CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES TO BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, OR WATER TO ENGINES PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Ebenezer Saxby, of 23, Thames Street,
Windsor, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES TO BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF
REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, OR WATER TO ENGINES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Ebenezer
Saxby at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 23rd September 1875.
I, FREDERICK EBENEZER SAXBY, of 23, Thames Street, Windsor,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES TO BE USED FOR
THE PURPOSE OF REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, Or Water
TO ENGINES OR MACHINES DRIVEN BY EITHER OF THE ABOVE FORCES," to be as
follows:-
:-
This Invention consists of a kind of throttle valve combined with a
plunger valve so constructed and arranged that any increase in the

page_text: velocity or force of the steam or other fluid causes an instantaneous
closing of the throttle valve, and any decrease in such velocity or force
causes a corresponding opening of the said valve, and thus when the
valve is once set to a certain number of revolutions per minute,
any alteration in that speed would produce such a variation in the
aperture of the valve as will immediately bring the engine back to its
normal speed, and thus this combined valve forms a perfect "governor
for engines or machines of the above class.
"
The throttle valve instead of being an elliptical plate working in a
circular passage as ordinarily, is rectangular and slightly oblong working :
in a square passage, the spindle however of the valve or plate does not
pass through the centre, so that the area on one side of the spindle is
somewhat in excess of that of the other side, and this is so arranged that
the pressure of the steam or other fluid passing from the boiler or other
reservoir acting against this increased area, would have a constant
tendency to keep the valve closed, and prevent the admission of the
steam or other fluid to the engine or machine. In close connection
with this throttle valve (either above, below, or at one side), is a plunger
fitted in an open cylinder, the steam or other fluid having access to both
ends of the plunger. The latter is formed with one end larger than the
other, and the excess of area of one end over the other is in rather
larger a proportion than that of the one side of the throttle valve over
the other side thereof. The larger end of the plunger is exposed to the
steam on the boiler side of the throttle valve, and the smaller end
thereof is exposed to the steam on the engine side of the throttle valve.
The plunger is provided with an arm, the outer end of which is
connected by a set screw to a lever fixed on the spindle of the throttle
valve, and so arranged that the closing of the throttle valve will thrust
the plunger towards the boiler and the forcing back of the plungor from
the boiler will on the contrary open the throttle valve against the
pressure of the steam.
Such being the case the action of the valve is as follows :—
On admitting steam by the stop valve the first rush of the steam
would close the throttle valve, the steam would however immediately
act against the larger end of the piston valve, and cause it to force the
throttle valve open against the pressure of the steam, and thus admit
steam to the engine, and the throttle valve would continue to open until
an exact balance between the forces acting respectively upon the

page_text: throttle valve and plunger had been established, and so long as this
balance was maintained the throttle valve would remain immovable, and
the engine would revolve at its normal speed. But suppose that the
load were suddenly thrown off the engine the cylinder would imme-
diately begin to take more steam, and the increased velocity of the steam
passing through the throttle valve would have the effect of closing the
same until the balance of forces was re-established. If on the other
hand the load were to be suddenly thrown on to the engine, then the
steam being taken more slowly the velocity would decrease and the
pressure increase, and the latter acting on the larger end of the plunger
would cause it to open the throttle valve, and give more steam to the
engine.
The reaction of these two forces upon each other (viz., the velocity
of the steam closing the throttle valve, and the pressure of the steam
causing the plunger to open it), will have the effect of maintaining the
working power of the engine always in an exact ratio to the load on the
engine at any given time, and hence the number of revolutions per
minute will always be practically constant, any increase or decrease of
speed acting instantaneously either one way or the other in a corre-
sponding degree upon the throttle valve.
The exact ratio between the action of the velocity of the steam upon
the throttle valve, and the pressure of the steam on the larger end of the
plunger (and hence the number of revolutions per minute) is regulated
by lengthening or shortening the lever by which the arm on the plunger
is connected to the spindle of the throttle valve, so that the valve can
readily be set to any required number of revolutions.
'
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Ebenezer Saxby in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd March 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
EBENEZER SAXBY, of 23, Thames Street, Windsor, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, send greeting.

