AN APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING MARINE ENGINES BY ELECTRICITY
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wallace Girdwood of No 9 Lea Cottages
East India Dock Road Poplar in the County of Middlesex Engineer for
an Invention of AN APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING MARINE ENGINES BY
ELECTRICITY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wallace Girdwood
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th July 1882.
WILLIAM WALLACE GIRDWOOD of No 9 Lea Cottages East India Dock Road
Poplar in the County of Middlesex Engineer AN APPARATUS FOR GOVERNING
MARINE ENGINES BY ELECTRICITY
My invention has for its object the governing of Marine Engines by Electricity.
According to my invention a tube or tubes are placed at any convenient part of
the ship preferably close to the propeller in order that the sea may have free
access to a float placed within the tube or tubes aforesaid This float is connected
to suitable apparatus for making and breaking electric contact between the
terminals of the leads of an electro magnet or solenoid.
The Armature of this electro magnet is in connection with the throttle valve of
the Engines to be controlled, either directly or indirectly, by the aid of an auxiliary
steam cylinder-The Armature in this case being connected to the small slide
thereof.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Wallace Girdwood in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd January 1883.
WILLIAM WALLACE GIRDWOOD of 9 Lea Cottages, East India Dock Rd Poplar,
London E., in the County of Middlesex Engineer AN APPARATUS FOR
GOVERNING MARINE ENGINES BY ELECTRICITY
My Invention has for its object the Governing of Marine Engines by Electricity―
according to My invention a tube or tubes are placed at any convenient part of
the Ship, preferably close to the Propeller, in order for the Sea to have free access to
a float, placed within the tube or tubes; This float is connected to suitable
apparatus for making and breaking electric contact between the terminals of the
Leads of an electro Magnet or Solenoid; the Armature of this electro magnet is in
connection with the Throttle Valve of the Engine to be controlled, either directly or
indirectly by the aid of an auxiliary Steam Cylinder, the Armature in this case
being connected to the small slide Valve thereof; The Apparatus for making and
breaking the Electric continuity consists of a Wheel and Axle capable of rotating in.
suitable bearings and round the periphery of the Wheel is wound and attached a
chain which is also attached to the aforesaid Float-The Float has a cavity formed
in it, so that an amount of slack Chain may repose in it at times-One extremity
of the Wheel's Axle extends through its bearing and assumes the form of a Screw,
One Pole of the electro Magnet or Solenoid is connected to the Screw by the aid
of a suitable Coupling, the other Pole of the electro Magnet is connected to a
metallic Slide Rest, which is totally insulated from the Rest of the Machine-The
slide which is only capable of. Horizontal Motion in the Rest, conforms itself to the
Helical Surface of the Screw and is thereby capable of Horizontal Motion being
given to it by the Screw's rotation-One side of the Slide's Helix is composed of
any suitable insulating material-The Slide's Helix does not fit the Screw exactly,
a small intervening space being allowed; The other extremity of the Wheel's Axle
assumes the form of a small Pinion, which gears into a Cog Wheel,. having a
series of Stops, for determining the amount of Motion the Chain Wheel and Float
'shall have I next have a circular Box fastened centrally or cast on that side of the
chain Wheel nearest the Pinion; a volute Spring is inserted into this Box and the
exterior Portion fastened to the Box, the central portion of the spring is fastened to
the journal of a Ratchet Disc, which is supported by and is capable of a rotative
motion being given to it on the Axle of the chain Wheel-I will now by the aid of
the accompanying sheet of Drawings, more particularly describe the Machine and its
mode of action-In figure 1-A is the chain Wheel and Axle, B is the Screw in good
metallic connection with' the Axle, J is the coupling connecting electrically one
electrode E with B; F is the slide Rest insulated from the rest of the Machine.
and is connected with the other electrode; G is the slide's Helix in good'
metallic connection with the slide-Now it will be seen that so soon as the
Sea S descends, the float D in its descent, being connected by the chain C to
the wheel A, will cause A to revolve and the Screw B also will revolve and
press upon the metallic side of the slide's Helix G, causing the electric circuit
to be closed and the circuit will remain closed, so long as the Screw rotates
in the same direction; the result will be that in figure 4 the electro Magnet M
will have attracted the Armature A in opposition to the Springs S that before Held
it and will thereby have closed the throttle Valve T of the Engine to be controlled;
or in cases where I use auxiliary Steam Cylinders, the result would be that in
figure 5 the electro Magnet M will have attracted the Armature A in opposition
to the Springs that before Held it and will thereby have reversed the small slide

page_text: valve S within the Jacket of the auxiliary Steam Cylinder, and sufficient motion
will ensue to the Piston connected to the Throttle as to shut off the supply of
steam in ample time and immediately before the Engines are liberated from their
burden-No violent motion will now occur, but as the Power of the vacuum is
sometimes much in excess of the Passive resistance of the Machinery, motion might
accelerate; I prefer then to connect the Piston of the auxiliary Steam Cylinder to
the reversing Link, which could be thrown over so as to barely maintain motion if
so desired
The float D will follow the descent of the Sea, untill the motion of the wheels
are arrested by the Stop previously adjusted on the Cog Wheel to suit, the
required depth of the Sea. When the Sea ascends and the weight of the float
is borne by it, the Volute Spring N will cause the Wheel and Screw to revolve in
the opposite direction and the Screw will press upon the insulated side of the slide's
Helix G and the electric circuit will again be open and the spring would return the
Armature to its original position, thereby opening the throttle valve of figure 4 or
reversing the slide valve in figure 5, with a corresponding motion of the Piston
connected either to the throttle or the Link Motion, thus providing full Steam for
the Engines to be prepared to meet the coming strain-Fig 2 is a Transverse
view of figure 1 showing the arrangement for regulating the rise and fall of the
float, H is the Wheel's Axle assumeing at that end the form of a Pinion gearing
into the Cog Wheel K; LL are the Stops which project through the Cog Wheel K
and are stopt in their orbit by a projection cast upon the standard; by adjusting
these Stops the steam may be completely shut off and vice-versa at any desired rise
and fall of the Sea, without the slightest loss of time occuring; R is the Ratchet disc
with its Pawl for adjusting the spring N-Figure 3 is a Transverse view of
Figure 1 showing end view of Screw B, the slide Rest F and Helix G-E is the one
electrode and F the other
In figures 1 and 2, T represents the Tube in which the Float rises & Falls-I
may also use this apparatus to actuate simultaneously the same slide valves of
auxiliary Cylinders that are now or likely to be actuated by the apparatus described
in the specification of Letters Patent granted to Me 26th November 1881
No 5169 Having now described the said invention of apparatus for Governing
Marine Engines by electricity in rough Weather and the manner in which the
same is or may be brought into practical use-I claim first, the combination of
Mechanism and arrangement of Parts forming a suitable apparatus for closeing the
electric circuit the whole time the Sea descends and for breaking the circuit the
whole time the Sea ascends-Secondly, the combination of the Throttle Valve (of
the Engine to be controlled) with the Armature of a Powerfull Electro Magnet,
substantially as set forth and for the purpose specified-Thirdly, the reciprocation
of the slide valve of an auxiliary Steam Cylinder by means of an Electro-Magnet
substantially as set forth and for the purpose specified, in-Witness whereof 1 the
said William Wallace Girdwood- have hereunto set My Hand and Seal this
Second day of January in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred
and Eighty Three
WILLIAM WALLACE (LS.) GIRDWOOD