IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR MARINE STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Martin Benson at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd March 1881. A communication from
abroad by Peter Jordan, of Paterson, in the State of New Jersey,
States of North America.
United
MARTIN BENSON, of No. 52, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR MARINE STEAM ENGINES." A communication
from abroad by Peter Jordan, of Paterson, in the State of New Jersey, United
States of North America.
The object of my Invention is to produce a governor for marine steam engines
for automatically regulating their speed and quickly checking any suddenly
increased motion of the same.
And my Invention consists of two shafts properly journalled in suitable bearings
in an iron frame on which are arranged the various devices and driving mechanism.
The shafts run parallel with and are geared together by means of three gear wheels
on each of the shafts. The front shaft, which is the driving shaft, is provided with an
ordinary driving pulley in order to keep complete control of the steam engine. The
driving shaft of my governor is constructed with right and left hand screws which
are cut thereon; these screws pitch inwardly in the direction of each other and
operate two of the gear wheels arranged on the shaft, the inner sides of which are
made conical in form to raise and lower a lever that passes between them, these
conic side gear wheels are channelled out to suit the right and left handed screws
on the driving shaft and worked thereon and are operated thereby. The other
gear wheel on the driving shaft is provided with a collar into which is arranged a
set screw for fastening the wheel to the shaft. The wheel on the opposite shaft,
which is the fly wheel shaft, is cast hollow to accomodate a spring which is
arranged therein, one end of the spring is secured in a notch on the inner rim of
the wheel and the other end has a seat provided for it on the fly wheel shaft.
The tension of this spring is arranged to run the fly wheel shaft at any fixed
rate of speed. When for any reason whatever the driving shaft starts to run at a
quicker speed than the fixed rate, the spring being too weak to obey the sudden
impulse of the driving shaft fails to give the increased speed to the fly wheel shaft.
The fly wheel shaft refusing to obey, suddenly the impulse of the driving shaft
obstructs the quickened motion of the channelled wheels, causing them to run in

page_text: the direction of each other on the screws, and by reason of their conic sides when
coming in the direction of each other raise the lever located between them, and
thereby close the throttle by means of a connecting rod pivotted to the end of the
lever and valve arm. The steam having been partially cut off by the closing of
the valve in the manner stated, the driving shaft in coming back to its fixed rate
of speed causes the channelled wheels to separate from each other, causing the lever
to go down to its resting position which opens the valve and lets on the steam,
and both shafts are caused to run at their fixed rate of speed. To guard against
any delay in the downward motion of the lever to open there is arranged a spring
which is secured to the back part of the frame, the free end of which is placed on
the free end of the lever and acts to press the lever down, causing the channelled
wheels to separate promptly. Securing reliable automatic motion thereby, when
the driving shaft starts to run faster than its fixed rate of speed causing the
channelled wheels to run together and receive the lever, the raising of the lever
serves to make the lever bear hard on the fly wheel shaft, and this by reason of
the friction caused thereby assisting the fly wheel shaft to obey the sudden starts
or impulses of the driving shaft which helps to secure reliable automatic motion.
The spring arranged in the gear wheel may have its tension increased or diminshed
by rotating the wheel with which it gears. The same being provided with a set
screw for convenience in operating the wheel to fix the springs tensions.