IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Wood, of the Firm of John and Edward
Wood, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Engincers, for the
·Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES.”
Sealed the 2nd May 1873, and dated the 15th February 1873.

page_text: Secondly. In an improved apparatus for governing by the cut off. In
this arrangement the governor is worked by a wheel on the shaft that
communicates motion from the crank shaft to the valve gear, and the
governor is connected by rods and levers to a shaft on which are two
weighted levers placed at such an angle that as the governor balls rise or
fall the angle of the levers causes the effect of one of the weights to
increase, while the other is reduced. These levers may be used in com-
bination or separately. The weighted levers are fixed on the shaft that
works the movable bowl referred to in the first paragraph.
Thirdly. In an improved apparatus for stopping the engine when the
governor approches either extremity of its range, or when any accident
happens to the governing gear. On the shaft of the two weighted levers
above referred to is a lever connected by a rod to a second lever vibrating
on a fulcrum shaft, on which are two short levers acting on the driving
bars. By this means when the governor balls expand or collapse beyond 1
certain limits the driving bars are raised, and so prevented from opening
the valves. This arrangement may be modified by studs on a rod acting
on a lever connected to the fulcrum shaft above referred to, or the said
lever may be connected to the governing lever.
Fourthly. In an improved apparatus for closing the supply valve when
the governor balls expand or collapse beyond certain limits, or when any
accident happens to the governing gear. To the shaft of the two
weighted levers above referred to is fixed a lever acting on a rod con-
nected to a catch lever by which the supply valve is held open, or the
catch lever may be dispensed with and the valve lever or spindle may be :
held up by the end of the rod.
Fifthly. In the application of a second governor to steam engines, for
the purpose of stopping the engine when the first governor fails to act
properly. This second governor acts on a catch or catch lever, which
when withdrawn allows the stop valve to close.
Sixthly. In the application of syphon boxes to steam engine cylinders
to prevent the accumulation of water therein. These syphon boxes are
connected to a pocket at each end of the cylinder, or in the steam or
exhaust passages, and back pressure valves are applied in the pipes for
conveying away the water. These pipes are connected to the condenser,
or open to the atmosphere.

page_text: Seventhly. In an apparatus for collecting the water between the high
and low-pressure cylinders of compound engines. This apparatus consists
of a chamber into which the exhaust pipe from the high-pressure cylinder
descends, and from which the steam passes to the high-pressure cylinder,
the water remaining in the chamber. The water is either conveyed to a
.syphon box or re-evaporated by a steam jacket or otherwise."
Eighthly. In an improved variable expansion gear for equilibrium
valves. This consists of a catch plate connected to the valve rod. This
catch plate is moved by a rod and eccentric or cam to open the valve,
and the rod is disengaged by a lever connected to the governor acting on
an incline or a stop.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
WOOD, of the Firm of John and Edward Wood, of Bolton, in the County
of Lancastor, Engineers, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Wood, Her special licenco
that I, the said Edward Wood, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Wood, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might mako, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I; the said
Edward Wood, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in

page_text: the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Wood, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by 5
the following statement (reference being had to the accompanying two
Sheets of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon :—
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is an clovation of the principal parts of a Corliss
steam engine of the ordinary construction, to which parts of my improve-
ments are applied. a is the crank shaft, on which is the bevel wheel for 1
driving the side shaft 6 which communicates motion to the governor c
and valve shaft d on which are cocentrics for working the valve
levers e, e; fare the driving bars, one for each steam valvo, acting on
the spindles f; and g is the cylinder, provided with the admission
valves g¹ and the exhaust valves 9³. All these parts are made in the 1
usual manner.
The first part of my Invention consists of an improved disengaging
apparatus for cutting off the steam at different points. To each driving
bar f, which is jointed as usual to the lever e, is attached the curved
incline ƒ³, which acts on the bowl ǹ mounted in a slide h¹, and tho
position of this slide is varied by the governor which in expanding or
contracting moves the elbow lever c¹, rod c³, and double lever c³; koyed
on the shaft c', the lower arm of the lever c³ being connected by a link
to the slide h³, which moves on the stand h³, as shown in Fig. 2, without
bearing on the spindle f¹. The centre of the bowl h is in a line with the
centre of the spindle f¹ and with the centre of the driving barƒ; by
this arrangement the parts are at liberty to act without binding and
without undue friction. When the engine is working too fast the bowl h
is moved in the direction of the arrow, and when the inclino fa comes in
contact with the bowl the driving bar is raised, thereby disconnecting it
from the spindle f¹ and allowing the spring f³ to draw back the spindle f¹
to close the valvo, thereby cutting off the steam. When the engine is
working too slow the governor moves the bowl in the opposite direction,
consequently the incline ƒ comes later in contact with the bowl and
more steam is admitted to the cylinder.
The bowl h and slide h¹ may be constructed as shewn in Fig. 2; or in
some cases two bowls h may be connected to the slide h¹, as shewn in

