Iм- PROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Robey and John Richardson, of Lincoln,
in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH."
Sealed the 22nd February 1870, and dated the 1st December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Robey and John.
Richardson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 1st December 1869.
We, ROBERT ROBEY and JOHN RICHARDSON, of Lincoln, in the
County of Lincoln, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam engine
governors and apparatus connected therewith. We mount the governor
on the crank shaft of the engine and connect it with the eccentric
which regulates the admission of steam to the cylinder in such manner
that the governor may act to vary either the throw or the angular lead

page_text: of the eccentric. The valve actuated by the eccentric is thus caused
to admit steam to the cylinder during a greater or less portion of the
stroke, so as to maintain an approximately uniform speed however
the load upon the engine may vary. With an ordinary slide valve
we prefer to effect this in the following manner: A rectangular
slot is cut in the eccentric parallel with a line connecting its two
centres of forward and backward motion. This slot fits on a square
part of the crank shaft upon which the eccentric slides at right
angles to the crank. Two wedges are fitted in the slot and connected
with the governor slide. As the slide is drawn along the crank shaft
by the centrifugal motion of the governor, one wedge is drawn back
and one forward through the slot in the eccentric, by which means the
travel of the valve is reduced, the cut off is made earlier, while the lead
remains constant. The engine may be caused to run in the opposite
direction by putting in other wedges with their tapers opposite or
turning the same ones round. When two valves are used, one for steam
and exhaust, and one for cut off only we regulate the cut off by altering
the angle of the valve eccentric with the crank. This is done by
cutting a slot spirally in its boss, in which fits a pin which is fixed in
a collar which slides over the boss. When this collar is drawn out
parallel with the axis of the shaft by the governor the eccentric is
caused to advance its angle and thus cut off earlier. Reversing may
be effected in this case by having two slots cut in the eccentric boss
in opposite directions, and changing the working pin from one slot to
the other. In both cases we place a spiral or other spring to bring back
the governor slide as the centrifugal force becomes smaller.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Robey and John Richardson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 31st May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT 3
ROBEY and JOHN RICHARDSON, of Lincoln, in the County of Lincoln,
Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year of

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Robert Robey and John Richardson,
Her special licence that we, the said Robert Robey and John Richard-
son, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Robert Robey and John Richardson, our exccutors, 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, 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 AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Robert Robey and John Richard-
son, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands, and seals, or under the hand and seal of onc
of us, or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 we, the said Robert Robey and John Richard-
son, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam engine
governors and apparatus connected therewith. We mount the governor
on the crank shaft of the engine and connect it with the eccentric
which regulates the admission of steam to the cylinder in such manner
that the governor may act to vary the throw and the angular lead of the
eccentric. The valve actuated by the eccentric is thus caused to admit
steam to the cylinder during a greater or less portion of the stroke so.
as to maintain an approximately uniform speed however the load upon
the engine may vary. With an ordinary slide valve we prefer to effect
this in the following manner: A rectangular slot is cut in the eccentric
parallel with a line connecting its two centres of forward and backward
motion. This slot fits on a square part of the crank shaft upon which
the eccentric slides at right angles to the crank. Two wedges are fitted
in the slot and connected with the governor slide. As the slide is

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the eccentric and valve and other parts
connected therewith; Figure 2 is an end elevation showing the governor
and the eccentric and other parts. The arrangement in these Figures
is such that the governor acts to vary the throw of the eccentric and its
angular lead simultaneously; Figure 3 is a section of the valve and steam
passages.
a is the eccentric, it has a rectangular slot a', a', in it at right angles
to the crank and parallel to a line joining the two centres b, b, of
forward and backward motion. The slot a¹ fits on a square part of the
crank shaft c and the eccentric is prevented moving longitudinally on
the shaft by suitable stops. d is a collar or slide to which the arms e, e,
of the governor are jointed; this collar is able to slide longitudinally on
the shaft c (but is prevented from turning thereon by a groove and
feather); is another collar fixed on the crank shaft and connected
with the governor arms by the links g, g. To the moving collar or
governor slide & the two similar but oppositely placed wedges h, h, are

page_text: fixed, and they extend through the slot in the eccentric. When by the
separation of the governor balls by the centrifugal force overcoming the
coiled spring i the governor slide d is moved along the shaft, the wedges
move the eccentric on the shaft in such manner as to reduce its eccentricity
and consequently the travel, which by means of the eccentric rod k it com-
municates to the valve 7; m are the ports or passages for the passage of.
steam to and from the cylinder of the engine, and n is the exhaust or
exit port or passage. The Drawings represent the slide valve on the.
edge of the steam port just about to open as the crank passes, the centre
moving in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, and it will be seen.
that although the travel and angle of the eccentric may be varied by the.
action of the governor yet as it slides only at right angles with the crank
this would not in any way affect the lead of the valve although it will
vary the time at which the cut off takes place. By reversing the
wedges or putting in others with their tapers opposite the engine may be
made to run in the other direction.
it
Figures 4 and 5 show in side and end elevation respectively the method
of applying the gear when there are two valves, one for admission and
exhaust and one for cut off. Figure 6 shows a section of the valves.
is an eccentric fixed on the crank shaft b and giving motion by means
of an eccentric rod c to the steam valve d which thus receives a
constant travel, and it if alone would admit steam during nearly the
whole of the stroke; e is another eccentric so mounted as to be able to
turn on the crank shaft, it has a long boss e¹ upon it with a slot at c³, and
a pin fixed in the shaft and entering the slot e prevents the excentric
moving longitudinally on the shaft; this eccentric e by an eccentric
rod works the cut off valve g which slides on the back of the steam
valve d. In the boss e¹ of the eccentric e is also an inclined slot e³, and
entering this slot is a pin h' fixed on the collar or governor slide / to
which the governor arms are jointed. The collar is able to move
longitudinally upon the boss e¹ of the eccentric e and upon the crank
shaft b, but it is prevented turning on the crank shaft by a groove and
feather; i, i, are links connecting the governor arms with the collar j
fixed on the shaft, and is a coiled spring which when by centrifugal
force the governor balls recede from the shaft is overcome, and which
when this force becomes insufficient draws the balls back towards the
position in which the Drawing represents them. The motion which the
governor gives to the collar / causes the pin h' to travel along the
inclined slot e³, and so the eccentric e is partly rotated on the shaft so as

page_text: to cause it to advance its position with reference to the crank and steam
valve eccentric, and the effect of this is to cause the valve 7 to cover
the ports a, d, in the steam valve at an earlier part of the stroke, thus
preventing the admission of more steam and working that already in the
cylinder expansively. According as the inclined slot e³ is made right or
left handed and as the steam valve is set so the engine may be made
to run backwards or forwards. In cases where it is impracticable or
inconvenient to mount the governor on the crank shaft we place it on
an independent shaft and actuate the wedges or spiral slot, as the case
may be, by means of suitable levers or instruments extending from the
governor slide to the sliding boss on the crank shaft.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that what
we claim is, the combining a governor with the eccentric working the
valve of the engine in such manner that by the action of the governor
the throw of the eccentric and its angular position on the shaft may be
varied..
We also claim the general arrangement of the apparatus substantially
as described in respect to Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawings.
We also claim in engines in which separate valves are used for
admitting and cutting off the steam, the combining a governor with the
eccentric working the cut off valve in such manner that by the action of
the governor the angular position of such eccentric on the shaft may be
varied.
We also claim the general arrangement of the apparatus substantially
as described in respect to Figures 4 and 5 of the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Robey, and John Richardson,
. have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth day of
May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
ROBERT ROBEY.
(L.S.)
JOHN RICHARDSON. (L.S.)