a bracket 2, and is provided with a nut 3, for the purpose of
regulating the tension on the spring 1; the tension on spring 1 is just sufficient
to keep the pulleys or bowls X and X¹ exerting a slight pressure on the circular
flange R of sleeve Q.
In a small projecting boss 4 formed on lever W is inserted and fastened a
lever 5 which carries the marker 6.
On the lower end of the spindle K is a worm G which gears with the worm
wheel mounted on horizontal shaft F.
At the outer end of shaft F there is a worm J which gears with worm wheel 7
on diagonal shaft 8; at the upper end of diagonal shaft 8 is a worm 9 which
gears with the worm wheel U.
The upper portion of the frame is hinged at 10 and forms a lid which may be
lifted up
for the purpose of getting to the internal mechanism: there is also a
hinged door at the front for a similar purpose. The three sides 11, 12 and 13 of
the top hinged portion of the framework are fitted with glass so that the record
or mark made on the paper by the marker may be seen at any time while the
machine is going.
On the paper drum I fix a lap of paper riband, such as is used on what is
known as the "Moscrop" recorder, and which is marked or divided by longitudinal
lines of an inch apart, and the paper is also marked transversely by lines of
an inch apart; the paper is wound one turn around the drum, and held in
position by sharpened points fixed in the drum and by a spring clip.
The marker is a metallic marker and consists of a thin silver disc 14 mounted
on a small centre pin between two small brass collars and fixed in the forked end
of the rod 6.
The modus operandi is as follows:-
The recorder is fixed near to and driven from the engine, machine, or shaft to
be tested, by means of a band or belt passing round the pulley L and as the
spindle K and weighted levers N and N¹ are revolved the weighted ends of the
levers N and N¹ have a tendency to fly outward or expand by centrifugal force,
assuming a given position for a given speed, or in other words, the faster the

page_text: speed, and the farther out will the weighted ends fly or expand, and as the
weighted ends of levers N and N₁ move in or out the pulleys P and P¹ fall or rise,
and this motion is transmitted through the sleeve Q and levers W and 5 to the
marker G; therefore as the speed of the machine increases or decreases the marking,
dise 14 is moved backward or forward across the paper, and wherever the marker,
which rests upon the paper by its own weight, is moved it makes a mark on the
paper; when the spindle K is revolved it also turns through worm G, worm
wheel H, shaft F, worm J, worm wheel 7, shaft 8, worm 9 and worm wheel U,
the paper drum T.
The gearing of the worm wheels and shafts G, H, F. J, 7, 8, 9, and U and the
size of the pulley L are so arranged that when the shaft or machine under test
or operating the recorder is going at the normal speed, the paper is moved at the
rate of 2 inches per hour, and the position of the pulleys P and P₁ in the weighted
levers N and Ni together with angle of the projecting ends S and S¹ of the
sleeve are such that the marker is moved in direct arithmetical proportion to
the speed to be recorded therefore the longitudinal graduations on the paper may
be used to measure the variation in speed, while the transverse graduations may be
used to measure time.
But I propose to use graduated scales fixed under or near the stem of the
marker 6, as shown at 15, and on the stem of the marker 6, I have a pointer 16
which may be slided along the marker 6 to any suitable position, the scale 15
to be graduated according to the speed of the shaft to be tested, and the pointer
set so that it will always point on the scale to the particular number of revolutions
the shaft under test is making at the particular instant, while at the same time
the mark made on the paper will be a permanent record,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it
understood that I do not restrict myself to all the exact forms of mechanism
herein illustrated, but what I believe to be new and therefore claim as my
invention is:-
Firstly: In connection with recorders for permanently recording the speed
of engines, revolving shafts and the like. The combination therewith of graduated
scale 15 and pointer 16 substantially as set forth.
Secondly: In connection with recorders for permanently recording the speed
of engines, revolving shafts, and the like. The combination therewith of the
particular form of the weighted levers N and N¹ with the pulley P and P' and the
sleeve Q substantially as set forth.
Lastly: The general arrangement construction and combination of parts sub-
stantially as herein set forth and illustrated by drawings.
Dated this 14th day of March 1899.