US796987A - Combination inertia and centrifugal throttle-governor for steam-engines. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

W. D. CARTER.

COMBINATION INERTIA AND CENTRIFUGAL THROTTLE GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 19. 1904.

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W. D. CARTER. COMBINATION INERTIA AND OENTRIFUGAL THROTTLE GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DOUGLAS CARTER, CF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

COMBINATION INERTIA AND CENTRIFUGAL THROTTLE-GOVERNOR FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed July 19, 1904:. Serial No. 217,276.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DOUGLAS CAR- TER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combination Inertia and Centrifugal Throttle-Governor for Steam- Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a throttle-governor to'be mounted on a steam-engine in such a way as to receive its motive power from said engine and also to be so placed as to necessitate the passage of the supplied steam through the governing-throttle before it enters the cylinder of a reciprocating engine or comes in contact with the revolving parts of a turbineengine. The governing is effected by the combined principles of inertia in a revolving fly-wheel and of centrifugal force exerted upon the rotating balls of an attached mechanism. My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully pointed out in the claims. Figure 1 is a vertical view of my governor, the throttle-valve being shown in cross-section taken along line I I, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is another vertical view of my governor exclus'ive of the valve and parts to the right of line a a, Fig. 1, and showing more plainly the governing mechanism desired to be secured by Letters Patent. Fig. 3 is a section of the balanced valve and steam-passages, taken on line b b, Fig. 1, and showing a slightly modified and simplified form of rim 8, divided into segments, the principle being identical with that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a possible case of the position occupied by the governor G on an upright reciprocating engine, showing belt connection to shaft of engine.

28 designates metal balls which are rigidly fixed to steel leaf-springs 27, which in turn are fixed to the bevel-gear 25 through the part 26, all of which is made to rotate, gear 25 being in mesh with gear 24. 29 represents links connecting by bearings at their ends the balls 28 and the collar 30. Collar 30 rotates with balls 28 on spindle 32 between collars 31, fixed to said spindle 32. The whole mechanism 25 to 32, inclusive, forms the centrifugal governing device which is in combination with and not inclusive of what I desire to secure by Letters Patent. 23 designates a pulley through which power may be communicated from a belt connected to a rotating part of the engine through the shaft 22, journaled at 20 between collars 21 and supported by arm 19 to the bevel-gear 24 and thence to gear 25, journaled at 17, and to pinion 35, mounted on shaft 36 (here see Fig. 2) and journaled at 37 and 38, which are connected by arm 40. 47 is a small fly-wheel keyed to shaft 36 and rotating with it and with pinion 35, which is in mesh with said gear 24. 43 designates an arm fixed rigidly to bearing 38, which bearing is fixed by set-screw 41 to shaft 12, which actuates the throttle-valve by turning in bear ing 15 and in stuffing-box 13. (See Fig. 1.) 42 designates a counterweight, its position being adjusted by a set-screw to balance the weight of fiy-wheel 47 and parts 35 to 40, inclusive, all of which are supported on shaft 12 in bearing 15, supported by arm 14, and in stufling-box 13, which stuffing-box is to prevent the escape of steam from the interior of valve 4. 48 (see Fig. 2) designates an arm attached to arm 14, which forms a stop to the upward rotation of members 35 to 40, inclusive, fly-wheel 47 and shaft 12 about the axis through bearing 15, and hence a stop in that direction to rim 8 when ports 3 are completely opened. 34 designates alink swingingly connecting arm 43 and fiat steel spring 33 at bearings 44 and 45, respectively, which flat spring is rigidly connected at 46 to said spindle 32, which spindle is free to move vertically through bearing 17.

1 (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 3) designates the place of entrance of steam coming from the boiler into the throttle-valve, and by means of passages 2, which open into internal cavity 4 at the diametrically-opposed ports 3, the steam emerges through port 5 and passage 6 into the engine, which is connected at 7.

8, Fig. 3,.represents segments of rim 8 in Fig. 1, which segments are fixed diametrically opposite at the extremities of arm 49, Fig. 3, and which may in part or wholly cover the ports 3 when turned by means of shaft 12, which is connected to the governing'mechanism. A very small amplitude of angular motion of shaft 12 in bearing 15 and stufiingbox 13 is necessary to produce the desired throttling of ports 3, and hence the friction of these working parts is reduced to a minimum. The diametrically-opposed position of ports 3 and segments 8, both of equal areas, balance any force which may be exerted by the incoming steam upon equal exposed parts of segments 8 when partly covering said equal 12 about its long axis.

ports 3. Hence there can be no binding frictional force, due to steam-pressure,exerted tointerfere with the swinging motion of shaft In Fig. 1 rim 8 is shown as a hollow cylinder with diametrically opposite ports of equal size.

