IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS."-A communication
from abroad by William Bellis, of Richmond, State of Indiana,
United States of America.
Sealed the 13th July 1869, and dated the 8th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th February 1869.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS," a communi-
cation from abroad by William Bellis, of Richmond, State of Indiana,
United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar form of governor valve
which in addition to the advantages of great compactness and mobility
possesses the facility of closing automatically in the event of the
snapping or running off of the governor belt, or the sudden suspension
of the governor action from any other cause or accident.

page_text: Secondly. To a device for holding such governor valve open when the
throttle is shut, so as to enable the engine to be started by the opening
of the said throttle.
According to the first part of this Invention it is proposed to construct
the governor valve in the form of a triple disc valve, the three
discs being of equal size and connected together by spiral or other
arms or rods. This triple disc valve works through two valvular
openings made in the two upper horizontal portions of an S-shaped
diaphragm or partition cast inside a closed valve chamber. The spindle of
the valve works through a stuffing box and is coupled to the governor
spindle.
The valve above described will close the ports or openings in the
said S-shaped partition either by the extreme extension or extreme con-
traction of the governor balls, or, in other words, by the extreme upward
or downward movement of the valve. In order to hold the said governor
valve open when the engine and governor are at rest, or when the throttle
is closed, a weighted lever is employed, the fulcrum of which is on a
bracket made capable of adjustment vertically. One end of this lever
engages with the head of the valve rod, whilst the other end carries an
adjustable weight or counterpoise. This weight lever may be used to
give a variety of speeds to the engine, or to adjust its velocity to a certain
number of revolutions, but it is also used to sustain the valve in the open
position when the engine and governor are at rest. This is accomplished
in connection with a brass gravitating catch or tumbler situate under-
neath the weighted lever. When the engine is started the valve is held
open by the action of the prop. As the governor balls commence to rise
the prop will be released and will drop out of the way, leaving the
governor and valve to operate in the usual manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent 30
Office on the 7th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hor
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, 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 ENGINE GOVERNORS," a communication from
abroad by William Bellis, of Richmond, State of Indiana, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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
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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
The said Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar form of governor
valve which in addition to the advantages of great compactness and
mobility possesses the facility of closing automatically in the event of
the snapping or running off of the governor belt, or the sudden suspen-
sion of the governor action from any other cause or accident..
Secondly. To a device for holding such governor valve open when the
steam inlet valve or throttle is shut, so as to enable the engine to be
started by the opening of the said throttle.
According to the first part of this Invention it is proposed to construct
the governor valve in the form of a triple disc valve, the three discs.

page_text: being of equal size and connected together by spiral or other arms or
rods. This triple disc valve works through two valvular openings made
in the two upper horizontal portions of an S-shaped diaphragm or
partition cast inside a closed valve chamber, the spindle of the valve
working through a stuffing box and being coupled to the governor
spindle.
The valve above described will close the ports or openings in the
said S-shaped partition either by the extreme extension or extreme
contraction of the governor balls, or, in other words, by the extreme
upward or downward movement of the valve. In order to hold the
said governor valve open when the engine and governor are at rest, or
when the throttle is closed, a weighted lever is employed, the fulcrum
of which is on a bracket made capable of adjustment vertically. One
end of this lever engages with the head of the valve rod, whilst the
other end carries an adjustable weight or counterpoise. This weighted
lever may be used to give a variety of speeds to the engine, or to adjust.
its velocity to a certain number of revolutions, but it is also used to
sustain the governor valve in the open position when the engine and
governor are at rest. This is accomplished in connection with a gravi-
tating catch or tumbler situate underneath the said weighted lever.
When the engine is started the governor valve is held open by the
action of the prop. As the governor balls commence to rise the prop
will be released and will drop out of the way, leaving the governor and
valve to operate in the usual manner.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is an axial section of a valve and its
accessories embodying this Invention, the governor being at rest, the
valve open, and the steam just entering from the opened throttle;
Figure 2 shows the same valve with the gravitating catch or tumbler
released, the valve being under control of the governor; Figure 3 shows
the valve automatically closed in consequence of the running off of the
belt or other accident to the governor.
The valve chamber A may have the represented rectangular or other

