IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Knowles of Bolton in the County of Lancaster.
Cotton Spinner for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF
GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Knowles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th December 1883.
WILLIAM KNOWLES of Bolton in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES, AND
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME.
"
IN
My invention relates to an improved method of governing steam engines, and
in apparatus for effecting the same, for the purpose of maintaining as nearly as
possible a uniform speed; which I effect by automatically varying the speed of the
ordinary governors usually provided for operating the cut-off, or the throttle valve,
according to the varying conditions of load and pressure, thereby producing a
variable plane of revolution; with means for actuating automatically the gearing
for driving the aforesaid governor, causing it to be driven at the speed demanded
by the altered conditions of pressure of steam and weight of load; thus reducing
to a minimum the variations that occur through the increase or decrease in the
pressure of the steam or the load or power being driven.
This I effect by driving the ordinary governors (which are connected to the
cut-off, or the throttle valve by any suitable means, such as levers and rods,) with
spur or bevel gearing or other equivalents, the latter being driven by means of
conical pullies, one of which is driven by any convenient means from the engine.
The conical pullies are connected by a belt which is moved on them transversely
to the line of revolution by an ordinary strap fork: it is to this latter that I apply
my improved mechanism for actuating automatically the position of the strap or
belt on the conical pullies to produce the variable speed and plane of the ordinary
governors, according to the varying conditions of pressure of steam or weight of
load. On the end of the sliding rod carrying the strap fork I provide a screw,
which works in a bush or nut, held in suitable bearings: on this bush I place a
Din 1:27

page_text: wheel which is driven by a pinion receiving its motion from a pair of supple-
mentary governors. To these governors are connected a pair of friction discs,
between which is placed a friction pulley, which does not touch either disc when
the engine is at its normal speed. This friction pulley is fixed on one end of the
shaft on which the pinion is placed for working the spur wheel on the bush or nut
on the sliding rod carrying the strap fork.
The supplementary governor is driven in any convenient manner from the
engine, and an increase or decrease in the speed of the engine causes the pulley
between the discs connected to this governor to be turned in one direction or the
other, thus moving the strap by the fork and its connections on the conical pullies,
which effects the desired speed of the ordinary governors, according to the altered
conditions of pressure of steam or weight of load, thus causing the governors to
revolve in the plane of revolution demanded by the aforesaid altered conditions.
When the supplementary governor has moved the strap sufficiently on the
conical pullies to meet the demands of the altered speed, the normal speed of the
engine will be obtained when the supplementary governor will be in its central
or normal position, thus neither disc will operate the friction pulley which works
the gearing for operating the fork strap screw.
The spur wheel and pinion for operating the fork screw can be substituted with
rope pullies or other equivalents.
By my invention I dispense with the varying lengths of the rods between the
cut-off or the throttle valve and the governor, the length remaining constant, the
variation being compensated for by the variable planes of revolution to which
the governor can be placed, which will be correct for the variations in the load;
and thus keep the engine to the intended speed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Knowles in the Patent Office on the 3rd June 1884.
WILLIAM KNOWLES of Bolton in the County of Lancaster Cotton Spinner
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF
GOVERNING STEAM ENGINES AND
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME "
IN
My invention relates to an improved method of governing steam engines and in
apparatus for effecting the same for the purpose of maintaining as nearly as possible
a uniform speed. I effect this by automatically varying according to varying
conditions of load and pressure the speed of the ordinary Governor that is usually
provided for working the trip, motion lever of the cut off or the lever of the
throttle valve.
By the means which I employ for actuating automatically the gearing that
drives the governor, it is caused to be driven at the speed demanded by the altered
conditions of pressure or load, thus reducing to a minimum the variations that
occur through increase or decrease of the steam pressure or of the load on the
Engine.
I drive the ordinary governor (which is connected in the usual way to the trip
motion of the cut off or to the throttle valve) by conical pullies connected by a
belt. which is moved along them by an ordinary strap fork. On the sliding rod
carrying this strap fork, I provide a screw on which works a bush or nut that can
revolve in bearings but is prevented from moving longitudinally-This nut is
driven by a supplementary governor in the manner described in the Specification
to Letters Patent granted to me on the 21st January, 1882 No 310 that is to say,-
On the governor spindle is fitted a sleeve carrying two discs between which is
mounted a friction pulley that is not touched by either disc while the Governor
revolves at normal speed. When however the speed of the governor increases or
diminishes, the one or the other of the two discs is made to press upon the friction
pulley causing it to revolve in the one direction or the other. The nut driven by
this pulley being thus turned the one way or the other, causes the fork and strap
to move along the conical pulleys, thus altering the speed of the ordinary governor
until it attains a velocity suited to the altered conditions of pressure or load.
When the supplementary governor has moved the strap sufficiently along the
conical pulleys, the engine returns to its normal speed and the supplementary
Governor resumes its central or normal condition so that neither of its discs
works the friction pulley and consequently the strap remains in its altered position.
It will be seen that, by thus applying a supplementary governor to determine
the speed of the main governor according to varying conditions of pressure and
load any variation in the lengths of the rods connecting the main governor to
the valve gear is rendered unnecessary.
Fig: 1 Sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation of an ordinary
centrifugal governor and its connections to the trip motion lever of the cut off or
expansion gear or to the throttle valve lever with my improvements applied
thereto for the purpose of varying the speed of the governor according to the
varying conditions of load and pressure. Fig: 2 is a sectional plan on the line A B
shewing the strap fork and its connections Fig 3 on sheet 2. shews an arrange-
ment according to my invention applied to a horizontal steam engine fitted with
Corliss valve gear-Fig: 4 is a sectional plan on the line C. D.
Referring to Figs: 1 and 2˚ Sheet 1; E is the ordinary centrifugal governor
:

