IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS."―A com-
munication from abroad by Wellington Lee, of East Nineteenth Street,
New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 7th January 1862, and dated the 15th November 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said' William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th November. 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS," to be as
follows:
This Invention of improvements in steam engine governors, consists in
so arranging and constructing the parts of governors that the centrifugal and
centripetal forces which are brought into action in the ball governor may be
so equally balanced that the governor shall be made to act with the greatest
possible accuracy and be highly sensitive to any change of speed in the engine.
The centrifugal action in ball governors arises from the rotation of the balls
round a central axis, the radius of the circles of gyration increasing or
diminishing according to the speed at which the balls are carried round their
axis. The centripetal action in the governor arises from the tendency of the balls
to approach towards the centre of gyration by the attraction of gravitation.
For ordinary purposes the ordinary ball governor will effect the intended
object moderately well, but there are many occasions (well known to engineers)

page_text: when a more sensitive and accurate instrument is required. A perfectly accurate
and highly sensitive governor can only be. produced by attending carefully
to a variety of details in the construction and arrangement of the various parts
of the instrument, always bearing in mind the particular kind of engine to
which the governor is to be applied and the object it is intended to effect.
For instance, the same arrangement of parts cannot be. employed for the
governor of a marine engine as for the governor of a stationary engine, and
moreover in the varieties of stationary engines reference must be had to the
work that such engines are required to do.
With these few introductory remarks I will now proceed to explain the
peculiarities of construction of the improved governors when applied to certain
kinds of engines.
In constructing ball governors it is necessary that great care be taken that
the two balls are of exactly the same size and weight, and it is also important
that the specific gravity of the balls should be as great as possible within
reasonable limits, so that by bringing a given weight within the smallest
possible compass less resistance may be offered by the air" to their action and
rotation. It is also important that the balls themselves should be evenly
balanced on all sides like a true billiard ball. These objects are effected by
making the balls hollow, say of brass or copper, and after accurately turning
them in a suitable: lathe, .constructed or prepared for the purpose, filling the
balls with lead or other metal of a high specific gravity. Instead of depending
for the centripetal action of the governor on the gravitation of the balls
towards the centre, of gyration, this action is effected by the weight of a central
hollow vessel filled or supplied with lead or other metal of high specific gravity.
This vessel is secured to the slide on which the centrifugal balls act, and
therefore while the tendency of the centrifugal force of the balls will be to lift
up the slide the gravity of the weighted vessel attached thereto will be con-
stantly tending to force the slide down. The central spindle of the governor
passes through this gravitating weight which is allowed to move freely up and
down thereon, and therefore the pressure on the slide_is_always_constant. It
will be evident that in constructing this governor this weight and the pressure
exerted thereby may be adjusted with great accuracy, as a larger or smaller
quantity of lead may be supplied to the central vessel until the desired equili-
brium is obtained.
Governors of this kind may be adapted with advantage to engines employed
in' inland navigation where there is not much liability of the central shaft being
thrown out of the perpendicular. In marine engines, however, it will be
found advantageous to employ a coiled spring as the centripetal agent in place

page_text: of the gravitating weight, and the governor may be placed in a horizontal
position. Many attempts have heretofore been made to employ springs for
this purpose, but owing to the practical impossibility of obtaining springs of
uniform known strengths and tension, the use of springs has not been generally
adopted, and even in those instances where they have been employed they have
not been found to produce a satisfactory result or render the instrument
sufficiently sensitive to slight variations in the speed of the' engine.. The
impracticability of successfully adapting springs to governors of steam engines
has arisen from the practical difficulty of so adjusting the centrifugal force of
the balls and the centripetal force of the spring as to cause the two forces to
balance each other. under all circumstances, or nearly so, when the instrument
is in use.. This difficulty is overcome by giving to the spring an initial deflec-
tion or compression which is capable of accurate adjustment. This is effected by
means of an adjusting nut which works on a screw cut on the central spindle
and, acts as the point of resistance for the spring to bear against. By screwing
up this nut more or less on the shaft the spring will be deflected or compressed
to the proper amount, and this initial deflection will bear a constant ratio to
the action of the balls or to the radii of the circles of gyration of the balls.
In many engines, both marine and stationary, it is frequently required to
change the speed of the engine according to circumstances. For instance, the
engine should be run at such speed as the pressure of the steam and the
nature of the weather justifies.. In order to adapt the governor to these
variable circumstances several driving pullies of different diameters are
employed, or what is preferable a cone pulley may be adapted to the governor,
and the difference in speed is effected by moving the driving strap or band
along the pulley to any position thereon according to the speed required.
In these improved governors the balls have a certain definite speed corre-
sponding to each circle in which they revolve. The speed which will cause
them to expand. to and revolve in the largest circle is from 3 to 5 per cent.
greater than that which will cause them just to move out from the smallest
circle. These improved governors are therefore adapted to regulate those
engines which (whatever variations may-take place in the pressure of the
steam or in the resistance) are required to run always at the same uniform
speed, as is the case generally with stationary engines; for at one certain
speed the throttle valve, when operated by the improved governors, will be just
commencing to close; and at another only slightly greater it will be quite or
nearly shut, and at some point between these very narrow limits the speed
of the engine must always be found.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 'Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 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," being a communi-
cation from Wellington Lee, of East Nineteenth Street, New York, in the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention of improvements in steam engine governors consists in so
arranging and constructing the parts of governors, that the centrifugal and
centripetal forces which are brought into action in the ball governor may be so
equally balanced, that the governor shall be made to act with the greatest
possible accuracy, and be highly sensitive to any change of speed in the
engine. The centrifugal action in ball governors, arises from the rotation of
the balls round a central axis, the radius of the circles of gyration increasing

