IMPROVEMENTS IN REGU. LATING STEAM ENGINES, AND IN REGULATING APPARATUS FOR STEAM ENGINES AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Weir, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGU.
LATING STEAM ENGINES, AND IN REGULATING APPARATUS FOR STEAM ENGINES
AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS."
Sealed the 24th August 1860, and dated the 28th February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Weir at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th February 1860.
I, GEORGE WEIR, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN REGULATING STEAM ENGINES, AND IN REGULATING APPARATUS FOR STEAM
ENGINES AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
A first improvement comprised in this Invention relates to the regulating of
the action of condensing steam engines, and may be applied either alone or in
combination with a speed governor acting on the supply of steam. This
improvement consists in adapting automatic means to regulate the supply of
injection or condensing water to suit the quantity of steam passing through the
ГР... 071

page_text: engine. In one modification of apparatus for this purpose, a disc, piston, or
diaphragm exposed on one side to the interior of the condenser, and, by
preference, to the atmosphere on the other side, is so acted upon by springs or
otherwise as to vary its position with the amount or degree of vacuum in the
condenser. This disc is connected to the injection valve, which is, by preference,
of the equilibrium class, so as to close or open it, as the position varies; then,
on the supply of steam being reduced the improved vacuum which will result
frome the as yet undiminished supply of injection water will cause a movement
of the disc, and through it of the injection valve, so as to diminish the supply,
the reverse action taking place on the supply of steam being increased.
This Invention also comprises an improved arrangement of centrifugal gover-
nor applicable to steam engines and other prime movers. In one modification
of this arrangement a couple of weights are fixed upon arms turning on joints
at the outer ends of a diametrical frame, which is loose on the governor shaft,
the lengths of the arms and the distances of the joints from the shaft being by
preference about equal. Fast on the shaft and within the frame there is a
boss, having two short arms placed diametrically opposite to each other, and
connected by links at their outer ends to the arms of the weights. The weights
are thus made to balance each other, whilst they are free to assume different
distances from the shaft in obedience to the centrifugal force acting against
springs applied to draw the weights inwards, their movement causing the loose
frame to turn slightly on the shaft. When the speed of the shaft is altered its
first action tends to move the weights, it being only through the arms of these
weights that the change of motion can be communicated to the frame carrying
the weights. In other respects the governor acts like other centrifugal
governors, except that the force is brought more directly to bear in changing the
position of the weights. The change in position of the weights may be made
to cause the adjustment of the throttle or other valve or sluice in various ways,
and the minor details of the arrangement may be varied in many ways; thus
the frame may be fixed on the shaft, and the inner armed boss may be loose,
or either may act as fixed, and vice versa, according to the direction in which
the shaft is turned. Again, instead of the parts being connected by links, the
weights may have toothed segments fixed to them, such segments being in
gear with a pinion on the shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Weir in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; I, GEORGE
WEIR, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark; North Britain, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria. by Her Letters
Patent, hearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said George Weir, Her special licence that I, the said
George Weir my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Weir, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATING STEAM ENGINES, AND IN REGU
LATING APPARATUS FOR STEAM ENGINES AND OTHER PRIME MOVERS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Weir, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 George Weir, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
A first improvement comprised in this Invention relates to the regulating of
the action of condensing steam engines, and may be applied either alone or in
This
combination with a speed governor acting on the supply of steam.
improvement consists in adapting automatic means to regulate the supply
of injection or condensing water to suit the quantity of steam passing through
the engine. In one modification of apparatus for this purpose, a disc, piston,

page_text: or diaphragm, exposed on one side to the interior of the condenser, and by
preference to the atmosphere on the other side, is so acted upon by springs. or
otherwise so as to vary its position with the amount or degree of vacuum in the
condenser. This disc is connected to the injection valve, which is, by preference,
of the equilibrium class, so as to close or open it as the position varies; then,
on the supply of steam being reduced the improved vacuum which will result
from the as yet undiminished supply of injection water will cause a movement
of the disc, and through it of the injection valve, so as to diminish the supply,
the reverse action taking place on the supply of steam being increased.
Two modifications of apparatus constructed according to this part of the
Invention are delineated in vertical section in Figures 1 and 2 on the accom-
panying Sheet of explanatory Drawings.
In Figure 1 the details are contained in a chest A, fixed upon the condenser B.
The injection water enters by an inlet C into a chamber D, in the bottom of
which there is a valve E applied to the passage communicating with the con-
denser B. The spindle F of the valve E is fixed to a diaphragm G fixed
across the top of the chamber D, and is continued up through a stuffing box
to receive external weights H. The space I above the diaphragm G is in
communication with the condenser B by the pipe J. The diaphragm G is of
larger area than the valve E, and the water pressure between them con-
sequently tends to lift them, and so close the valve. This tendency is to a
certain extent counteracted and adjusted by means of the weights H, whilst
the effective pressure on the diaphragm G will depend upon the pressure inside
the condenser. Thus when from the reduced supply of steam the pressure in
the condenser becomes lessened, there will also be less pressure in the space I
above the diaphragm G, and the latter will rise, and closing the valve E reduce
the supply of injection water, the opposite action taking place on the pressure
in the condenser increasing.
In the modification represented in Figure 2, the external weights are
dispensed with, and there are instead two chambers I, K, in communication
with the condenser B by branches, having stop-cocks i, k. The diaphragm G,
between the chambers D and I, is in this case of about the same area as the
valve E, this valve closing downwards (instead of upwards, as in the previous
example), whilst the diaphragm L between the chambers I and K is of larger
area than the diaphragm G or valve E. In adjusting the apparatus the
chamber K is first put in communication with the condenser by opening the
stop-cock until a suitable standard pressure is obtained, when the stop-cock k
is closed, the stop-cock ȧ remaining open. When the pressure in the condenser

