NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM-ENGINES, AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Charlton, of Gateshead-on-Tyne, and John William
Wailes, of Wednesbury, Engineer, for an Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF STEAM-ENGINES, AND OTHER
PRIME MOVERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Charlton and John
William Wailes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th
March 1881.
HENRY CHARLTON, of Gateshead on Tyne, and JOHN WILLIAM WAILES, of.
Wednesbury, Engineer. "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING
THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS."
Our Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus for regulating the
speed of engines by controlling the amount of motive power admitted or by
applying a brake or other known device.
In carrying out our Invention we employ a clock, time piece, or electric clock
which is regulated by the well known escapement motion, and which may be used
with or without the hands for recording time. The tooth by tooth or regular clock
beat motion causes a certain number of bolts or stops to operate every minute on
mechanism suitably arranged in such a manner that each bolt or stop causes a
certain slip or loss of motion. In this way the uniform speed due to the escape-
ment regulator. causes a certain amount of slip on the mechanism driven by the
varying speed of the engine to be governed, and the difference is made to act on a
means of regulating the uncertain mover..
Our improved apparatus consists of a suitable bracket or stand secured to the
side of the engine room or other convenient place. On this bracket the time
piece is conveniently fixed above a revolving mechanism which is carried in
bearings below and actuated by belts or cords from the engine to be governed.
The time piece is so arranged that its lever as it vibrates alternately strikes each
of two hinged catches or levers which retain, and on being struck release, corre-
sponding bolts or stops. Or any other part of the clock's mechanism may be made
use of to liberate these bolts or stops.
The revolving mechanism is composed of two pulleys driven by belts or cords
from the engine, one pulley being fixed to and driving a hollow spindle carried in

page_text: suitable bearings. On this spindle are mounted two wheels or discs, one of which
is free to revolve on the spindle, and is formed on its periphery with a number of
teeth or divisions (for receiving the bolts or stops from the time piece), and on its
face at right angles thereto with a series of circumferential inclined planes.
The second disc is of smaller diameter, so that it may lay within the ring of the
inclined planes on the first disc, and has teeth or pegs on its periphery which extend
across and slightly beyond the said planes.
This disc is prevented, from turning on the spindle by a pin which passes through
its boss and through a slot in the spindle, where it is attached to a pin in the centre
of the spindle; the other end of the pin is similarly attached to a ring, which with
the disc is free to pass along the spindle, but not to revolve independently of it.
When the time piece allows one of the bolts or stops to fall it catches a tooth or
division on the periphery of the first named disc, and thereby holds the latter;
the spindle now carrying the second disc round with it constrains its teeth or pegs
to travel up the inclined planes, and the disc with its ring is thereby forced
along the spindle, the ring coming against a lever and so lifting a pawl or tappet
which raises the bolt or stop from the tooth or division of the retained disc, which
is thereby liberated when it is returned to its original position by springs acting
against pins on the disc.. On one side of the first named driving pulley are
projections which keep a volute spring wound up for actuating a spur wheel and
gear connected with a socket, as hereafter specified. For effecting this a spindle
with a cross arm has a sleeve in two parts carried in bearings, one end of the
volute spring being attached to one of the sleeves and the other end to the spur
wheel. When the spring is sufficiently wound up it is held by a ratchet and
pawl and a screw draws the spindle with its cross arm away from or out of reach
of the projections on the first named driving pulley.
In combination with the above portion of regulating apparatus I employ a nut
driven by the second pulley from the engine and fitted to a screw or bolt having a
slow pitched helical thread cut thereon at that part. This screw or bolt passes
with a square shank through a socket (above named) which is mounted in suitable
bearings and carries a disc which is caused to revolve in the same direction as the
nut is driven by the spur wheel and gear before mentioned.
When this disc is liberated by the lifting of the pawl or tappet at each beat
of the time piece it escapes a quarter of a revolution, and in so doing lifts the
pawl or tappet higher than it has been lifted by the lever as first described, and so
returns the bolts or stops to their original position ready to be liberated at the
next beat of the timepiece.
The screw or bolt is caused to move one way or the other by the motion of the
nut or the turning of the bolt by the socket, and its travel being limited by
adjustable stops, which coming in contact with pawls disengage them from a
ratchet and allow the bolt or nut to turn as the case requires.
A suitable lever acted upon by adjustable nuts or stops on the screw or bolt in
combination with the throttle or other valve gear on the engine to be governed is
moved by the screw or bolt in one direction when the slip or loss of motion is
more than the motion imparted to the screw or bolt by the engine, and in the
reverse direction when the engine gives more motion to the screw or bolt than is
allowed to slip; by this means the smallest deviation from the proper speed will be
communicated to the throttle or other regulating gear on the engine which will be
thereby controlled.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Charlton and John William Wailes in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th September 1881.
HENRY CHARLTON, of Gateshead on Tyne, and JOHN WILLIAM WAILES, of
Wednesbury, Engineer. "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING
THE SPEED OF STEAM ENGINES AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS."