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Ebenezer Saxby, Her
special license, that I, the said Frederick Ebenezer Saxby, my exccutors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick
Ebenezer Saxby, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES TO BE USED FOR THE
PURPOSE OF REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, OR WATER TO
ENGINES OR MACHINES DRIVEN BY EITHER OF THE ABOVE FORCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Ebenezer Saxby,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Frederick Ebenezer Saxby, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawings,
that is to say :—
This Invention consists of a kind of throttle valve combined with a i
plunger valve so constructed and arranged that any increase in the
velocity or force of the steam or other fluid causes an instantaneous
closing of the throttle valve, and any decrease in such velocity or force
causes a corresponding opening of the said valve, and thus when the
valve is once set to a certain number of revolutions per minute, any
alteration in that speed would produce such a variation in the aperture
of the valve, as will immediately bring the engine back to its nominal
speed, and thus this combined valve forms a perfect "governor" for
engines or machines of the above class.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now 3
proceed to describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the

page_text: same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof.
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is an end elevation; Fig. 2, a front
elevation; Fig. 3, a vertical section through the line A, B, in Fig. 2;
and 4, a plan view of my improved regulator valve; Fig. 5 is a vertical
section through the line E, F; and Fig. 6, a horizontal section through
the line G, H.
The throttle valve a, a, instead of being. an elliptical plate working in
a circular passage as ordinarily is rectangular and slightly oblong,
working in a square passage b, b, the spindle c, c, however of the valvo
or plate does not pass through the centre, so that the area on one side
of the spindle is somewhat in excess of that of the other side, and this is
so arranged that the pressure of the steam or other fluid passing from the
boiler or other reservoir in the direction of the same acting against this
increased area would have a constant tendency to keep the valve a, a,
closed, and prevent the admission of the steam or other fluid to the
engine or machine. In close connection with this throttle valve a, a,
(either above, below, or at one side) is a plunger d, d, fitted in an open
cylinder e, e, the steam or other fluid having access to both ends of the
plunger. The latter is formed with one end larger than the other. The
larger end of the plunger is exposed to the steam on the boiler side of
the throttle valve, and the smaller end thereof is exposed to the steam
on the engine side of the throttle valve. The plunger is provided with
an arm ff, the outer end of which is connected by a set screw to a
curved lever g, g, acting against another curved leveṛ h, h, fixed on the
spindle of the throttle valve, and so arranged that the closing of the
throttle valve will thrust the plunger towards the boiler, and the forcing
back of tho plunger from the boiler will on the contrary open. the
throttle valve. against the pressure of the steam. The levers g, g, and
h, h, are curved so that the point of contact shall vary according to the
position of the valves, by which arrangement the plunger valve d, d,
will possess a differenting power over the throttle valve a, a.
.
Such being the case the action of the valve is as follows:
On admitting steam by the stop valve the first rush of the steam would

page_text: against the larger end of the piston valve d, d, and cause it to force the
throttle valve a, a, open against the pressure of the steam, and thus
admit steam to the engine, and the throttle valve a, a, would continue
to open until an exact balance between the forces acting respectively
upon the throttle valve a, a, and plunger d, d, had been established, and
so long as this balance was maintained the throttle valve a, a, would
remain immovable, and the engine would revolve at its normal speed.
But suppose that the load were suddenly thrown off the engine, the
cylinder would immediately begin to take more steam, and the increased
velocity of the steam passing through the throttle valve a, a, would
have the effect of closing the same until the balance of forces was
re-established. If on the other hand the load were to be suddenly
thrown on to the engine, then the steam being taken more slowly the
velocity would decrease and the pressure increase, and the latter acting
on the larger end of the plunger d, d, would cause it to open the throttle
valve a, a, and give more steam to the engine.
The reaction of these two forces upon each other (videlicet, the velocity
of the steam closing the throttle valve a, a, and the pressure of the
steam causing the plunger d, d, to open it), will have the effect of main-
⚫taining the working the power of the engine always in an exact ratio
to the load on the engine at any given time, and hence the number of
revolutions per minute will always be practically constant, any increase
or decrease of speed acting instantaneously either one way or the other
in a corresponding degree upon the throttle valve.
The exact ratio between the action of the velocity of the steam upon
the throttle valve a, a, and the pressure of the steam on the larger end
of the plunger d, d, (and hence the number of revolutions per minute)
is regulated by lengthening or shortening the link i, i, by which the
arm ff on the plunger d, d, is connected to the spindle c, c, of the
throttle valve a, a, so that the valve can be readily set to any required
number of revolutions.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that
I claim,―
Firstly. The peculiar form and arrangement of the throttle valve, the

page_text: Secondly. The combination of such throttle valve with a piston or
plunger valve; one end of which has a larger area than the other.
Thirdly. The means shewn and described of connecting the throttle
valve and plunger together, so that they act together, in the manner
described.
And, Fourthly. The means shewn and described of regulating the
exact ratio between the action of the velocity of the steam upon the
throttle valve, and the pressure of the steam upon the larger end of
the plunger valve, all constructed, arranged, and working together,
substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawing
annexed.
In witness whereof. I. the said Frederick Ebenezer Saxby, have