page_text: external form, and has the customary inlet neck B and outlet neck C,
which necks are separated by an S-formed diaphragm D, E, F, G, H,
of which the portions D, F, and H form horizontal shelves connected
by the vertical walls E and G. Of these parts the shelves D and F are
traversed by circular ports d and f of equal size. The governor valve
proper consists of three precisely equal parallel and equidistant discs
I, J, K, of which the upper and lower discs I and K are separated from
the middle disc J the precise distance which separates the shelves
D and F. The several discs are connected by wings, ribs, or bars i, j, k,
which it is preferred to make flush with the peripheries of the discs and
of a spiral form, as shown in the Drawings, in order that in the vertical
oscillation of the valve it may be guided easily and truly with the
openings of the seats, and that every part of the seats may be equally
subjected to wear. L is the valve stem, which is connected to the
governor stem M by a swivel m; N is an ordinary governor, of which O
is the driving shaft. The stem coupling m³ is slotted, as shown, to
receive the lever P, which is fitted with an adjustable weight or counter-
poise p, and works on a centre at p¹. This weighted lever may be
used to give a variety of speeds to the engine, or to adjust its velocity
to a certain number of revolutions; but it is also used to sustain the
valve I, J, K, in the open position when the engine and governor are
at rest. This is accomplished by the aid of a prop, gravitating catch,
or tumbler R, which is weighted at r and pivoted at 1 to a sliding
block S, which is adjustable by a set screw 8. When the engine is to
be started the valve I, J, K, is held open by the weighted stop or prop R
being turned up under the lever P. The stop R is held in position by
the weight of the governor balls and weighted lever P. The steam
being applied the governor begins to operate, and as soon as it attains
sufficient velocity the balls rise and release the stop B, the weight on
O which immediately causes it to drop out of the way, and leaves the
governor and valve to operate in the usual manner.
It will be observed by reference to the construction and arrangement
of the valves I, J, K, and apertures d, f, that the ports are closed both
by the extreme extension and by the extreme contraction of the governor
balls, so that the ports d, f, may be closed or partially so as may be
required to check the engine in the regular legitimate action of the
governor while in motion, or the ports may be suddenly and completely
closed and the engine stopped by the breaking or running off of the

page_text: governor belt. With this arrangement it is always necessary either to
prop the lever P in the manner described or to elevate the same by
hand before starting the engine. When the governor valve is closed by
the extreme extension of the balls the discs I, J, close or fill the
ports d, f, and prevent the passage of steam, and when it is closed by
the extreme contraction of the balls the discs J, K, occupy the ports d, f,
and equally prevent the passage of steam.
A
In addition to the feature of closing in either direction, the provision
of double ports and the peculiar construction of the triple valve I, J, K,
with an open centre admits of the employment of a valve of small
diameter. Thus an ordinary governor valve of two inches in diameter
has an area of 3-1416 square inches. This area can be obtained by the
use of an inch and a half valve of the improved construction, the area
of the two discs being 3-534, from which deduct 375 for the bars or
wings i, j, k, and an area of 3-159 is left for the passage of steam.
small valve has less friction, and as it requires less power to operate it
than a larger one the governor is more sensitive and mobile. The said
valve further possesses the advantages of being completely steam balanced,
whether open or shut, and under every pressure of steam. Whilst
preferring the spiral form of bars i, j, k, the inventor reserves the
right to connect the discs I, J, K, by means of straight bars or by radial
wings if desired, and while preferring that such bars be three in number
as leaving the most open passage compatible with the proper action
of the valve, yet two ribs or more than three in number may be
employed.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The peculiar construction of the triple disc valve I, J, K,
i, j, k, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Second. The diaphragm D, E, F, G, H, and openings or ports d, f,
constructed and arranged in relation to the triple disc valve I, J, K,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Third. The combination of the adjustable bracket S, weighted prop
or latch R, r, and weighted lever P, p, with the governor valve I, J, K,

page_text: and governor N, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially
as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
Specification set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of August
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)