AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF MACHINERY
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Jennings, of Fluyder Street, in the
City of Westminster, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF MACHINERY."
Sealed the 27th April 1853, and dated the 2d March 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lewis Jennings at
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2d March 1853.
I, LEWIS JENNINGS, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF
MACHINERY" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of regulating the speed of motive-
power engines and other machinery through the medium of a rotating
fan, or other analogous contrivance, mounted on a loose hollow axle,
which, when set vertically and driven by a feather or projection on a
central shaft receiving rotary motion from the motive-power machinery,
will allow the fan to rise and fall according to the speed of rotation
attained by reason of its cleaving the air, water, or other fluid in which
it is immersed. On the hollow axle which carries the fan an irregular
double cone is fixed.

page_text: This cone is embraced at opposite sides of its base by two arms
(provided with friction bowles) keyed to a shaft which is parallel with
the hollow axle.
When this regulator is applied to a motive-power engine, one of
these arms is connected to the throttle valve thereof, and by its
reciprocating motion it determines the amount of steam to be let into
the cylinder. The cone, as it rotates by reason of its irregularity or
excentricity, strikes against the bowles of the arms, and causes the
arms to vibrate, thereby opening and closing the valve alternately.
As the speed of the engine increases the fan will rise and lift the
cone, so that a larger diameter will be presented to the upper arm, and
a less diameter to the lower arm, the effect of which will be to limit
the range of the valve, and thereby to contract the aperture through
which the steam passes to the cylinder of the engine. But, should the
speed of the engine decrease, the fan will descend, and the effect will
be reversed; the throttle valve being opened so as to admit a larger
volume of steam to the cylinder.
It will be understood that the mode of carrying out this Invention
admits of various modifications, but the arrangement above described
will perhaps be found best suited for motive-power engines or
machines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Lowis Jennings, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 2d September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
LEWIS JENNINGS, of Fludyer Street, in the City of Westminster, Me-
chanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenthi
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Lewis Jennings, Her special licence that I, the
said Lewis Jennings, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or

page_text: such others as I, the said Lewis Jennings, 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE
SPEED OF MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Lewis Jennings, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Lewis Jennings, do hereby de-
clare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
This Invention relates to the regulating of the speed of motive-power
engines and other machinery by the rising and falling of a fan screw,
or other analogous contrivance, which is mounted on a loose spindle,
and on receiving rotary motion will cleave the air, water, or other
fluid in which it is immersed, and will rise or fall or traverse the
fluid according to the speed by which it is driven.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1, shews in side elevation a
governor constructed upon this novel principle. Fig. 2, is a plan
view, and Fig. 3, is a sectional elevation of the same. a, a, is a vessel
containing water or other fluid; and from the bottom of this vessel to
the cover a tube b, extends upwards to receive a spindle c, which it
supports in a vertical position. The lower extremity of this spindle c,
rests in a step d, and its upper end turns in a bearing carried by
a standard a, bolted to the top flange of the vessel a.
Rotary motion is given to the spindle c, by a bevel wheel on a
shaft e, connected with the motive-power machinery, taking into a
bevel wheel keyed to the shaft c. Over the fixed tube b, rides loose

page_text: conc.
hollow spindle, which carries at its lower end a serew g, and at its
upper end an excentric hollow double cone h, shewn in sectional
plan and on an enlarged scale at Fig. 4. The spindle c, is provided at
its upper end, and at opposite sides thereof, with a feather edge, for
the purpose of taking into two grooves made through the hollow
When therefore rotary motion is communicated to the shaft c,
the cone will be caused to revolve, and with it the screw g, which,
by acting upon the liquid like a propeller, will have a tendency to rise
therein, and lift the hollow cone to a higher level. This cono
terminates in a grooved ring, which is embraced by a strap piece,
forming a portion of a lever i, the weighting of which determines the
resistance to be given to the upward movement of the screw g, and
cone h, and consequently the amount of motion to be imparted to the
throttle valve of the engine, as will be presently explained. The
weighted lever i, is carried by a fulcrum pin k, which works in
bearings carried by the standard a; and this lever is made to bear
down the screw g, by pins which, projecting from the strap piece of
the lever, take into an annular groove formed in the periphery of the
ring at the top of the cone h. 1, is a vertical rock shaft, supported
in bearings from the standard u, and carrying two arms m, m, which
are provided with antifriction bowles, and embrace the double cone h,
at opposite sides of its base, for the purpose to be presently explained.
The arm m, is continued past the conc, as shown at Figures 1, and 2,
and connected to the throttle valve of the motive-power engine for the
purpose of governing the motions of that valve.
In working this improved governor it is necessary to keep the fluid
in the vessel a, quiescent, or to prevent it from following the movement
of the scrow g.
For this purpose vertical blades n, (radiating from a
loose boss, which rests on the boss of the screw, and rises and falls
therewith) are provided in the vessel a. These blades, which are
intended to act as dash boards, and prevent the liquid from attaining a
circular motion, are secured from rotating by one of them being let
into a vertical recess made in the side of the vessel a, (see the sectional
plan of the vessel at Fig. 5,) while at the same time the blades are free
to rise and full, and thus present no obstruction to the vertical movements

page_text: of the screw.
The construction of screw which I have found to act
satisfactorily is shewn in plan and edge views at Figure 6; but it
will be obvious that screws or propellers of other constructions might
be employed if thought desirable. The action of this novel construction.
of governor is as follows:-Water or other fluid having been let into
the vessel a, and rotary motion communicated through the shaft c,
to the double cone h, the cone will, by reason of its irregularity or excen-
tricity, bear against one or other of the bowles of the arms m, m,"
according to the position they ha e assumed with respect to the cone,
and cause the arms to vibrate; which motion will be communicated to
the throttle valve and regulate the supply of steam to the engine.
Fig. 1, shows the double cone in its medium position, at which it is to
be set by weighting the lever i, so that it will present an amount of
resistance equal to the tendency of the screw g, to press the conc
above the medium position. It will now be understood that when the
speed of the driving power is slackened the screw will sink in the liquid,
and an increasing diameter of the cone will be brought into contact
with the bowle of the arm m, by which means the valve will be
opened wider so as to allow of an increased supply of steam passing
to the engine. On the contrary, when the speed of the driving power
increases, the screw will rise in the liquid, and carry up the cone so as
to bring an increasing diameter thereof to bear against the bowle of the
arm m, by which means the passage for the steam to the engine will
be contracted, and the speed will consequently be reduced.
In applying my improved governor to the increasing or slackening
of the speed of any driven machinery without changing the speed of
the engine, which is the driving power, I cause the arm m, to act upon
the forked lever, which commands the driving band of the machine,
and by passing this band over cone pulleys I am enabled to shift it to
an increasing or decreasing diameter of pulley, and thus change the
speed of the machine.
It will be understood that the mode of carrying out this Invention
admits of various modifications; I do not, therefore, confine myself to
the details of the arrangement above set forth.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and explained

page_text: the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First, the general arrangement of parts, as above set forth, for
regulating the speed of machinery.
Secondly, I claim obtaining and applying the variable motion for
effecting the required regulation of speed in machinery by means
of a traversing screw or other propeller working in air, or water,
or other liquid.
Thirdly, I claim the use of the excentric or cam cone for imparting
motion to the arm or lever of throttle valves of engines, or to the
driving band or strap lever of machinery generally.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lewis Jennings, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness, J. W. MOFFATT, 66, Chancery Lane, London.
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