page_text: connected. in the usual way through a swivel and the rods F and levers G to the
lever which may be the trip motion lever of the cut off or expansion gear or
may be the lever attached to the throttle valve.
The governor E is driven by bevil gear L and M from the shaft N carrying a
conical pulley P which is driven from a conical pulley R by a strap S. The
conical pulley R is on the shaft U having on it a strap pulley V which is driven
from any convenient part of the engine
On
W is the supplementary governor which is driven by bevil gear m and n from
the shaft U, or may be driven separately as indicated by the dotted lines w.
the spindle of the governor W is fitted a sleeve carrying the two discs k and k¹
which revolve with the governor and are raised or lowered according as the speed
is increased or diminished. Between the two discs kk' is the friction pulley on
a shaft which by means of toothed gearing h and g is connected to the nut d that
is fitted between bearings e and f on the screwed spindle c This spindle is an
.extension of a sliding bar b that has on it the strap fork a and is prevented from
turning by having a square or polygonal section or by having a key way fitted to
slide on a feather in its bearing.-The sliding bar b has on it projections which
act as stops preventing it from sliding so far in either direction as to carry the
strap S off the conical pullies. Should it be slid so far as to be stopped by either
of the projections then as the pulley by which it is moved is driven by friction
there is merely a slip between it and the one or the other of the discs k. k' that
happens to be pressing against it.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the Engine is at its normal speed with a certain load and pressure, the
balls of the centrifugal governor E revolve in such a plane that the lever H is in
its proper position for regulating the admission of steam;-the driving strap S
also being in a central position on the conical pullies P and R as shewn in Fig: 1-
In this condition of things the supplementary governor W is also at its normal
speed and neither of its discs acts on the pulley -But when in consequence
of a change of pressure or a change of load on the engine there ensues an alteration
of speed which affects both of the governors E and W, the Governor E, in the first
place moves the lever L so as to vary the cut off or the steam supply, and secondly,
the governor W bringing the one or the other of its discs k, k¹, to bear on causes
and its shaft to turn in the one direction or the other. By this movement the
nut d is turned moving the fork a towards the right or the left as the case may
be, and so shifting the strap S along the conical pulleys and thereby altering the
speed of the governor E so as to accommodate it to the altered condition of the
engine in respect of pressure or load.
Referring now to Figs: 3 and Sheet 2 :-
E is the ordinary centrifugal governor arranged to actuate the trip motion lever
of the cut off gear by the rod F. On the shaft T' which works the "Corliss "
valves is fixed the driving conical pulley R which drives the conical pulley P by
the belt or strap S.
The supplementary governor W is worked by bevil gear m' n¹ from the shaft go
which is driven by a pulley g' and strap h³ from a pulley h³ on the valve shaft T¹
or if desired it might be driven from another moving part of the Engine. The
friction pulley communicates motion to the nut & by pulleys g¹ and g² connected
by rope g-The action is the same as that described above with reference to
figures 1 and 2.
From what has preceded it will be understood that the regulation effected by
the conjoint action of the two governors E and W is such as to maintain great
uniformity in the speed of the engine to which they are applied. When the main
governor E acts alone it alters the lever H, but it cannot maintain that lever in its
altered position unless its own speed is also maintained at its altered rate and this
is inconsistent with regularity of the engine speed. When however the supple- t
mentary governor W acts as described in altering the speed of the main governor E,

page_text: the altered speed of E is such as to maintain the altered condition of the lever H
while the speed of the engine remains constant.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim :-
First. The method, substantially as herein described of regulating the speed of
an engine by causing, by means of a supplementary governor, the speed of the
main governor to be varied to suit altered conditions of pressure or load.
Second-In apparatus for effecting regulation of an engine in the manner
referred to in the preceding claim the arrangement of a supplentary governor to
work in the one or the other direction a nut so as to cause a strap to slide along
conical pulleys that drive the main governor, thereby altering its speed, substantially
as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Knowles have hereunto set my hand and
seal the Second day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty four
Signed, Sealed, and delivered by the
within named William Knowles
in the presence of
EDMUND CHADWICK
(Agent for the petitioner)
30 Arrowsmith Terrace.
Bolton,
WILLIAM KNOWLES (L.S.)