Improved Apparatus for Regulating and Controlling Marine Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Regulating and Controlling Marine Engines.
I, ALEXANDER MEARNS RUST, of 103, Queen Street, Auckland, in the Pro-
vincial District of Auckland, in the Colony of New Zealand, Inventor, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to prevent what is known as racing of marine
engines which occurrs when a vessel is in a heavy sea and the propeller is
raised out of the water by the pitching of the vessel.
Hitherto it has been usual for the engineer to stand by the valve admitting
steam to the engine and to operate it as might be required.
This is found a very arduous task and cannot be performed with sufficient
rapidity to altogether prevent racing.
The essential feature of my invention consists in the utilisation of the pitching
motion of the vessel to automatically operate a valve regulating and controlling
the admission of steam to the engines.
A weight pivotally supported in the manner of a pendulum is arranged to
swing longitudinally with the motion of the vessel; suitable guides, provided
with rollers or other anti-friction device, being employed to limit the transverse
vibration of the weight.
A rod, on which the weight is suspended, may be directly connected to the
spindle of a valve of the wing or butterfly type within the steam supply pipe or
a tooth quadrant upon said rod may gear with tooth wheels whereby the motion
of the weight may be used to revolve the spindle of a screw-operated valve.
It may be advisable to use an equilibrium valve so that the weight has no
steam pressure to overcome.
The weight is adjustable upon the suspending rod so that varying degrees of
"cut off" may be obtained and slotted links or levers or some analogous con-
trivance is employed whereby when desired the weight may have a certain
amount of lost motion and may swing within certain adjustable limits without
operating the valve.
Springs may be used upon the suspending rod and at the limits of the
vibration of the weight to bring it to rest without jar or shock to the mechanism.
What is known as dash-pot or cataract gear consisting of pistons working in
cylinders containing oil may be used to check the too rapid motion of the weight
when the vessel is violently pitching, the oil in said cylinders passing from one
side of the pistons to the other through a port the size of which may be regu-
lated to check the flow of the oil and retard the motion of the pistons which may
be connected by rods and levers to the weight.
Dated the 20th day of September 1899.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Regulating and Controlling Marine Engines.
I, ALEXANDER MEARNS RUST, formerly of 103, Queen Street, Auckland, now
of Whangarei Heads, Auckland, in the Colony of New Zealand, School Teacher,
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 essential feature of my invention consists in the utilization of the pitch-
ing motion of a vessel to automatically operate a valve regulating and controll-
ing the admission of steam to the engines.
A weight pivotally supported in the manner of a pendulum is arranged to
swing with the longitudinal pitching motion of the vessel; suitable guides,
provided with rollers or other anti-friction device, being employed to prevent
or limit transverse vibration of the weight.
'
A rod, on which the weight is suspended, may be directly connected to the
spindle of a valve of the wing or butterfly type within the steam supply pipe or
a tooth quadrant upon said rod may gear with tooth wheels whereby the motion
of the weight may be used to revolve the spindle of a screw operated valve.
My invention may be adapted to nearly every kind of valve and in some cases
it may be advisable to use an equilibrium valve so that the weight has no
steam pressure to overcome.
The weight is adjustable upon the suspending rod so that varying degrees
of cut off may be obtained and a slotted link or levers or other equivalent
analogous contrivance is employed whereby when desired the weight may have
a certain amount of lost motion; that is it may swing within certain adjustable
limits without operating the valve.
Springs may be used upon the suspending rod and at the limits of the vibration
of the weight to bring it to rest without jar or shock to the mechanism.
What is known as "dash-pot" or cataract gear consisting of a piston working
in a cylinder containing oil may be used to check the motion of the weight
when the vessel is violently pitching, the oil in said cylinder passing from one
side of the piston to the other through ports connected by a pipe provided with
a valve the opening of which may be regulated to check the flow of oil and
retard the motion of the piston which has a projecting rod engaged by the
weight when near the limit of its vibration.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:
Figure is an end, and
Figure 2 a side elevation both views being partly in section for clearer
illustration.
Figure 3 is a front, and
Figure 4 a side elevation of a modification adapting my invention to a valve
.of different type.
Figure 5 is a sectional plan of a valve.
Referring first to Figures 1 and the throttle valve (a) is in the form of a
disc and designed when in one position to close the steam pipe (b).
The valve spindle (c) passes through bearing (4) and has a pendulum rod (e)
journalled upon its outer end and a lever (f) fixed upon it.
The pendulum rod (e) is formed with a slotted quadrant (g) in which slides
the motion block (4) receiving the pin (i) projecting from lever (f).
The weight () upon the lower end of the pendulum rod is secured thereon
by a nut () and is guided between rollers (7) carried in an are shaped guide (m)
the rollers having spindles (n) journalled in the guide.
Drums (o) are journalled upon spindle (p) in the brackets (g) one upon either
side of the lever arm (f) to which they are connected by cords (r) which tend

page_text: io coil upon the drums when the latter are revolved by coil springs (s) one
beneath and operating each drum.