page_text: or diminishing according to the speed at which the balls are carried round
their axis. The centripetal action in the governor arises from the tendency
of the balls to approach towards the centre of gyration by the attraction of
gravitation. For ordinary purposes the ordinary ball governor will effect the
intended object moderately well, but there are many occasions (well known to
engineers) where a more sensitive and accurate instrument is required. A
perfectly accurate and highly sensitive governor can only be produced by
attending carefully to a variety of details in the construction and arrangement
of the various parts of the instrument, always bearing in mind the particular
kind of engine to which the governor is to be applied, and the object it is
intended to effect. For instance, the same arrangements of parts cannot be
employed for the governor of a marine engine as for the governor. of a
stationary engine, and, moreover, in the varieties of stationary engines, refer-
ence must be had to the work that such engines are required to do.
With these few introductory remarks, I will now proceed to explain the
peculiarities of construction of the improved governors when applied to certain
kinds of engines. In constructing ball governors, it is necessary that great
care be taken that the two balls be of exactly the same size and weight, and
it is also important that the specific gravity of the balls should be as great as
possible within reasonable limits, so that by bringing a given weight within
the smallest possible compass, less resistance may be offered by the air to the
action and rotation of the balls. It is also important that the balls them-
selves should be evenly balanced on all sides like a true billiard ball. These
objects are effected by making the balls hollow, say, of brass or copper, and
after accurately turning them in a suitable lathe constructed or prepared for
the purpose, filling the balls with lead or other metal of a high specific gravity.
Instead of depending for the centripetal action of the governor on the gravi-
tation of the balls towards the centre of gyration, this action is effected by the
weight of a central hollow vessel filled or supplied with lead or other metal of
a high specific gravity. This vessel is secured to the slide on which the cen-
trifugal, balls act, and therefore while the tendency of the centrifugal force of
the balls will be to lift up the slide, the gravity of the weighted vessel attached
thereto will be constantly tending to force the slide down. The central
spindle of the governor passes through this gravitating weight, which is allowed
to move freely up and down thereon, and therefore the pressure on the slide is
always constant. It will be evident that, in constructing this governor, this
weight, and the pressure exerted thereby, may be adjusted with great accuracy
as a larger or smaller quantity of lead may be supplied to the central vessel
until the equilibrium may be obtained...

page_text: Governors of this kind may be adapted with advantage to engines employed
in inland navigation where there is not much liability of the central shaft
being thrown out of the perpendicular. In marine engines, however, it will
be found advantageous to employ a coiled spring as the centripetal agent in
place of the gravitating weight, and the governor may be placed in a horizontal
position. Many attempts have beretofore been made to employ springs for
this purpose, but owing to the practical impossibility of obtaining springs of
uniform and known strength and tension, the use of springs has not been
generally adopted; and even in those instances where they have been
employed, they have not been found to produce a satisfactory result, or render
the instrument sufficiently sensitive to slight variations in .the speed of the
engine. The impracticability of successfully adapting springs to the governors
of steam engines has arisen from the practical difficulty of so adjusting the
centrifugal force of the balls and the centripetal force of the spring as to cause
the two forces to balance each other under all circumstances, or nearly so,
when the instrument is in use. This difficulty is overcome by giving to the
spring an initial deflection or compression which is capable of accurate adjust-
ment.. This is effected by means of an adjusting nut, which works on a screw
cut on the central spindle, and acts as the point of resistance for the spring to
bear against. By screwing up this nut more or less on the shaft, the spring
will be deflected or compressed to the proper amount, and this initial deflection
will bear a constant ratio to the action of the balls, or to the radii of the circles
of gyration of the balls.
In many engines, both marine and stationary, it is frequently required to
change the speed of the engine according to circumstances. For instance,
the engine should be run at such speed as the pressure of the steam and the
nature of the weather justifies. In order to adapt the governor to these
variable circumstances, several driving pullies of different diameters are
employed, or, what is preferable, a cone pulley may be adapted to the governor,
and the difference in speed is effected by moving the driving strap or band
along the pulley to any position-thereon-according-to-the-speed required.
In these improved governors the balls have a certain definite speed cor-
responding to each circle in which they revolve. The speed which will cause
them to expand to and revolve in the largest circle is from three to five per
cent. greater than that which will cause them just to move out from the
smallest circle. These improved governors are therefore adapted to regulate
those engines which (whatever variations may take place in the pressure of
the steam or in the resistance) are required to run always at the same uniforun
speed as is the case generally with stationary engines, for at one certain speed