page_text: Fig. 3. In some cases the bowls & may be connected to the driving
rods, and the inclines to the slide h².
Figs. 4 and 5 represent a modification of this part of my Invention.
In this arrangement the slides h¹ of the bowls h are set at an angle to the
spindles finstead of parallel to them, as in Fig. 1, the object being by
varying the shape of the inclines f* to ronder the apparatus uniform in
its action at both ends of the stroko; that is to say, by always cutting
off the steam at the same point at both ends of the cylinder.
The second part of my Invention consists in an improved apparatus
for governing the cut off by equalising the action of the governor; this
apparatus is also shewn in Fig. 1. To the shaft c', which is caused to
vibrate by the fluctuation of the governor, as before described, are fixed
the two weighted levers i and j, which are provided with weights i¹
and j', and which are placed at such an angle that as the governor
expands or contracts the angle of the levers causes the effect of one of
the weights to increase while the other is reduced; thus for instance,
when the engine is running too fast the weight would descend and its
effective leverage would be increased, while the lever i would ascend and
the effect of its weight would be reduced; and the contrary action in the
weighted levers takes place when the engine is going too slow and the
weight of the governor descends.
Figs. 6 and 7 represent another modification of my improved dis-
engaging apparatus for cutting off the steam. In this arrangement the
lovers on the shaft c', above referred to, are connected by links to the
wedges n, and these wedges act on bearing rollers mounted on studs
fixed in the frames ¹ which support the bowls ; as the governor
expands or collapses it raises and lowers the bowls h, and consequently
disengages the driving bars sooner or later. By varying the form of
the wedges n the equalization of the cut off at both ends of the cylinder
may be effected instead of by varying the shape of the curved inclines f³,
as above described.
.The third part of my Invention, which is illustrated in Fig. 8 on Sheet 2,
consists in an improved apparatus for stopping the engine when the
governor approaches either extremity of its range, or when any accident
happens to the governing gear. On the shaft c' above referred to is
fixed the lever i, to which is suspended the rod and weight ; to the
rod are fixed two studs, between which is the end of the loyer k fixed

page_text: :
on the fulcrum shaft k¹ on which are two short doublo lovers k³, each
being provided with bowls which act when required on the driving
bars f; to the shaft c' is also fixed the lever c³, which is connected by a
link to the slide h¹, on which is an incline acting on the bowl h, which
in this instanco is connected to the end of the driving bar. So long as 5
the engine works within certain limits the rod i can move up and down
without bringing the studs on it in contact with the lever k, and the cut
off is then regulated by the levers c³ and slides h³, the inclines on which
lift the driving bars f sooner or later; but when the governor expands or
collapses sufficiently to bring either of the studs on the rod is in contact 1
with the lever & the bowls on the double lovers ³ lift the driving bars f,
and by disconnecting them from the spindles f¹ prevent the admission
valves being opened.
Fig. 9 represents a modification of this part of my Invention. In this
case one of the levers ³ is provided with a stud, on which one end of 1
the bar rests. This bar is provided with two projections corresponding
to the studs on the rod in Fig. 8. The other end of the bar is jointeḍ
to the lever / fixed on the fulcrum shaft k', on which are the two double
levers k³ for acting on the driving bars f, the levers c³ are connected to
the slides h. When the governor approaches cither extremity of its 2
range the stud on the lever c³ acts on one of the projections on the
bar, which then communicates motion to the lever k, shaft k¹, and
levers k³, thereby preventing the admission valves being opened as before
described.
The fourth part of my Invention is illustrated in Fig. 10, and it a
consists in an improved apparatus for closing the supply valvo when the
governor balls expand or collapse beyond certain limits, or when any
accident happens to the governing gear. To the shaft c' above referred
to is fixed the lever c³, in which is a stud which vibrates between two
projections on the bar 1, one end of which is jointed to the catch lever m, &
by which the lever m², connected to the supply valve m³, is held up.
When the engine is working within the proper limits the driving bars
are raised by the slide h² as before described, or in any other convenient
manner, but when the stud in the lever c³ acts on one of the projections
of the bar the catch lever m is moved from under a projection on the
lever m², which then instantly drops and shuts off the steam, or the
catch lever m and lever m² may be dispensed with and the valve spindlo
held up by the end of the bar 7.