The operation of my governor is as follows: Pulley 23, being connected to a primary rotating part of the engine by means of a belt, has rotation imparted toit, say, in the direction indicated by the arrows, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. This rotation is communicated through shaft 22 to gear 24, which therefore rotates in a like direction and being in mesh with gear 25 causes it to rotate from left to right, as indicated, causing a horizontal rotation of balls 28. If the parts 25 to 30, inclusive, be made to rotate faster, the centrifugal force acting upon balls 28 will increase, causing them to diverge, and thereby raising vertically the spindle 32, which is rigidly connected to flat-blade spring 33, and by causing the bearing 45 to rise correspondinglya swinging motion will be transmitted through link 34 to part consisting of units 35 to 44, inclusive, and fly-wheel 47, about the axis of shaft 12, moving in bearing 15 and stufiing-box 13. The above motion of shaft 12 being communicated through part 9 to rim 8 or segments 8 would carry rim 8 or segments 8 a corresponding distance across ports 3, and thereby throttle the incoming steam from passages 2 and regulate the amount of steam allowed to escape through opening 5, which is always fully open, and passage 6 into the working parts of the engine. If the speed of centrifugal governing parts 25 to 30, inclusivc,slacken, due to aslackening of the speed of the engine, the balls 28 will converge, spindle 32, spring 33, and link 34 will be thrust downward, swinging said parts 35 to 44, inclusive, and flywheel 47 in the opposite direction and toward or against stop 48, and thereby open ports 3 to a full or to an approximately full extent. The governing efie'ct of this centrifugal mechanism on the speed of the engine is obvious from the above, and on following the simultaneous action of theinertia mechanism or part 35 to 47, inclusive, in the above-assumed cases of increased and decreased speed of the engine the value of the combined inertia and centrifugal mechanisms will be apparent. If, as assumed above, the speed of the engine, and therefore of gear 24, increase, the tendency will be to increase to speed of the rotating pinion 35 in mesh with gear 24, and therefore of fly-wheel47, which is keyed with pinion 35 to shaft 36. Any tendency to increase the rate of rotation of fly-wheel 47 will be met' with a temporary reaction, due to the inability of the fly-wheel 47 to immediately assume an increased rate of rotation. This reaction being applied in the direction of rotation of gear 24 will cause the parts 35 to 44, inclusive, and fly-wheel 47 to swing from right to left in accordance with the above principle, will impart acorrespondingswinging motion to shaft 12, and, as above stated, throttle the admission of steam entering the engine, and thereby diminish the speed of the engine. This last motion will be permissible only because of the flexibility of flat spring 33, which bends upward at bearing 45, or because of a divergence of balls 28, causing a bending of leaf-springs 27. If, on the contrary, the speed of the engine, and therefore of gear 24, tend to decrease, the rotating speedof fly-wheel 47 by virtue of its inertia cannot be immediately slackened, and so the tendency to maintain the same relative motion between gear 24 and parts 35 to 44, inclusive, and fly-wheel 47 will necessitate a swinging motion of parts 35 to 44, inclusive, and flywheel 47 from left to right, which motion will produce in the shaft 12 and segments 8 a motionopposite to that in the above-assumed case, open the throttle-valve, and hence increase the speed of the engine, the above movement being allowed by an opposite bending of flat-blade spring 33 or by a convergence of balls-28 and a relaxing of said leafsprings 27.

The function of the inertia governing mechanism is to govern any sudden changes in the speed of the engine, while the office of the centrifugal governing mechanism is to govern any tendency toward a more gradual change of speed of the engine. The combination therefore produces a most sensitive form of governor for any form of engine.

I am aware that prior to my invention centrifugal throttle-governors have been used, and, as above stated, the centrifugal mechanism of my governor is in combination with and not inclusive of what I desire to secure by Letters Patent. I therefore do not claim such a combination broadly; but,

That I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in an inertia and centrifugal throttle-governor, of a train of bevelgears, consisting of a bevel-gear mounted on a rotatable shaft in a stationary bearing, a pinion always in mesh with said bevel-gear, and mounted on a rotatable shaft in a bearing, which bearing itself being mounted on a journaled shaft, may swing in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of said first bevel-gear, and mechanism whereby power is communicated to said first gear to impart rotation thereto, substantially as set forth.

2. In an inertia and centrifugal throttlegovernor, the combination of a train of bevelgears consisting of a gear mounted on a rotatable shaft in a stationary bearing, a pinion always in mesh with said bevel gear and mounted on a rotatable shaft in a bearing, which bearing itself being mounted on a journaled shaft, may swing in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of said first bevel-gear the plane of rotation of said first bevel-gear,

a fly-wheel keyed to'said pinion-shaft; a counterweight, mounted on an extending arm of said swinging bearing, the position of which may be adjusted so as to balance in any position, the weight of said flywheel, pinion, shaft, and bearing; and mechanism whereby poweris communicated to said first gear to impart rotation thereto, substantially as set forth.

4. In an inertia and centrifugal governor, the combination of a train of bevel-gears, consisting of a bevel-gear mounted on a rotatable shaft in a stationary bearing; a pinion always in mesh with said bevel-gear and mounted on a rotatable shaft in a bearing, which bearing itself being mounted ona journaled shaft, may swing in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of said first bevel-gear; a fly-wheel keyed to said pinion-shaft; a counterweight mounted on an extending arm of said swinging bearing, the position of which may be adjusted so as to balance in any position, the weight of said flywheel, pinion, shaft, and bearing; a fiat steel spring constrained to move at one end, in a straight line at right angles to both said fly-wheel shaft, and to the shaft of said swinging bearing, and connected at the other end by an intermediate link, to said extending arm; and mechanism whereby power is communicated to said first bevel-gear to impart rotation thereto, all of which, in the above clause, comprise the inertia governing mechanism of my invention, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WV. DOUGLAS CARTER.

Witnesses:

GEO. R. STEWART, JOSEPH N. CARTER.

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