page_text: the throttle valve, when operated by the improved governors, will be just
commencing to close, and at another only slightly greater, it will be quite or
nearly shut, and at some point between these very narrow limits the speed of
the engine must always be found.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings, I have shewn at Fig. 1a front
elevation of a governor suitable for engines employed for inland navigation
or for stationary purposes. The governor is mounted on an ornamental
column A, through which passes the central shaft B of the governor. The
standard A may be mounted on or attached to any convenient part of the
framing of the engine. This central shaft B is provided near its upper end
with a boss through which passes a stud pin c. Two diagonal rods a, a, are
attached to this stud. pin c which is driven through the boss on the shaft B
The rods a, a, are forked at their ends so as to embrace both ends of the stud
pin c. To the other end of the rods a, a, are firmly secured the centrifugal
balls C, C, of the governor, and which as before described may be constructed
hollow of copper or brass, and filled with lead or other metal of high specific
gravity. Projecting from either side or passing through the balls C at right
angles to the line of the rods a, a, are stud pins e, e, upon which the forked
ends of the rods b, b, are jointed, the lower ends of these rods being jointed
in a similar manner to the slide D. The upper portion of the slide D, (which
may.be.made of wrought iron or cast hollow in one piece with the slide proper)
is a liollow vessel D, as will be seen in sectional detached view Fig. 2, Sheet
I. The space d in the vessel D* is afterwards filled with lead or other metál
of high specific gravity in the manner and for the purpose before explained."
The motion of the slide D is communicated to the bell crank lever 9, which'
is mounted and turns upon a pin has its fulcrum. This pin h is supported
by a bracket cast upon the column A. One end of the bell-crank lever g, is
jointed to the slide D; on the stud pins f, and the other to the transmitting
lever or its connecting rod i, which is in communication with the throttle valve
of the engine. The speed of the engine is communicated to the central shaft
B of the governor by means of the ordinary bevil gearing j, k, either by means
of a strap from the main shaft of the engine to the speed pulley 1, which is
keyed upon the axle of the bevil toothed wheel k, or the motion may be com-
municated direct.from the main shaft of the engine to the bevel wheel j as is
usual and well understood. It will be obvious that on the least decrease of the
speed of the engine the centripetal action of the governor will be ensured and
accelerated by the gravitation of the weighted vessel D* attached to the slide
D thus ensuring that the most minute changes in the speed of the engine shall
be instantaneously transmitted to the throttle valve...
2

page_text: Fig. 3, Sheet II. is a side view of a governor, in which the centripetal action
is effected by means of a helical spring, and which is intended to be employed
in marine engines; Fig. 4 is a plan of the same partly in section; Fig. 5 is a
transverse section in the line X, X, of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is an end view of the
valve connection..
In these Figures, A is the frame which is bolted to the bulkhead of a
steam ship, or to any other sufficiently firm support; B is the main spindle
arranged horizontally in suitable bearings a, a, in the frame A; C is a cross-
head firmly secured to the spindle B for. the attachment of the arms D, D,
which carry the balls E, E; F is a long sleeve working outside of the main
spindle; G is the counterpoise spring of helical construction and surrounds
the sleeve F; H, H, are rods two on each side, and connecting the balls
with the sleeve. These rods are so proportioned in length to the length
of the ball arms between the pins b, b, and c, c, (which form the connections
of the arms with the rods and crosshead), that when the ball arms are
parallel with the main spindle they shall be in the position in which they are
intended to be when the governor is running at the desired speed. The pins
d, d, which connect the rods with the sleeve, will be in the same plane or
nearly so with the pins c, c, by which proportion and arrangement the
movement of the sleeve will be caused to bear a very nearly constant
ratio to the movement of the balls towards and from the centre of the main
spindle. The spring G is compressed between a shoulder,é, on the sleeve
F, and a collar f on the main spindle. This collar is adjustable for the
purpose of adjusting or regulating to a nicety the deflection and consequent
tension of the spring by means; of a nut g fitted to a screw thread on the
spindle. In order to obviate or reduce as much as possible the friction of
the sleeve on the main spindle it is made to fit the spindle only at the end
furthest from the crosshead, and the end nearest the crosshead is furnished
with two rollers i, i, to run upon flat places provided on the spindle opposite to
each.arm..
3
The principle of-operation of this governor may be described as follows:-
The balls and their arms during their revolution exert centrifugal force at right
angles to their axis of revolution, and such force in each ball-and-arm-may-be-
regarded as gathered in its centre of gyration, and is resisted by its two point
pins b. and c. The proportion of this force, which is resisted by each pin, is to
the whole force as the distance of the opposite pin from the centre of gyration
is to the length of the arm and ball between the two pins; the force which is
resisted by the pins b, b, is caused to act through the rods HI, H, upon the sleeve
F, with a tendency to move the latter along the shaft in a direction to
'

