IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNOR VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Junius Judson, of Rochester, in the County of
Monroe, and State of New York, United States of America, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNOR VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES."
-A communication from William Archibald Cogswell, residing at
Rochester, New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th February 1873, and dated the 15th August 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Junius Judson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th August 1872.
I, JUNIUS JUDSON, of Rochester, in the County of Monroe, and State
of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNOR VALVES FOR STEAM
ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to the piston of the valve, its seat, and
the means employed for keeping it in position and allowing it to be
adjusted, as herein-after described. The general construction and

page_text: arrangement of the casing or shell, the supporting standard, the balls,
arms, and piston rod are similar to those already in use.
In the lower end of the casing or shell which rests upon the steam
chest is inserted an independent ring, which is made of refined metal
and hardened before being inserted, so as to resist "steam cut" or wear
from the friction of the steam under pressure as much as possible. It
may be made either tapering or straight, as may be desired, but prefer-
ably tapering, as it is more casily driven into place and centred in that
form. This ring forms the lower seat to the piston which plays up and
down therein.
This piston is made in two parts, and is connected by the piston rod
with the arms of the governor or fly balls so as to be raised or lowered
as the balls raise or lower under the varying motion of the engine.
The upper head of the piston is made a little larger in diameter than
the lower one, and has a trunk or body which is hollow, with openings 1
at the top and bottom to allow steam to pass through to balance the
piston. The lower end is formed with a stem, on which the lower head
of the piston is attached in any desired manner. By making the upper
head of a little larger diameter than the lower head there is a slight
overbalance of pressure upward. This construction allows the piston to
bo drawn out easily when desired to remove it and also serves to hold
the piston rod up firmly to the balls to prevent slack motion to the
latter.
The lower head of the piston which fits in the hardened scat before
described, is also made hardened to prevent "steam cut," and it is pro-
vided at the bottom with three or more projecting legs. or bearings,
which hold in the seat when the body of the piston head is raised above.
It also has three or more graduated openings or passages between the
legs which graduate the passage of steam to the steam chest and insure
a steady and uniform motion under different loads or resistances applied
to the engine.
A conical or tapering head or collar is attached fast to the piston rod at
a suitable position, and on this head rests a corresponding tapering ring.
This ring has an arm with a forked outer end which embraces a vertical
way of the frame on which it slides up and down freely as the rod moves;
up or down. This ring and arm hold the rod and consequently the
piston from turning around accidentally. But when it is desired to

page_text: change the position of the piston in its scat, the ring is loosened from
the tapering head by striking it up with a hammer or other device, and
the piston can then be turned axially to a new position. This is only
necessary when from long usage the hardened seat becomes "sicam cut”
in a given position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Junius Judson in the Great Seal Patent Office ou
the 14th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JUNIUS
JUDSON, of Rochester, in the County of Monroe, and State of New
York, United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Junius Judson, Her special licence that I,
the said Junius Judson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Junius Judson, my executors, adminis-.
trators, 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 make, use, excrcise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNOR VALVES FOR
STEAM ENGINES," the said Invention a communication from William
Archibald Cogswell, a person residing at Rochester, New York, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
·Junius Judson, my executors or adminstrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Junius Judson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This Invention consists essentially in the employment of a removable
hardened seat in the casing, and of a removable hardened head upon the
piston which plays therein. It also consists in combining with the 5
piston rod a piston having its upper head of larger diameter than the
lower head; and it also consists in constructing the latter with three or
more depending legs or bearings, and three or more intermediate
graduated openings. And it furthermore consists in combining with the
piston rod a tapering head and a forked arm for preventing the piston 1
rod from turning out of position as it moves up and down, all as herein-
after described.
In the Drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of my improvement;
Fig. 2, a plan of the hardened scat removed from place; Fig. 3, a plan
of the hardened piston head removed from place; Fig. 4, an clevation of 1
the same part; Fig. 5, a bottom view of the same part; Fig. 6, a cross
section of the piston rod, and a plan of the tapering head and the forked
arm.
A represents the casing or shell which is bolted to the steam chest of
the engine; B is the supporting standard; C is the revolving head; 2
D, D, the governor balls connected with it by the arms E, E. G is the
piston, and H the piston rod; I is a swivelled head running free on the
rod between fixed flanges, and having the short ends of the arms E, E,
resting in slots therein, by which the proper connection is made. These
parts are in common use and do not require further mention.
2
The casing or shell is provided with two scats a, a¹, in which rest and
play the two heads b, b', of the piston. The upper seat a' is cast with
the casing; the lower seat a is a separate ring, which is first cast or
otherwise formed, and then dressed and hardened before being inserted
in the casing. It is inserted and driven in from the under side, and may a
be made tapering or conical as shown in Fig. 1, or it may be made
straight. The upper piston head b¹ is also formed entire with the body
of the piston; but the lower head is made separate and attached by a
screw thread c or otherwise. The head 6 is also hardened before being
applied.
The advantage of making the lower seat a, and lower piston head b
3

