IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE ENGINE GOVERNORS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE ENGINE GOVERNORS." A communication from
abroad by George Steele, of New York City, in the United States of America."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd June 1876.
.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE ENGINE
GOVERNORS."
This Invention consists in the combination with a pendulum (which as the vessel
pitches nearly maintains a vertical position in a plane parallel to the keel of the
vessel) of valves connected with and operated by the said pendulum, which valves,
through suitable pipes, admit steam, water, or air to, and permit steam, water, or air
to exhaust from one end of a cylinder, the other end of which is open to the
atmosphere. In this cylinder there is a piston, which is connected to the arm or
lever of the throttle valve in the induction pipe of the engine so as to act on and
close the throttle valve, the said throttle valve when not closed by the action of
the piston is opened by means of a weight on the end of the lever which works the
throttle valve.
When steam is admitted to the cylinder the piston rises and acts through the
piston rod on the lever of the throttle valve, and when steam escapes from under
the said piston it with the piston rod and lever falls, and the throttle valve lever is
acted upon by the weight fixed upon the end of the lever, and the throttle valve is
then opened.
The induction and eduction of steam, water, or air to and from the cylinder is
controlled by two puppet valves, which seat in opposite directions in the valve
boxes. The valve stems of the puppet valves are attached to a cross head, which is
connected by a link to the upper end of a rocking bar, which has its fulcrum about
midway of its length. This link is pivotted to the cross head and to the rocking
At the lower end of the rocking bar is a crank wrist, with which a hook at
the end of a connecting rod engages. The other end of this rod is pivotted to the
pendulum, which is suspended by a pivot. Steam is admitted to the valve box of
[Price 6d.1
bar.

page_text: the puppet valves through a pipe provided with a suitable valve, and when the
puppet valve is opened steam passes through the steam pipe to the cylinder entering
under the piston and raising the same, which acts through the piston rod and lever
to close the throttle valve and shut off the steam in the induction pipe which
supplies steam to the engines. On the contrary when the puppet valve is closed 5
and the other valve is opened the steam exhausts from the cylinder and passing
back through the steam pipe to the valve box escapes through an opening in the
bottom of the valve box. The weight on the throttle valve lever then opens the
throttle and the engines receive steam through the pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by 1
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
December 1876.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE ENGINE
GOVERNORS." A communication from abroad by George Steele, of New York City,
in the United States of America.
This Invention consists in the combination with a pendulum, which as the vessel
pitches nearly maintains a vertical position in a plane parallel to the keel of the
vessel, of mechanism, to wit, suitable valves connected with and operated by the
said pendulum, which valves, through suitable pipes, admit steam, water, or air to,
and permit steam, water, or air to exhaust from one end of a cylinder, the other
end of which is open to the atmosphere, and a piston which acts through suitable
mechanism, connected with the throttle valve in the induction pipe of the engine,
to close the said throttle valve, the said throttle valve when not so closed being
opened by a weighted lever.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing is a top view of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a section through the steam cylinder in which works the valve con-
trolling piston, and a partial side elevation of other parts.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section through the valve boxes of the
apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the steam cylinder, the pendulum and its connecting
rod, the induction pipe of the engine in which the throttle valve works, a vertical
section through one of the valve boxes, and a vertical section through the induction
pipe which supplies steam to the governor cylinder.
C represents the steam cylinder of the governor in which works the piston P,
the piston rod R, having at its upper end a pin working in the slot 8 of the throttle
valve lever L, and the said piston rod working in a guide in the upper cap of the
said cylinder C in such manner as to freely permit the exit and entrance of air to
and from the upper end of the said cylinder, above the piston P.
When steam
is admitted to the cylinder C the piston P rises and acts through the piston rod R
and the lever L to close the throttle valve T, and, when steam escapes, the said
piston the piston rod and lever fall, and the lever L is acted upon by the weight W
fixed upon the said throttle valve lever, and the throttle valve is opened. The
induction and eduction of steam, water, or air to and from the cylinder C is con-
trolled by the valves v, v¹, which seat in opposite directions in the valve boxes B, B¹.
Two puppet valves of the kind known as angle globe valves are preferred, but
other kinds of valves may be used if so arranged that when one is opened the
other shall be closed tightly. Or a single valve of any kind operating to open one
of two ports and simultaneously close the other port may be used. The valve
stems S, S¹, respectively of the valves v, vl, are attached to a cross head H. The
cross head His connected by a link to the upper end of the rock bar r", which
has its fulcrum at f, Fig. 4, said link being pivotted to the said cross head and to
the said rock bar. At the lower end of the rock bar r is a crank wrist w, Fig. 4,

page_text: with which the book of the connecting rod E engages, as shown in Fig. 4. The
other end of the rod E is pivotted to the pendulum D, which is suspended by a
pivot p. The hook h has a shank m which rests upon the wrist w. The heavy
ball b of the pendulum D resists any force which tends to force it out of the line
joining its centre of gravity and the earth's centre of attraction. Therefore when
the vessel pitches all the parts of the apparatus which are rigidly attached to the
vesssl, and move with it, change their relation of distance to or from the said
vertical line in which the pendulum hangs. Thus the pendulum would appear to
an observer on board the vessel to swing relatively to the vessel in a vertical plane
parallel with the ship's keel.
The apparatus is so arranged that when the distance between the pendulum ball
and the rock bar r is lessened sufficiently to bring the shoulder i at the end of the
shank m of the hook h to bear against the wrist w of the rock bar r the inertia
of said pendulum ball will, through the intervening parts E, r, l, H, and the valve
stems S, S¹, open the valve vand close the valve v.
Steam is admitted to the valve box B through the pipe F provided with the
valve I, and when the valve is open and the valve v₁ is closed steam passes
through the pipe I to the cylinder C, entering under the piston P and raising the
same, which acts through the piston rod R and lever L to close the throttle valve
and shut off the steam in the induction pipe K which supplies steam to the engines.
On the contrary when the valve vis closed and the valve v¹ is opened the steam
exhausts from the cylinder C and passing back through the pipe I and its con-
tinuation c to the valve box B escapes through the opening o in the bottom of the said
valve box. The weight W on the throttle valve lever then opens the throttle and
the engines receive steam through the pipe K. The parts are, moreover, adjustable
so that the shoulder i at the end of the shank m of the hook h on the connecting
rod E abuts against the wrist w of the rock bar when the stern of the vessel rises
above an even keel enough to raise the screw out of the water. When the stern
of the vessel sinks below the line of an even keel, submerging the screw deeply,
the shank m of the hook slides along on the wrist w cf the rock bar r and
therefore does not actuate the said rock bar and parts connected with it, and
consequently the weight on the lever L opens and keeps the throttle valve fully
open. Instead of steam, water or air may be used to actuate the piston P in the
cylinder C, the water or air being supplied to said cylinder under pressure from a
pump or through other appliances.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in Marine
Engine Governors," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, the combination with
the pendulum. and the throttle or regulating valve of a steam, water, or air
cylinder open at one end to the atmosphere and containing a piston connected with
the said valve, and a valve or valves operated by the pendulum to admit and
exhaust steam, water, or air to or from the said cylinder, the whole operating sub-
stantially as described for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal the 21st day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
H. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)