IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANSION GOVERNORS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Hawkins, of Tintinhull Court, near
Yeovil, in the County of Somerset, and Samuel Lawrence, of
Merriott, near Crewkerne, in the said County of Somerset, for the
Sealed the 11th December 1874, and dated the 25th June 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Hawkins and
Samuel Lawrence at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 25th June 1874.
We, FRANCIS HAWKINS, of Tintinhull Court, near Yeovil, in the
County of Somerset, and SAMUEL LAWRENCE, of Merriott, near
Crewherne, in the said County of Somerset, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANSION GOVERNORS," to be
as follows:-

page_text: we place an ordinary pendulum governor upon a spindle (which may be
the crank shaft of the engine), and cause it to rotate at the same speed
as the engine, but instead of connecting the arms to the ordinary sliding
sleeve one arm is connected to a lever pivotted on the spindle, the
other end of the lever being a toothed sector gearing into a rack cut
across an eccentric. This eccentric is not connected to the spindle but
slides by V grooves across a disc or eccentric of smaller throw fixed to
the spindle. The eccentric drives the valves in the ordinary manner.
The sector which works the rack cut across the back of the eccentric is
provided with another lever connected by means of a variable spring to
the other arm of the governor.
We prefer to employ separate valves for steam and exhaust in which
case the eccentric works the steam valves only, and we place a separate
cam to work the exhaust valves.
When the speed of the engine is such that the governor balls fly out,
the sector arm working into the rack carries the main eccentric across
the lower disc or eccentric, and thus reduces the motion of the valve and
diminishes the inlet of steam to the cylinder.
When it is considered desirable to govern the engine at a higher rate
of speed than that naturally due to the length of the governor arms, we
adjust the variable spring connector between the second lever on the
sector and the governor arm, and thereby restrain the balls from so
readily flying out, and the engine is governed at a higher rate of
speed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said Francis Hawkins and Samuel Lawrence in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 23rd December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FRANCIS
HAKWINS, of Tintinhull Court, near Yeovil, in the County of Somerset,
and SAMUEL LAWRENCE, of Merriott, near Crewkerne, in the said 3
County of Somerset, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Francis Hawkins and
Samuel Lawrence, Her special license that we, the said Francis Hawkins
and Samuel Lawrence our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Francis Hawkins and Samuel Lawrence,
our 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 thercin 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANSION GOVERNORS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Francis Hawkins and Samuel Lawrence, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, should particularly 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

page_text: the other arm of the governor. In place of connecting the governor
arms directly with the lever arms of the toothed sector a sliding sleeve
may be interposed.
We prefer to employ separate valves for steam and exhaust, in which
case the eccentric works the steam valves only, and we place a separate
cam to work the exhaust valves.
When the speed of the engine is such that the governor balls fly out,
the sector arm working into the rack carries the main eccentric across
the lower disc or eccentric, and thus reduces the motion of the valve
and diminishes the inlet of steam to the cylinder.
When it is considered desirable to govern the engine at a higher rate
of speed than that naturally due to the length of the governor arms, we
adjust the variable spring connector between the second lever on the
sector and the governor arm, and thereby restrain the balls from so
readily flying out, and the engine is governed at a higher rate of 1
speed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2, an end elevation of a
governor constructed according to our Invention.
a is the axis of the governor; it is driven from the crank shaft 6 of the
engine by a pair of interlocking worms or inclined toothed pinions, or
other means for driving the governor axis may be resorted to; c, c, are
the governor arms with balls c¹.
The arms c are jointed at a', a¹, to a
cross head on the governor axis. The axis is slotted or forked to receive
and guide the governor arms, as is shewn, and these arms also pass
through the horns d¹, d¹, on the sleeve d which is able to slide upon the
axis a.
The arms c, c, are slotted where they pass through the horns d'
and friction bowls having their pivots in the horns are lodged in the
slots in the arms. Hence when the balls diverge the sleeve d is drawn
upwards along the axis a. The sleeve d has two other horns d² and d³;

page_text: the horn d² is connected by a link e to one end of a lever arm ƒ¹ on a
sector which is pin-jointed to the axis f. Another lever arm f² on the
same sector is connected with the horn d³ by the coiled spring g; his
the eccentric which controls the admission of steam to the steam
cylinder; it is able to slide upon a V guide formed upon a disc i which
is keyed upon the shaft a. The guide is not radial to the shaft, but is
so set that whilst the sliding motion varies the length of travel of the
valve it does not alter the lead of the valve which remains constant
whatever the degree of expansion.
The eccentric has rack teeth formed upon it, and corresponding teeth
on the sector f gear with them. It is obvious that as the governor balls
diverge the sleeve d is raised and the lever f is caused to rock; in so
doing it shifts the eccentric h along its slide diminishes the length
of throw of the valve, and causes an earlier cut off. The spring g acts
in aid of gravity and by increasing its tension the governor will be
caused to regulate the engine to a higher speed. As before-mentioned
the governor may be mounted on the crank shaft itself, a spring or
springs serving to restrain the governor balls; % is a cam for opening
the exhaust passages; it may be an ordinary eccentric with eccentric
strap. The steam valves are marked 1, 1, and the exhaust valves m, m.
Figures 3 illustrate a ready means of reversing the engine; b is the
crank shaft and b¹ the driving worm upon it; it is able to turn upon the
shaft but is held, so that it cannot move along it; n, n¹, is a double
clutch which can be moved along the shaft by means of the reversing
lever. The clutching parts are so formed that in one position when the
part n of the clutch acts the clutching takes place when the eccentric is
in position to drive the engine forward, but when the part n¹ of the
clutch is brought into operation the clutching takes place when the
eccentric is so situate as to drive the engine in the reverse direction.
The operation of reversing is simply to throw the clutch lever over
and to turn the engine back a portion of a stroke either by hand or by
manipulating the valves according to the size of the engine.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
claim the construction of expansion governors, substantially as described,

page_text: and the means substantially as described of varying the position of the
eccentric on the shaft in accordance with the divergence of the governor
arms.
In witness whereof, we, the said Francis Hawkins and Samuel
Lawrence, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth 5
day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-four.
FRANCIS HAWKINS.
(L.S.)
SAMUEL LAWRENCE. (L.S.)