US347979A - Cut-off regulator - Google Patents

Description

(NoModel.)

E. P. WILLIAMS..

. GUT-OPP REGULATOR. l No. 347,979. Patented Aug. 24, 1886.

Zwin/1' Wwf/langs N. PETERS, PhuwLilhognpmr. washington, D. c.

NIT'SED STATES 'y PATENT vCUT-OFF REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,979, dated Augustv24, 1886.

Application filed Dlicemhcr 17, 1885. Serial No. 186,006. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN F. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCOok and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Cut-Off Regulators, which is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in Which'- Figure l represents an elevation of a mechanism embodying my invention; and Fig. 2, a sectional view of the same, taken on the line x x of Fig. l.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

My invention relates to automatic cutoff governors or regulators vfor steamengines, and Inore particularly to that class in which a governor wheel or disk, or the fly-wheel of the engine, has applied to it, tok revolve with or be revolved by it, the remaining parts of the governor, its object being to provide a mechanism which shall effectually regulate with great nicety the speed of the engine.

' I will now proceed to describe a construction in which I have practically carried out my invention in one form, and will then particularly point out in the claims those features which I deem to be new and desire to protec by Letters Patent.

In the drawings, A represents the governorwheel, and A the crank-shaft, to which the said wheel is keyed or otherwise rigidly attached.

B represents a disk, which I'shall ferm the inertia-disk.77 This disk is Inountcd loosely upon the crank-shaft A', or upon the hub of the governor-wheel A.

C represents a cut-off eccentric, which is mounted loosely upon the crank-shaft A. This eccentric is providedwith the lugs c, attached to or formed in one-piece with it,which lugs serve as points of attachments, to which are pivoted the inner ends of links D. The outer ends of these links are pivoted to the ends of the weiglIt-arms or governor-arms E. Each governor-arm is provided with meanssuch, for instance, as that shown-for the attachment of weights E', which may be placed thereon in any desired number, and secured in any suitable manner. Each weight-arm is pivoted, by means of a suitable stud or bolt, e, to one of the arms of the governor-wheel A,

and is provided with a short arm, c', tov which is pivoted one end of a link, F, the ther end of which is pivotally connected to a stud or pin,f, attached to theinertia-disk B. Springs G are employed to draw the weight-arms E inward toward thepcentral shaft; A', these springs being shown in the present instance #as connected at one end to the studsf, and at the other end to the weight-arms, either in the manner shownl or in any other suitable manner.

II indicates a stop, consisting of a lug attached to the governor-wheel A, and cxtending into a'slot, h, in the inertia-disk B, the movement of which it limits by contact with the ends of the slotin an obvious manner.

It Will be seen that sincethc weight-arms E are attached'to the goverIIor-wheel A, and they are connected to the eccentric by Ineans of the links D, and to the incrtiawhecl by means of the links F, a connection is thus esi tablished between these two latter parts and the governor-wheel, which will cause them to revolve with this latter. It is of course understood that the cut-Off eccentric C will be in practice connected to the cut-off valve in any approved manner. p

The operation of the device is as folllows: As the governor-wheel revolves in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. l, when the speed is sufficient the governor-weights, by `reason of their centrifugal force,overcome the resistance ofthe springs G,and move outward from the central shaft, carrying the eccentric forward around the shaft through the medium of the links D, andthereby effecting an eara lier cut off. Upon this movement of the weight-arms and eccentric it is obvious that the inertia-disk B must also move around-the shaft, since it is connected to the short arms e of the weight-arms, by means of the links F. This movement ofthe inertia-disk is, however, a movement in adirection opposite to that of the eccentric-I'. e., it is a backward movement. It will thus be seen that an earlier cut-off is effected by means of a backward movement of the inertia-disk, and it follows that a later cut-off will be effected by a forward movement of the inertia-disk. Itis therefore evident that an accelerating movement of the engine will have the effect of shortening the cut-off, and a retarding movement will have the effect of lengthening it. Whenever the Ino- Ioo tion is uniform, however, there will be no change whatever in the ent-off.

