US81455A - Improvement in governors foe steam-engines - Google Patents

Description

'geintrgister tttrrtt @frn THOMAS ALSOI, OF ELKHA'RT, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 8I,4`,55, dated August 25, 1868.

IMPRQVBMENT In Governors ron STEAM-ENGINES.

; TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:-

Beit known that I, THOMAS ALs0P, of Elkhart, in the county ot' Logan, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and improved Steam-Governor; and I do hereby declare-that the' following is a full, clear, and exact description'of the construction and operation of the same, making a part of this specification, in which-f Figurel is a vertical-axial section.

Figure '2 is a cross-section through the liners z ot' fig. V1.-

Figure is a similar sectionI through the line y y of fig. l.

l The object of this invention is to construct a steam-governor, with its parts so arranged 'and operating that I, it" the belt slips, or an accident happens to the inachinery, the governor will cut off Vthe stcamand stop the engine,v`in addition to properly performing its functions as a steam-regulator at other times.

To this end the valve-stem `isenot connected permanently with or made a part ofthe vertical-revolving shaft or rod' which rotates the governor-arms and balls, but the connection between the two vertical rods or stems is made by an independent rod between them, which engages withthe upper rod by a clutch. When the beltshaft is properly receiving its motion from the engine, and -applying it to the governor, the' clutch remains engaged, and the apparatus regulates the supply of the steam to the engine, but when from any cause, as thev slipping ot' the belt, or otherwise, the motion of the belt-shaft falls behind that acquired by the governor-balls and their stem, the clutch becomes disengaged, nnd'drops a weight, which closes the steam-valve, cuts .ot the feed, and'stops the engine ateneo. v

In the drawings, A indicates a hollow globe,y of brass o1' other suitable material, in which the valve that cuts oif or regulates the ow of steam from the boiler to the engine is denoted hy-the letter B, a being the pipe which connects the globe totlie boiler, and a that which passes from it to the cylinder.A E E are. arms which support the `cylinder D, in which the revolving, sliding, vertical rod O, that actuates the arms'a c, sind balls, F F; slides up and down: -lhe arms lare pivotcd to lugs e e attached to the top of thefslijding rod O, and their inner ends are ettached'to or connected with the upper end of another vertical rod, I, whichslides up and down throngh the centre of the revolving rod C,'being raised as the governor-balls drop, and depressed as they rise. The inner rod, I, does not rotate independently/.of itsenelosing-rod O, the two being connected together by a spline and key, which allow independent vert-iealbut not independent rotary motion.

' The outer rod, C, is put in motion by the belt-shaft G throughg earring g g, and raises or depresses the governor-balls in proportion to its v cloeity of revolution. It', follows, therefore, that the inner rod I will be depressed just inl proportion to the velocity of Vrevolution ot' the enter. rod C, or in 4proportion to thespeed of the engine. As it is depressed, it' thrusts downthe vali/e B by means of a connecting-rod, J, the upper end of which is pressed against'by the lower endof rod I, ,its lower end pressing against the upper end of the valvesteui bf- As the steam fails, und the balls drop and raise the rod I, the rod .I and valve-stem b follow it, through the operation of a weighted lever, L, which presses them upward when not countcraeted by the highpspecd of reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

the balls..

Therod, O, is made in two parts, O and C. The upper end ot' the lower part C is provided with clutch-l shoulderstu'm, Avertical on oneside and inclined on the other. The lower end of the upper part C is provided with two clutch-pins n n', which engage with the shoulders m m when the-part O tends to inove faster than the part O, ornwhe'n the power is applied frein O to C, cansin,r the two parts, O and C', to revolvetogethcr. But when, from any cause whatever, tho motion of tb'e lower part, O', is retarded, so that thenpper part, from its momentum, gains upon it, the clutch does not operate, but the upper part moves on independently of the lower part. Y i

In order to make the parts run smoothly, without juror friction as far as possible, I set the pins nu' looseiy in sockets, which pertnit thento rise out of the way when the part C is running faster than the part C. To effect this,`it is only necessary to bevel the lower,.end -ot' the pins in the proper manner, to cause them to rise easily over the inclines in the end of part C', and to arrange them in vertical holes in the lower end of part C, so that they will rise when passing up the said inclincs, and drop when free again. Ii, then, the part C run faster than the part C', the pins will rise out of the way,'but if the part C' run faster than the part C, the pins will drop and engage with the shoulders m m, and the wholerod C C will revolve together.

Fig. 3 shows the pinsel n thus engaged with the shoulders m m.

The upper end, fr, of the intermediate rod J, is made rectangular, or with rectangular cross-section. Many other forms would answer as well, perhaps, as may be seen from. the description of its function, as hereinafter set forth, but I prefer 4the rectangular form, as being the simpler. This end rests against the lower end of rod I, supporting the latter, and affording the means for thc latter to move the valve-stem, as above explained. There is, however, an axial opening or hole, s, in the lowcreml of part I, extending upward a considerable distance, and of the form of the upper end of rod J, so that, lwhen brought directly over the rod J in the same positionfthe upper end, r, of rod J will lit into the opening, and, by the force of' the Weightedlever L, the rod J will suddenly risc, lifting the valve B, so as entirely to cnt off the steam. A

`The opening, s, in the rod I is so arranged, in connection with the clutch m m, n n in rod G C', thatvhen the clutch is engaged, the opening stands directly across" the end, r, so that the part I holds the rod J down, keeping the valve B open. When the part C gains on the part C', however, the opening gradually turns round until it corresponds inv' position to the end, r, when the rod J rises atonec and cuts oli' the steam.

The rod, J, is prevented from rotating independently of the part C by a spline, v, just as the rod I is incapable of rotating independently of the upper part'C, so that the gaining of the part C over the part C is always necessary to enable the lever L to drop and raise the rod J. As long as the clutches are engaged, and thc part C does not gain upon the` part C", the rods remain. connected, and the valve is simply regulated by the governor-balls, but the moment thehbelt slips, or any other accident happens to the machinery, that delays or retards thcmotion ofthe belt-shaft, and thereby of the part C', the momentum of' the balls carries the part C ahead until the end, r, drops into the opening s, when the steam is shutoff by the action of lever L,.and the engine automatically stops.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement of the independent rod J, resting vupon the rod or stem i), and having its upper end held against the rod I by means of a lever, L, or its equivalent, whereby the ingress ofsteam is controlled or arrested, substantially as herein set forth. I A

2. The combination of the parts C C', clutch m n, and'rods I and J, substantially as described.

3. The weighted lever L, or its equivalent, in combination with the valve-stem b-and steam-governor apparatus, n such a way that, when the motion ofthe belt-shaft is retarded, as compared with that ofthe governor-- balls, the weight will be dropped, and the cut-od' valve thereby closed, substantially as described.

To the above specification of my invention I havesign'ed my hand, this 25th day of June, 1868.

THOS. ALSOP.

Witnesses:

Guns; A. PETTIT, SoLoN C. KEMoN.

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