page_text: almost indefinitely; and by being made separate they can be applied or
removed at pleasure, so that if at any time necessity requires they can
be replaced without discarding the whole casing or piston. They have
heretofore been cast solid with the casing and piston, and if any flaw or
defect occurred the whole casing must be discarded. In making them
separate this difficulty is avoided; both seats and both piston heads
might be made removable, or both seats and both piston heads might be
made stationary and chilled to produce the necessary hardness.
The upper head b' of the piston is made of a little larger diameter
than the lower head b, by which means the piston is more easily drawn
upward if sediment adheres. By this means also a slight overbalance
of pressure upward is produced by the steam on the piston which bears
the piston rod up tight against the short ends of the arms E, E, and also
balances a slight loss of pressure on the under side of the piston which
occurs by a difference between the boiler and cylinder pressure operating
upon the opposite sides of the piston.
The body of the piston G is made hollow and has ports or passages d, d,
at bottom and top for the passage of the steam through to balance the
piston. The steam from the steam pipe enters through the ordinary side
passage, and thence passes downward beneath the piston into the
steam chest of the engine, and from thence a portion passes up through
the body of the piston to balance the same, as before stated. The lower
piston head is provided with three or more legs or bearings I, I, I,
which rest and play within the lower seat a of the casing; and three or
more intermediate graduated openings h, h, h, which admit the steam
beneath the piston to the steam chest. These openings are of inverted V
form, and their object is to graduate the admission of the steam under
varying loads of the engine, so as to produce a regular and uniform
motion. The legs or bearings 9, 9, 9, center and hold the piston in
proper position without greatly obstructing the passage way for the
steam, while the intermediate graduated openings h, h, h, admit the
steam equally upon all sides, thereby obviating any undue friction.
A conical or tapering head or collar i is attached fast to the piston rod
at a suitable position, and on this head rests a corresponding conical or
tapering ring k. This ring has an arm 7 which extends outward, and
is provided at its extremity with a fork m that embraces a vertical way n
of the frame on which it slides up and down freely as the piston rod

page_text: moves up or down. This ring and arm allows the piston rod to move
up and down freely, but prevents it from turning around accidentally.
But when it is desirable to change the position of the piston in its seat
the ring k is loosened from the conical head i by striking it up with a
hammer or other device, and the piston can then be turned axially to any
desired position. This is only necessary when from long usage the
hardened seat or piston head becomes "steam cut" or worn in a
given position.
Having thus fully described this Invention, what I claim and desire
to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First. In the governor valve herein described the hardened scat a,
when arranged and applied substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
]
Second. In the governor valve herein described the hardened piston
head 6 arranged and applied substantially as and for the purpose ]
specified.
Third. The combination with a piston rod I connected directly with
the governor balls as described of a piston G, having its upper head of
larger diameter than its lower head, to produce a slight overbalance of
pressure upward on the piston, for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The lower piston head 6 constructed with the three or more
depending legs 9, 9, 9, and three or more intermediate graduated
openings h, h, h, substantially and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The tapering head or collar i and tapering ring k, provided
with the arm when combined with the piston rod H, in the manner 2
and for the purpose specified.
In testimony whereof, I, the said Junius Judson, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three.
JUNTTIS JUDSON