In all centrifugal governors the governorweights have a certain mass which requires force to either set it in motion or bring it to rest. For this reason these weights cannot respond theinstant that the equilibrium between the spring-pressure resistance and the centrifugal force is distubcd by a change in the speed of the engine, and for this same reason, when once set in motion, they are carried beyond the point Where this equilibrium exists, and must therefore have a return motion, which .unsettles the governor and cau/ses racing when adjusted for close regulation. It is this cause, among others, that renders inadmissible neness or extreme accuracy of adjustment,4 which would be practicable were it not for the inertia of' the governor-weights. It is to remedy this defect that I employ the inertia-disk, which is calculated to urge the weights to immediate action upon any change in the speed of the engine, and to immediately oppose their movement whenever the said speed is either above or below the normal rate of rotation. In order to explain this action of the disk, let us suppose the engine to be running at the uniform speed required to establish an equilibrium between the weight and spring forces at any position within the range of the governor. If the speed should then suddenly increase, as i` would were a large portion ofthe load taken oil', the acceleration would give to the weights agreater centrifugal force, which, in the ordinary governor, would require a certain time to overcome theinertia of the weights, and if the actuating force is very small, theweights would move slowly at first, allowing the speed of the engine to increase considerably before the governor would act tocheck it. Moreover, when the weights were once in motion, they would, as hereinbefore explained, go beyond the position at which they should' stop. The inertia-disk acts instantaneousl y with any acceleration of speed to push the weights into their proper position and to stop them the instant that retardation sets in. The effect of the said disk is not to establish the speed at which the engine shall run, but to oppose instantly any change in speed by pushing or pulling the governorweights into their proper position, or nearly so, the dill'erence being finally made up by the opposing force of the springs and weights finding their equilibrium. Upon any change in speed the vis inertia of the disk. is expended in urging the weights into action, and when thisinertia has been spent the movement of the weights is arrested by the same force, the tendency being to hold the governor-weights -in their proper position when the speed is right, and to urge them into immediate action upon any change of that speed. It will be observed that by reason of the particular manner of attaching the spring shown in the drawings and hereinbefore described, these latter will be always kept substantially at right angles to theweight-arnis, since as these latter move inward or outward the pins f on the inertia-disk to which the inner end of the springs are attached will be carried by the movement of the said disk into such a position as to always maintain this same relative position of the springs to the arms.

It is obvious that various modifications in the details of construction and arrangement 0f the parts may be made without departing from the principle of my invention. For instance, the governor V- wheel may be fitted loosely on the shaft andl used as an inertiadisk. In this construction the disk B will be secured to the shaft, and the weight-arms will be pivoted thereto, the studs f being attached to thegovernor-wheel and extending through slots in the disk. The springs G may be also differently arranged. v For instance, they may be attached to the inner edge of the governorwheel and to the extremity of the short arms e of the weight-arms E. I prefer, however, the construction shown and described, for the reasons already stated. In view of these and other obvious modifications I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself strictly to the precise details hereinbefore described, and shown in the drawings.

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

1. In a steam engine governor, the governorwheel and eccentric, in combination with the 4weight-arms connected to the eccentric and the inertia-disk connected to the weight-arms,

' substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, with the governorwheel and the Weight-arms pivoted thereon, of the eccentric connected to the weight-arms by suitable links, centripetally-acting springs connected to the weight-arms, and the inertiadisk provided with links connected to the short arms of the weight-arms, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a steam-engine governor of the character described, the combination, with the weight-arms and the inertia-disk,of the springs l connected to the weight-arms and to pins on lthe disk, whereby the said springs act constantly at right angles to the arms, substantiall y as and for the purposes specified.

4. The combination, with the shaft A', of the governor-wheel A, secured thereto, the

i weight-arms E, pivoted to the governor-wheel f and provided with short arms e', the loose eccentric C, connected to the weight-arms by links D, the loose inertia-wheel B, connected to the short arms e by links F, and springs connected toA the weight-arms to draw them toward the center, substantially as and for .the purposes specified.

EDWIN F. WILLIAMS. Vitnesses:

IRVINE MILLER, W. C. CoRLIEs.

ICO

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