page_text: The fifth part of my Invention is illustrated by Fig. 11, and it consists
in applying a second governor to a steam engine for the purpose of
stopping the said engine when the first governor fails to act properly.
In this arrangement o represents the second governor, the balls of which
3 in expanding and collapsing cause the elbow lever O' to vibrate on its
fulcrum. The lower arm of the elbow lever o¹ has a catch to hold up
the end of the lover m², which is fixed to the axle of the throttle
valve m³. When the balls of the governor o expand beyond the desired
limit the catch under the end of the lever m¹ is withdrawn, and the lever
in falling closes the valve m².
Fig. 12 is a modification of Fig. 11. In this apparatus the vertical arm
of the elbow lever o¹ is jointed to the bar 7, the end of which holds up
the end of the lever m¹. o³ is a shaft on which is the lever o³; the bar l
is hooked on a stud in the lower end of the lever o³. So long as the
3 engine is working within its proper limits the end of the bar 7 bolds up
the end of the lever m³, but when the balls of the governor o expand
beyond the fixed limit the end of the bar is withdrawn from under the
end of the lever m² and the valve m² is then instantly closed. The
valves m³ in Figs. 11 and 12 may be the ordinary supply valves, or they
› may be additional valves placed in any convenient position in the supply
pipes.
The sixth part of my Invention consists in the application of syphon
boxes to steam engines to prevent the accumulation of water in the
steam cylinders.
In Fig. 13 g represents the cylinder of a steam engine to which this
improvement is applied. p, p, are two pockets, one at each ond of the
cylinder. These pockets are connected to the syplion boxes q, q, by tho
pipes p'; within each syphon box is a discharge valve q' furnished with
'a float and lever q³, and under the valve q¹is the discharge pipe ṛ, in
which is the back pressure valve 2¹. When sufficient water has accumu-
lated in the syphon boxes the floats q² are raised to allow the water to
flow off through the pipes r, which are connected to the condenser or
open to the atmosphere.
Fig. 14 is a modification of Fig. 13. In this instance the syphon box q
is.connected by the pipe p² to the steam or exhaust passage.
The seventh part of my Invention is represented in Fig. 15, and it
consists in an apparatus for collecting the water of condensation between

page_text: the high and low pressure cylinders of a compound engine; q is the low-
pressure and the high-pressure cylinders. To the exhaust passage of
the high-pressure cylinder is connected one end of the pipe s¹, the other
end of which descends into the chamber t; the steam from the cylinder s
is thus conveyed to near the bottom of the chamber t, from which it
passes through the pipe to tho steam chest of the low-pressure
cylinder g, the water of condensation remaining in the chamber t, from
which it is conveyed to a syphon box, or it is re-evaporated by a steam
jacket, as shewn.
The last part of my Invention, which consists in an improved expansion
gear for equilibrium valves, is shewn in Figs. 16, 17, and 18.
In Fig. 16, u is the equilibrium valve, u¹ is the valve spindle, and v
the valve rod which is moved up and down by the eccentric v³ on the
shaft v; the eccentric v¹ is connected by the rod to the bush v³, which
forms a socket for the end of the valve rod v. To the bush is jointed
the catch plate wo which acts on a plate fixed to the valve rod v, and the
arm w¹ forming part of the catch plate is acted upon by the elbow
lever which is connected to the governor by the rod a¹, the spring w³
is to bring the catch plate back towards the valve rod v after it has been
disengaged. When the engine to which this improved expansion gear is
applied is running too fast the rod x¹ is raised, thereby causing the
lower arm of the elbow lever x to disconnect the catch plate w from the
rod v, which then drops by its own gravity and instantly closes the
equilibrium valves ". When the engine is going too slow, the arm w¹
comes later in contact with the elbow lever x, and consequently the
catch plate to remains longer in contact with the rod v, thereby holding
the valve open to admit steam for a longer time.
Fig. 17 is a modification of the apparatus shewn in Fig. 16. In this
arrangement the bush o' is moved by the cam v¹ on the shaft v³, and the
catch plate wo is disconnected sooner or later by means of the cam x
which acts on the frames ¹, supporting the bowls h. The cam x is
moved to and fro by the governor, and causes the bowls & to act sooner
or later on the curved inclines f* projecting from the catch plates w; or
the frames h¹ may be moved by wedges arranged as in Figs. 6 and 7,
Fig. 18 is another modification of the apparatus shewn in Fig. 16. In
this arrangement the catch plate wo is fixed to the rod ³ which is moved

page_text: And, lastly. The improved expansion gears for equilibrium valves as
shewn and described in reference to Figs. 16, 17, and 18.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Wood, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this 12th day of August, One thousand cight
hundred and seventy-three.