Our Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus for regulating the
speed of engines by controlling the amount of motive power admitted, or by applying
a brake or other known device.
In carrying out our Invention we employ a clock, time piece, or electric clock,
which is regulated by the well known escapement motion, and which may be used
with or without the hands for recording time. The tooth by tooth or regular clock
beat motion causes a certain number of bolts or stops to operate every minute on
mechanism suitably arranged in such a manner that each bolt or stop causes a
certain slip or loss of motion. In this way the uniform speed due to the escape-
ment regulator causes a certain amount of slip on the mechanism driven by the
varying speed of the engine to be governed, and the difference is made to act on a
means of regulating the uncertain inover.
And in order that our said Invention may be well understood we shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheets of Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
the respective Figures.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a front elevation of one form of our improved speed regulating.
apparatus, and Figure 2, Sheet 1, à side sectional elevation thereof.
A represents a bracket formed with holes for securing it to the side of the engine
room or other convenient place. To this bracket is attached a plate B, on which
the time piece is placed conveniently to liberate the stops or bolts a, a. Motion is
imparted to the machine by cords from the engine to the pulleys C and D; the
pulley C is fixed to and drives a hollow spindle b, which is carried in bearings c, c,
and on which are mounted the wheels or discs E and F. The disc E, which is free
to revolve on the spindle, has teeth or divisions on its periphery, and a number of
inclined planes d, d, d, circumferential and at right angles to the face of the disc E.
The disc F is smaller in diameter, so that it may lay within the ring of inclined
planes d, d, d, and has teeth or pegs e, e, e, e, on its periphery extending onto or a
little over the inclined planes d, d, d. This disc F is prevented from turning on
the spindle by means of a pin passing through its boss and through a slot in the
spindle, where it is attached to a pin y in the centre of the spindle b; the other
end of this central pin y is similarly attached to a ring f, which with the disc F
are free to pass along the spindle, but not to revolve independently of it. When a
stop a holds the disc E the spindle carrying the disc Fround with it constrains
the pegs e, e, e, e, to pass up the inclined planes d, d, d, the disc F and conse-
quently the ring f being thereby forced along the spindle, the lever g lifting the
pawl or stop h. When the stop a is put back and the disc E liberated it is
returned to its original position by the springs G, G, acting against the pins i, i, in
the disc F¹. The pulley C, by means of the projections k, k, keeps the volute spring
wound up so as to give force to the wheel G. A spindle H having a cross arm m
has a sleeve in two parts and m¹ carried in bearings n, n. One end of the volute
spring is attached to the sleeve l, and the other to the wheel G'. When the spring
is wound up it is held by a ratchet and pawl o until sufficiently wound up, when
he screw at draws the spindle H with its cross arm m out of reach of the
projections on the disc C; the sleeve / turns with the spindle.
The pulley D drives a nut K carried in bearings p, p, and this nut K fits a

page_text: screw L, which passes with a square shank through a socket M carried in bearings
q, q; the socket M carries also a disc N, which receives force in the direction the
nut K is driven from the wheel G³, and when liberated by the lifting of the pawl
or stop hat each beat of the time piece escapes a quarter of a revolution. As the
disc N escapes it lifts the pawl h higher than it has been lifted by the lever g, and
lifting the rods 7, 7, returns the stops a, a, ready to be liberated at the next beat
of the time piece. The bolt L is caused to move one way or the other either by
the motion of the nut K or the turning of the bolt L by the socket M; this travel
of the bolt L is limited by adjustable stops O, which coming in contact with the
pawls 8, 8, t, t, lift them free from a ratchet, and allow the bolt L or nut K to turn 1
as the case requires. Two adjustable nuts u, u, actuate the lever for regulating
the engine at each beat of the time piece. Figures 3 and 4, Sheet 2, are front and
side sectional elevations respectively of a modification of my Invention; Figure 5,
a section on line 1, 2, in Figure 4; and Figures 6 to detailed views of parts of
Figures 3 and 4. In this arrangement the speed regulating apparatus or 1
governor is of a light construction, the only power required from it being that
necessary to move a slide of small weight working freely in guides. A represents
a bracket on which the several parts of the machine are fixed. A clock is placed
on the plate B in such a way that the wheel C, which is by preference on the
spindle of the escapement wheel may at each beat of the clock (by passing on one
tooth) lift the catch D and allow the stop E to fall. Below carried in suitable
bearings is a spindle F, having on one end a toothed wheel G with saw like teeth,
and its other end passing through the centre of a pulley H and carrying an upright
bar J, on which is mounted a lever K, having one end pivoted to the bar J, and
the other carrying a small anti-friction roller a resting on one of the inclined
planes b, b, formed circumferentially on the pulley H. Underneath the bar J is a
spring bar L which rests against one of the pins M on the pulley H. The action of
this part of the apparatus is as follows:-The pulley H receives motion from the
engine in the direction of the arrow, and carries with it the tooth wheel G in the
same direction. When the stop E is let fall by the clock the wheel G is arrested,
and the pulley H in passing forward lifts the lever K by means of one of the
inclined planes b, b, until the rod N actuated, as hereafter described, lifts the
stop E, when the spring bar L acting against one of the pins M constrains the
lever K to fall into its place again down the inclined plane b. Below the mechanism
above described is mounted in suitable bearings another spindle O, on which is
fixed near one end a pulley P, and at the other end an arm Q, on the extremity of
which is a bearing carrying fixed on a short spindle c two small tooth wheels R
and S gearing (sun and planetwise) into two wheels T and U, R and T being
equal, and S and U in the proportion of 2 to 1. On the other extremity of the
spindle & carrying the wheel T, and also fixed to it is the wheel V. The wheel U
is fixed to a hollow spindle e working round the centre spindle O, and on this
spindle e is also fixed a disc W. A hollow spindle X works round the centre
spindle O and is joined to the spindle e by a screw at Y; on this hollow spindle X
is a second hollow spindle Z, to which is secured a ratchet wheel f. The spindle ✗
does not revolve in the spindle Z, being prevented by the plate g which fits the
spindle X, flattened on its sides at this point; but the spindle X is free to slide
forwards or backwards, as it may be drawn in or forced out by the screw at Y.
