IMPROVE- to be as MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I ROWLAND RACкHAM of The Foundry Works Walton on the Naze in the County
of Essex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
to be as
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES
follows:-
--
"
For these purposes I apply a centrifugal governor to admit steam to a small
auxiliary engine in such manner as to cause the auxiliary engine to run in one
direction when the speed of the main engine is too high and in the other
direction when the speed of the main engine is too low. This auxiliary engine is
geared with an axis which by its rotation causes the valve of the main engine to
cut off either sooner or later as the case may be.
The governor which I employ consists of a cylindrical weight perforated to
receive the governor spindle which the weight surrounds.
The spindle is driven by the main engine in any convenient manner and carries
the governor arms at its upper end. On these arms there are weights which as in
an ordinary centrifugal governor diverge as the speed increases.
The arms have rollers upon them which acting beneath a flange upon the weight
lift it as the speed increases. A fork upon a bell crank lever embraces a neck upon
the under side of the weight and the movement of the weight is thus imparted
to the bell crank and by it to the rod connected with the valve of the small
auxiliary engine.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: ,,
I ROWLAND RACKHAM of the Foundry Works, Walton on the Naze Essex Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR GOVERNING STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
-
For these purposes I apply a centrifugal governor to adinit steam to a small
auxiliary engine in such manner as to cause the auxiliary engine to run in one
direction when the speed of the main engine is too high and in the other direction
when the speed of the main engine is too low. This auxiliary engine is geared
with an axis which by its rotation causes the valve of the main engine to cut off
either sooner or later as the case may be.
The governor which I employ consists of a cylindrical weight perforated to
receive the governor spindle which the weight surrounds.
The spindle is driven by the main engine in any convenient manner and carries
the governor arms at its upper end. On these arms there are weights which as in
an ordinary centrifugal governor diverge as the speed increases. The arms have
rollers upon them which acting beneath a flange upon the weight lift it as the
speed increases. A fork upon a bell crank lever embraces a neck upon the under
side of the weight and the movement of the weight is thus imparted to the bell
crank and by it to the rod connected with the valve of the small auxiliary
engine.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an horizontal section of a pair of miniature engines such as I employ
in accordance with my invention to operate under the control of a governor driven
by the main engine and which then by its rotation in either direction causes the
valve of the main engine to cut off sooner or later as the case may be. Figure 2
is a section on the liue 1. 1. in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a section on the line 2. 2.
in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a section on the line 3. 3. in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a rear
elevation. Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section. Figure 7 is an elevation of
the miniature engine on its support and shows also the gear by which it is con-
nected with the spindle of the valve. The valve may be a cut off valve of ordinary
type in which the rotation of the spindle causes cut off plates or surfaces such as
shown by Fig 16 to approach to or recede from each other so as to cut off the steam
earlier or later and so vary the amount of expansion in the main engine. Figure 8
is 'an end elevation of the same parts as appear in Figure 7. Figure 9 shows in
plan the valve box of the miniature engine and a lever for actuating a stop valve
which it contains serving to bring the miniature engine to rest when the expansion
gear has been brought to its extreme position in either direction.
Figure 10 shows to a larger scale a plan of the upper valve box of the miniature
engine and Figure 11 is a horizontal section of the same. Figure 12 is an elevation
and Figure 13 is a plan showing the way in which I apply the miniature engine
and governor to actuate an ordinary cut off slide on the back of a main slide
valve. Figures 14 and 15 are elevations of the governor. Fig 16 shows a suitable
valve.

page_text: In Figure 1A and A¹ are the main cylinders, B and B are the piston valves for
supplying and exhausting the steam to and from the same which are worked by
eccentrics in the usual way. A and M are the main cylinder pistons.
When the engine is working at its proper speed the slide valve C shewn by
Figures 2 and 3 remains in a central position as shewn, but when the speed of the
main engine varies the governor which is driven from the main shaft. by gearing
or belting moves the valve C either one way or the other by which means live
steam is admitted and passes either down the ports D or D¹ of the auxiliary
engine and according to which port the live steam enters and passes so the
miniature engines are driven one way or the other to effect an earlier or later cut
off to the main engine slide valves.
In order that the action may be better understood suppose the speed of the main
engine shaft increases, the valve C would be drawn from the left to the right and
the live steam would pass down the port D shewn in Figures 1. 2 and 4 and from
thence would pass through the annular space S. S. of the piston valve B through
the port E into the annular space of the piston valve B¹.