page_text: compress the spring G. The connecting rods H, H, do not exert any effective
force, but the joint pins b, b, in the balls do.
Now the number of revolutions in a specified time being given, the
centrifugal force of a revolving body varies directly as the radius of the circle
described by its centre of gyration; on the other hand the resistance of a
spring varies directly as the distance through which it has been deflected.
The result of this is, that if the spring G be deflected from its normal condition
or position a distance which bears the same ratio to the distance of the
centre of gyration of either arm and ball from their common axis of revolution'
when the governor is at rest that the longitudinal movement of the sleeve
bears to the radial movement of the balls, than when such a velocity of
revolution is given to the governor that the centrifugal force of the balls and
armis revolving at this distance from the axis is in equilibrio with the
resistance of the spring these will also be in equilibrio in every other possible
position of the governor, and the balls will revolve indifferently at any 'distance-
from the spindle. Therefore, instead of adjusting the spring to this point it is
adjusted so that the distance of its deflection, when the balls are at rest, is in a
very slightly less ratio to the radius, so that an increase in the number of
revolutions in a given time of from one to five per cent. is required to
cause the balls to expand to the limit allowed them and they will have a
definite position corresponding -to every rate of speed between these limits.
By such adjustment whatever degree of sensitiveness-is found most desirable
can be attained, and besides this most desirable quality this governor possesses
another of equal importance, that is, the rapid development of force on slight
changes of speed in any position.
ways.
The connection of the governor with the valve may be made in various
by the aid of a rod connected with its sleeve F. In the example represented
in Sheet II. the connection is made by means of a rod j, which works through
a hollow portion of the main spindle, and is connected with the sleeve by a
key. k, which works through a slot in the spindle. This rod passes through
one end of the main spindle and is connected with the forked arm I of a rock
shaft J, which works in bearings in a bracket K bolted to the frame A. On
one end of the rock shaft I is another lever or arm L, which may be connected
with the valve by a rod and lever. The connection of the rod ; with the arm'
I is made by means of a sleeve M, which is fitted to the rod between two steel
collars m, m.
This sleeve is made with a lug on each side to receive. one of
two pins n, n,which are screwed through the sides of the forked arın. The
rod j turns freely in the sleeve, the ends of which are faced with steel collars
o, o, fitted to it with dowel pins so as to be prevented from turning with the

page_text: collars m, m, which are fitted to the rod with feathers and grooves to cause
them to turn therewith, and which are adjusted to the collars o, o, by means of
nuts p, p.
The end thrust of the main spindle in one direction is received by a steel
screw q, which is placed opposite to the end of the spindle, and in the other
direction by the bearing a¹, on the inner side of which a collar r is secured to
the shaft. In the governor represented in. Sheet II. the screw q has been
adopted owing to its having been designed for a regulating valve, the whole or
part. of whose weight has to be lifted by the governor, but when a balanced.
valve is used there will be no considerable end thrust. of the main spindle in
either direction.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Steam Engine
Governors," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect.
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim as the Invention.
secured to me by Letters Patent. as aforesaid, the use of or adaptation.
to steam engine governors of a central weighted vessel attached to and
moving with the slide of. the: governor, for the purpose of providing or
exerting the centripetal force necessary for the proper action of the governor.
as herein set forth:.
Second, in relation to the governor for marine engines in which the
centripetal force is obtained, or furnished by the resistance of a spring, I claim
the general arrangement and construction of parts shewn in Sheet II. of the
Drawings.. I claim particularly the combination of a screw nut and collar, with
the centripetal spring,. for the purpose of giving to the spring an initial
deflection or compression which is capable of, accurate adjustment as herein
set forth..
In witness whereof I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two
D
Witness,
J. W.:MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane:
W. E. NEWTON (L.S.) 3
'