IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilson Hartnell, of Leeds, in the County of York, for tho
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR
GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES.”
caled the 1st September 1870, and dated the 2nd May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wilson Hartnell at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd May 1876.
WILSON HARTNELL, of Leeds, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES."
My Invention has reference to an arrangement of governor, whereby a regular
speed is obtained in a very economical manner, it being powerful enough to act
upon expansion gear, at the same time being light, simple, and sensitive. It also
further consists in an improved means of holding a link notion or valve rod die
in any required position. These improvements separate or in combination are
applicable to portable and other steam engines.
The governor consists of two or more weights vibrating to and from a central
revolving spindle (as in the ordinary pendulum governor), but in this case cach
arm forms part of a bell crank, the other ends of the bell cranks carrying friction
wheels resting on a sliding piece on the governor spindle, which sliding piece is
pressed by a powerful spring on the spindle to resist the centrifugal force of the
weights. This one sliding piece may act on the governor lever connected to the
throttle or expansion valve by any suitable means.
I by preference control the engine by acting on the expansion gear without using
the throttle valve. When such expansion gear consists of vibrating links, which
are apt to exert a considerable jerking action on the governor, an arrangement is
interposed for wholly or partially arresting such action. It consists either of a
check lever connected to the governor and carrying a portion or segment of a spiral,
which, acting like a curved wedge, gives a smaller motion to a lever set at right
angles to the first lever and connected with the link gear, or a check link is used,
the one end being traversed an are of a fixed spiral causes the other to move a
shorter distance radially across the centre of the spiral. Either of these checks can bo
applied between the governor and the link gear, or either of them may be attached
to and revolve with the governor, acting on a second sliding pieco on its spindle.
The vibrating link and its connection with the governor may be attached to the
[Price Gd.]

page_text: governor stand, the whole being self-contained.
This governor at high speeds
will work in a vertical, horizontal, or any required position.
The advantages of this Invention are though the governor is simple and light,
yet by using a strong spring it can be made far more powerful than other governors
of equal size depending upon weights only. The spring can be adjusted (for quick
speeds) to make the governor have any required degree of sensitiveness throughout
its entire range. Therefore any degree of sensitiveness and power may be combined.
This is in consequence of the bell crank making respectively equal angles (or nearly
so) with the direction of centrifugal force and that of the springs, and therefore the
relative effective leverage from the centre of the weight and centre of the friction
wheel is in all its positions constant or nearly so. The check gear causes the governor
to be unaffected by the pulsating strains due to the link, which can therefore easily
be controlled, and by attachment with the governor their expansive action is made
automatic.
'
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Wilson Hartnell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd November
1876.
WILSON HARTNELL, of Leeds, in the County of York.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES."
My Invention has reference to an arrangement of governor, whereby a regular
speed is obtained in a very economical manner, it being powerful enough to nel
upon expansion gear, at the same time being light, simple, and sensitive. It also
further consists in an improved means of holding a link motion or valve rod die
in any required position. These improvements separate or in combination are
applicable to portable and other steam engines.
The governor consists of two or more weights vibrating to and from a central
revolving spindle (as in the ordinary pendulum governor), but in this case each
arm forms part of a bell crank, the other ends of the bell cranks carrying friction
wheels resting on a sliding piece on the governor spindle, which sliding piece is
pressed by a powerful spring on the spindle to resist the centrifugal force of the
weights. This one sliding piece may on the governor lever be connected to the
throttle or expansion valve by any suitable means.
I by preference control the engine by acting on the expansion gear without using
the throttle valve. When such expansion gear consists of vibrating links which
are apt to exert a considerable jerking action on the governor, an arrangement is
It consists either of a
interposed for wholly or partially arresting such action.
check lever connected to the governor and carrying a portion or segment of a spiral,
which acting like a curved wedge gives a smaller motion to a lever set at right
angles to the first lever and connected with the link gear, or a check link is used,
the one end being traversed on arc of a fixed spiral causes the other to move a shorter
distance radially across the centre of the spiral. Either of these checks can be
applied between the governor and the link gear, or either of then may be attached
to and revolve with the governor acting on a second sliding piece on its spindle.
The vibrating link and its connection with the gonernor may be attached to the
governor stand, the whole being self-contained. This governor at high speeds will
work in a vertical, horizontal, or any required position.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, shew respectively front elevation, side elevation, and plan,
shewing arrangement of governor and other parts connected with my Invention.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, are other arrangements forming part of my Invention, all of
which will be hereafter described.