page_text: and also in the middle space I is reduced, the pressure in the top chamber K
will preponderate, and acting on the diaphragm L, close the valve E more. or
less. On the pressure in the condenser increasing, the opposite action takes
place, the valve E being opened, and more injection water being allowed to
pass.
This Invention also comprises an improved arrangement of centrifugal
governor, applicable to steam engines and other prime movers. In one
modification of this arrangement a couple of weights are fixed upon arms
turning on joints at the outer ends of a diametrical frame, which is loose on
the governor shaft, the lengths of the arms and the distances of the joint from
the shafts being by preference about equal. Fast on the shaft and within the
frame there is a boss, having two short arms placed diametrically opposite to
each other, and connected by links at their outer ends to the arms of the
weights. The weights are thus made to balance each other, whilst they are
free to assume different distances from the shaft in obedience to the centrifugal
force acting against springs or weights applied to draw the weights inwards,
their movement causing the loose frame to turn slightly on the shaft. When
the speed of the shaft is altered its first action tends to move the weights, it
being only through the arms of these weights that the change of motion can
be communicated to the frame carrying the weights. In other respects the
governor acts like other centrifugal governors, except that the centrifugal force.
is brought more directly to bear in changing the position of the weights. The
change in position of the weights may be made to cause the adjustment of the
throttle or other valve or sluice in various ways, and the minor details of the
arrangement may be varied in many ways. Thus, the frame may be fixed
on the shaft, and the inner armed boss may be loose, or either may act as
fixed, and vice versa, according to the direction in which the shaft is turned.
Again, instead of the parts being connected by links, the weights may have
toothed segments fixed to them, such segments being in gear with a pinion on
the shaft.
One modification of my improved governor is represented in elevation in
Figure 3, and in vertical section in Figure 4, of the accompanying Drawings.
The governor shaft A, which is driven by means of the pulley B, has loose
upon it an open frame C, across diametrically opposite parts of which are two
spindles D turning in eyes in the frame. Each spindle D has fast on it an
arm or lever E, carrying at its end a weight F, and the arms E have jointed
to about the middle of their lengths links G, connecting them to the extremities
of diametrically opposite arms H on a boss fast on the shaft A. With this
arrangement the weights F balance each other, whilst they are capable of

page_text: receding from the shaft A, in obedience to the centrifugal force, in consequence
of the frame C being loose on the shaft. One of the spindles D has fixed on
it, outside the frame C, a short lever I having jointed to it a rod or tube J
the other end of which works freely in an eye formed in a bracket K, fixed to
or formed upon the frame C. Between this bracket and a collar on the rod
or tube J there is placed on the rod or tube a spiral spring, which acts on the
lever I in such a way as to tend to turn the weights F inwards. The weights
will consequently assume positions depending on the extent to which the
centrifugal force causes the spring to be compressed. The governor is
arranged to be driven in the direction indicated by the arrows, and when a
change in the speed of the shaft takes place, a very quick and powerful strain
will come into action to change the positions of the weights, such strain arising
not only from the increased centrifugal force of the weights, but also from the
inertia of the weights and of the frame C, which frame. as already mentioned,
is loose on the shaft. This placing of the frame loose on the shaft is of special
advantage and importance, as it not only admits of a very simple arrangement
of the connecting details, but also renders the corrective action of the governor
extremely powerful and quick. For the purpose of communicating the cor-
rective action of the governor to the throttle valve or sluice of the prime
mover, one of the spindles D has fast on it a lever L, connected by a link M
to a bell-crank lever N carried by a bracket P fast to the frame C. The bell-
crank lever N is arranged to shift the sleeve Q, which acts in the usual way
upon the throttle valve lever.
Figures 5 and on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings are face and side
elevations of my improved governor as modified in some of its details. Paris
which are the same as or correspond to parts shown in Figures 3 and 4 are
marked with the same reference letters. The arms E of the weights F are
formed with or have fixed to them toothed segments R, which gear with a
pinion S fast on the shaft A, the frame C being of course loose on the shaft.
The toothed segments R and pinion S are substituted for the links G and
fixed arms II of the modification shown in Figures 3 and 4, but the resulting
action is in both cases the same. In Figure 6 the sleeve Q is shown as
formed with a screw thread T, which is acted upon by antifriction pulleys
carried by brackets U fixed to the frame C. The sleeve Q is prevented from
turning round the shaft by a slot and pin, whilst a spiral spring V is arranged
upon the shaft A to act on the sleeve Q, and through it one the frame C.
Instead of applying the spring in this way, caoutchouc or other springs may
be applied in the manner indicated by red lines at W.
Having thus. particularly described my said Invention, and. the manner in

page_text: which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have to state that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated;
but that what I consider to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
The applying of automatic apparatus for regulating the supply of injection
water to condensers wherein the varying pressure in the condenser is made to
act by means of a diaphragm or its equivalent.
And the arranging or constructing of centrifugal governors, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Weir, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.