The springs of the drums are so adjusted that the lever (f) is normally kept
in a vertical position with the throttle valve open for the full passage of steam,
and a stop () upon each cord comes in contact with an extension (1) upon the
bracket (9) and prevents the lever from being drawn too much upon either
side should one spring be stronger than the other.
The slotted quadrant may be so proportioned that the downward motion of
the stern of the vessel has no effect in operating the valve while the valve may
either commence to operate immediately the stern of the vessel begins to rise
or after it has reached a certain position.
The limit of the vibration of the weight may be adjusted by a top bolt (u)
passed through the guide or a cataract buffer may be used consisting of a
cylinder () in which works a piston () upon a rod (2).
A pipe (3) connects ports at either end of the cylinder so that oil contained
therein passes from one side of the piston to the other when said piston is
reciprocated.
A cock (4) upon the pipe (3) can be adjusted to check the flow of oil and
bring down the weight () gradually to rest when the rod (2) is engaged by it
when nearing the limit of its vibration.
A spring () normally tends to project the rod into the path of the weight.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the application of my invention on to a screw-
down stop valve.
The pendulum rod (e) pivoted upon a pin (1) adjustable by a nut 2 in the
slotted quadrant bracket (3) the slot in which is concentric with a pinion (4),
engaged by an upwardly projecting tooth quadrant (5). formed upon the upper
extremity of the pendulum rod (e).
The pinion (4) is fixed upon a sleeve (21) journalled upon a stud (6) and a
spur wheel (7) upon said sleeve engages with a pinion (S) fixed upon a spindle (9)
which is free to revolve in a cross-head (10) fixed by screw-bolts (11) to the
valve casing cover (12).
Spindle (9) has a flange (13) at one side of the cross-head (10) and is screwed
and has a nut and washer (14) at the other to prevent its lateral movement and
has a hollow end (16) screwed internally to receive the screwed end of the valve
rod (c).
It will be seen that the vibration of the pendulum rod revolves the spindle (9)
screws the valve spindle (c) in one direction or the other and regulates the
opening of the valve (20).
The lift of the valve. is adjusted to suit the conditions under which it is used
and it may be arranged that it is open to the fullest capacity of the steam pipe
when the vessel is on an even keel and sinking of the stern of the vessel into
the water will only have the effect of the drawing the valve further from its
seat without influencing the volume of steam passing through.
The quadrant bracket (3) is concentric with the pinion (4) to permit the
adjustment of the pendulum rod in case the vessel should not be loaded to
normally assume an even keel and the pinion (4) and spur wheel (7) may be
changed for others to adjust the amount of opening of the valve relative to the
vibration of the weight.
The guides (m) for the weight () are, in Figures 3 and 4, shown as arc
shaped slotted bars of a radius to suit the vibration of the weight bars and the
limit of vibration of the weight may be regulated by bolts (u) having buffer
rings (18), adjustable within the slot (19) of the guido bracket (m).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1 In annaratus for regulating and controlling marine engines я weight

page_text: pivotally supported in the manner of a pendulum arranged to swing with the
longitudinal pitching motion of the vessel with means whereby the vibration
of said weight is used to actuate a valve controlling the supply of steam to
the engines substantially as herein specified and illustrated.
2. In apparatus for the purpose described a weight supported upon a pendulum
rod pivoted upon a pin adjustable in a quadrant bracket a tooth quadrant upon
the pendulum rod engaging a pinion upon a sleeve which carries a spur wheel
gearing with a pinion upon a spindle and means whereby the revolution
of said spindle actuates a screw operating a valve controlling the supply of
steam to the engines substantially as herein specified and illustrated.
3. In apparatus for the purpose described a weight supported upon a pendulum
rod pivoted upon a pin adjustable in a quadrant bracket a tooth quadrant upon
the pendulum rod engaging a pinion upon a sleeve which carries a spur wheel
gearing with a pinion upon a spindle revolving in a cross-head a screwed valve
rod engaging in the internally screwed hollow end of said spindle and a valve
upon such valve rod controlling the passage of steam to the engines substan-
tially as and for the purposes herein specified and illustrated.
4. In apparatus for regulating and controlling marine engines a weight
pivotally supported in the manner of a pendulum arranged to swing with the
longitudinal pitching motion of the vessel means whereby the vibration
of said weight is used to actuate a valve controlling the supply of steam to
the engines and are shaped guides for preventing the transverse motion of the
weight substantially as herein specified and illustrated.
5. In apparatus for regulating and controlling marine engines a weight
pivotally supported in the manner of a pendulum arranged to swing with the
longitudinal pitching motion of the vessel means whereby the vibration
of said weight is used to actuate a valve controlling the supply of steam to
the engines and means whereby said weight is permitted to vibrate within pre-
determined limits without affecting the steam controlling valve substantially
as herein specified and illustrated.
6. The apparatus for regulating and controlling admission of steam to marine
engines the essential features of which consists of a weight suspended in the
manner of a pendulum with the combination and arrangement of parts sub-
stantially as lierein specified and illustrated.
Dated this 9th day of August 1900.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.