The same movement of the valve C which admits steam through the port D
Figure 2 also places the port D' in communication with the exhaust chamber F
Figures 2 and 3 which communicates with the ends of the piston valve cylinders II
and I through the passage G and ports H and H.
The ends of the piston valve cylinders are in communication with each other by
means of the ports K and K' Figure 1.
From the above description it will be seen that the annular spaces of the piston
valves are in connection with the steam supply and that the ends of the cylinders I. I
and II are in connection with the exhaust and the steam will now pass through
the port L into the cylinder A and force the piston M. in the direction indicated by
the arrow while the exhaust steam escapes through the port L' into the end of
piston cylinder I which as before stated would be in communication with the
exhaust by H and G to D' and F.
When the valve C Figure 2 is moved in the opposite direction that is from right
to left the engine is reversed in its action as the steam ports and passages before
described would be open to exhaust and the exhaust passages as before described
would then be filled with live steam and so drive the engine in exactly the opposite
direction the live steam passing down D¹ G H and I through L and L¹ into A and
A¹ and exhausts through L L' S D and F.
What applies to the A cylinder and ports applicable to cylinder A¹.
The miniature engine may be coupled up to the valve gear by any convenient
method such as shafts driven by spur or bevel wheels, but by preference I use &
worm and worm wheel N and N₁ Figures 1 and 7 which rotates a vertical shaft O
Figures 7. 8 and 9 and this motion is communicated to the main valve spindle P
by means of the bevel wheels Q and Q¹.
In order to prevent the miniature engines continuing to run after the extreme
position in either direction has been reached I use the valve U Figure 6 in
connection with the lever V Figure 9 and sliding box W Figures 7 and 9.
The upper portion of the spindle O Figure 7 is provided with a screw so that
when it revolves the box W so moved either up or down and carries with it
the end of the lever V the other end of which lever is connected to the valve
spindle X Figures 6. 7 and 9 so that the valve U Figure 6 is moved at the same
time as the sliding box W so that if the engines travel beyond a certain distance
either way, the valve U is closed upon its upper or lower seating which prevents
the passage of the steam to the cylinder A' as it has to pass through this valve on
its way from the valve C Figure 2 to the piston valve cylinder I' Figure 1.
The valve U is made with a clearance Y Figure 6 so that it can move a short
distance either up or down upon the spindle X and is closed by the pressure of
the steam without being pressed upon its seating by the spindle ✗ so as to
prevent the passage of live steam on the one side or the escape of the exhaust
from the ends of the piston valve cylinders I and 1' as may be desired.

page_text: The advantage of this is that the steam closes the valve U before it is forced
down by the spindle X and leaves the space free for the valve to lift again
which it does as soon as the steam is reversed by the valve C Figure 2 being
the
moved to its opposite position when the steam pressure comes upon
opposite side and opens the valve and allows the engine to run in the opposite
direction.
Figures 12 and 13 show a horizontal steam engine, with expansion gear fitted so
as to operate upon a joint and rod coupled with a vibrating link the upright
spindle is substituted by a screw T which rises and falls by the rotation of the
worm wheel N' Figure 7.
Figures 14 and 15 show my improved governor which is suitable for governing
any form of heat or other gas or fluid engines.
The governors consist of two arms A and A¹ with weights B and B₁ at their ends
as usual and a centre weight C, which is made with a round flange D at the top
with slot openings E and E¹ in the same, to allow the arms A and A¹ to move freely
in the same.
Each arm is provided with two friction rollers F and F' working upon
The friction rollers support
pins G and G¹ fixed into bosses formed upon the arms.
the weight C and when they are extended by centrifugal force, lift it, the friction
being by the rollers reduced to a minimum, and further the weight C is rotated
by coming in contact with the arms at a point much nearer the suspension pins
than is usual with most governors thus throwing much less strain upon them.
The connecting rod H is in the present case a continuation of the rod Z
Figure 2 which shows how the valve C Figure 2 is regulated by the governor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use to shift the valve gear of an engine and thereby increase or diminish
the expansion, of a miniature engine, controlled by a governor driven by the main
engine in such manner that the said miniature engine is started by the governor
whenever any deviation from the normal speed occurs substantially as herein
described.
2. The construction of governors with a weight surrounding the spindle and a
flange on the weight beneath which rollers on the governor arms operate to lift the
weight as the arms diverge substantially as described.
3. The apparatus for governing steam and other engines consisting of a
miniature engine and other parts substantially as described in respect to Figures 1
to 13.
4. The governor substantially as described in respect to Figures 14 and 15.