page_text: vibrating to and from a central revolving spindle B. Each weight A is fixed to
one end of a bell crank lever c, the two arms of which are respectively at right
angles or nearly so. Each of the other ends of the bell crank carry a friction wheel
D resting on a sliding pieco E on the governor spindle. The sliding pieco is
pressed by a powerful spring F on the spindle to resist the centrifugal force of the
weight. The bell cranks are supported by the carrier H fixed to the governor
spindle B. The spring F may be arranged to act in tension instead of compression.
The carrier may also be secured to the governor spindle on the opposite side of the
crank arm, especially if the governor be inverted, the spring F being inside the
sliding piece E abutting on a fixed collar F'.
The sliding piece E may act on the governor lover G (shown in dotted lines)
fixed to the vibrating spindlo K by any suitable means, such as a loose ring in a
groove on the sliding piece, as shown, secured between double lovers G or their
equivalents. The vibrating spindle K may be connected to any convenient mo-
chanism for regulating the admission of steam, whether by throttling or oxpansion
valve.
I by preference control the engine by acting on the expansion gear without
using the throttle valve.
Thus in Figures 1, 2, 3, and also 6. To the vibrating spindle K may be fixed
the weigh lever a connected by a lifting link b to the expansion valve rod c so as
to raise and lower one end of that rod with its block or die d in the expansion link
e which is worked by the eccentric rod f. Raising or lowering the end of the
valve rod calters the travel of the expansion valve g and varies the cut off of
steam.
When such expansion gear consists of vibrating links, which are apt to exert a
considerable jerking action on the governor, an arrangement is interposed for
wholly or partially arresting such action. It consists either of a check lever h,
Figures 4 and 5, carrying a portion or segment of a spiral, which, acting like a
curved wedge, gives a small transverse motion to a dio l in the die lever m set at
about right angles to the mean position of the checking lever. The checking lever
is connected to the governor, the die lever to the link motion. Or a check link his
used, as shewn, in Figures 6 and 7, the one end of which being traversed in an arc
of a fixed spiral causes the other end, which is either fixed to the second sliding piece
1, as shown at Figure 6, or to the reversing lever in Figure 7, to move a shorter distanco
radially across the centro of the spiral. Either of these checks can be applied
between the governor and the link gear, as shewn by Figures 4, 5, and 7, or either
of them may be attached to and revolve with the governor, acting on a second
sliding piece on its spindle, as shown by Figure 6, or they may be used in connection
with any other suitable form of governor or link gear.
In Figure 7 where the common link motion is shown for a single slido valve the
fixed spiral is so placed that the link is traversed from about mid gear until the
lower eccentric rod is in full gear. By altering the position of one end of the
spiral from n to o the link is traversed from about mid gear, until the top eccentric
is in full gear, the engine being thus reversed.
The vibrating link and its connection with the governor may be attached to the
governor stand as shewn in detail by Figures 1, 2, and 3, the whole being self-con-
tained. This governor at high speed will work in a vertical, horizontal, inverted,
or any other position. The action of the governor is as follows:-When the
governor revolves at certain speeds, the centrifugal force of the balls A acting
through the bell crank levers compresses the spring, placing the balls in the mean
position shewn. Any increase or decrease of speed causes the balls to move to or
from this inean position and moves the sliding piece and the vibrating spindle /.
The variation of speed required to produce this alteration of position can be
diminished or increased as desired by adjusting the springs by means of the adjus-
table collar or nut, this constitutes a special feature of the governor. The spindlo
or weigh shaft K as before explained acts on the valves that supply the engine with
steam.

page_text: The check action of the spiral whether fixed or traversing arises from tho
friction exerted when the governor and link have a tendency to act in opposito
direction.
In the particular arrangement of expansion gear, shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
the cut off can be varied from zero to beyond half stroke, so as to completely
to control a high-pressure engine, and the whole is so arranged as to make it both
simple, light, and effective, and very suitable for portable and other engines.
Tho special advantages of this governor are that whilst light and simple any
required degree of power may be combined with any required degree of sensitiveness,
qualities especially needed for controlling the ordinary expansive gears without
complications. The great lack of sensitiveness in most of the ordinary forms of
spring governor has caused them to be rejected whenever a careful regulation of
speed was necessary. The property of adjustable sensitiveness is in consequence
of the two arms of the bell crank c making respectively equal angles (or nearly so)
with the direction of the centrifugal force and that of the springs, and therefore
the relative effective leverage from the centre of the weight and centre of the
friction wheel is for all positions of the bell cranks constant or nearly so.
check gear causes the governor to be more or less unaffected by the pulsating
strains due to the link, which while they assist the governor to act in the required
direction are easily controlled. By attaching such link gear to the governor the
expansion action is made automatic.
The
I would here remark that the herein-described governor may be applied to
engines provided with other link gear than the herein-before described. Also the
check gear may be applied for controlling other link gear than herein-before
described.
Having now declared the nature of my said Invention, and shown by Drawing
how the same may be carried into practice, I would have it understood that I do
not limit myself to the exact details or configuration of the parts I have explained
and shewn, as the same may of course be varied or modified without in any way
departing from my Invention, but what I do claim and desire to be secured to
ne by Letters Patent is-
Firstly. The arrangement, construction, and application of governor substantially
as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Secondly. The arrangement, construction, and application of check gear for
controlling the link motion, substantially as and for purposes herein set forth.
Thirdly. The arrangement and combination of governor with a link gear sub-
stantially as and for purposes herein set forth.
Fourthly. The arrangement and combination of the expansion gear here described
with any governor arrangement on one stand, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wilson Hartnell, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
WILSON HARTNELL. (L.S.)