Between the disc W and the ratchet wheel f is a volute spring, having one end
attached to the disc W, and the other end to the spindle Z or the ratchet wheel f;
on the end of the spindle X is fixed a cross arm h, h. The action of this part of
the apparatus is as follows:-The pulley P receives motion from the engine to be
governed, and drives through the spindle O the cross arm Q carrying the wheels R
and S. Now the wheel U being fixed for the time, and U and S being 2 to 1 in half a
revolution of the spindle O, half a revolution will have been given to the wheel T, and
so carried through the spindle d to the wheel V, which in its turn actuates the
segment i, and so the lever k is moved in one direction representing the motion of
the engine. The slip allowed by the clock which moves the lever k in the other

page_text: direction, has its action as follows: At each beat of the clock, as before shewn, the
lever is lifted, which coming against the lever lifts the stop m, whereby the
disc W actuated by the volute spring and carrying with it the wheel U escapes a
quarter of a revolution. This quarter of a revolution slip driving the wheel U into
the wheel S at 2 to 1 will communicate a slip to the wheel V equal to half a
revolution, and so on to the lever k. The volute spring is kept charged by the
pins n, n, in the pulley P taking hold of the cross arm whenever the screw at Y
shall put them in contact. Thus if the pulley P is driven by the engine at 60
revolutions per minute, and the clock lets 120 stops fall, and each stop (as before
shown) allows half a revolution to slip the slip and the motion will balance The
slip remaining constant, any alteration of the speed of the engine must throw the
lever one way or the other out of its true course. The lever k may be connected
to the valve direct, but to reduce the working parts to as light proportions as
possible and to avoid wear, we cause the lever ke simply to give motion to a slide o
(Fig. 1), and the lever before moving the slide o lifts a pawl p from a ratchet in
the side of the guides, this is to prevent the slide o being unduly thrown by a blow
from the lever k when actuated by the volute spring. In bearings below the
slide o is mounted a spindle q, on which is a nut in three parts r, s, and t. The
part r is free to revolve, being driven by a spur wheel in the centre, which gears
into another spur wheel with a broad face to admit of the nuts travelling down the
spindle q. The part s fits the spindle g with a fine thread, and the part t takes
hold of the spindle q, being prevented from turning by the latter being flattened
on the sides. The sockets s and t have ratchet wheels u and v fixed to them, and
the centre revolving part carries pawls, which when the slide o comes in contact
therewith are put down and communicate motion to the nut or screw according to
whether the part 8 or t is in gear. The action of this part of the apparatus will be
readily understood by referring to Figures 8 to on the Drawing, in which the
pawl arrangement as applied to the s and t parts are shewn. w is the pawl, which
when in contact with the slide o throws the nut a in gear, and causes it to travel down
the spindle g. When the pawl w is put down the pawl is elevated, and when
the latter comes in contact with the other end of the slide o, the pawl w is lifted
and the nuts remains stationary. Figuro shews the spring 3, which keeps the pawl
down or up, as the case may be, somewhat on the principle of the spring on a pocket
knife blade. By lengthening the lever / the smallest difference between slip and
motion may be made to give considerable motion to the slide o. The details of the
above described arrangements of apparatus may be varied as circumstances dictate
without departing from the essential feature of our Invention.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider novel and original,
and therefore claim as our Invention is,-
The application and use of a clock escapement motion in combination with bolts
or stops, and with suitable apparatus for regulating the speed of steam engines
and other motors, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Wailes, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Henry Charlton, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand
JOHN WILLIAM WAILES. (L.S.)