THE

LONDON JOURNAL,

AND

REPERTORY

OF

Arts, Sciences, and Manufactures.

CONJOINED SERIES.

No. CCLXIV.

RECENT PATENTS.

TO LEWIS JENNINGS, of Fludyer-street, in the City of Westminster, mechanical engineer, for an improved apparatus for regulating the speed of machinery.—[Sealed 2nd March, 1853.]

THIS invention relates to the regulating of the speed of motive power engines, and other machinery, by the rising and falling of a fan, screw or other analogous contrivance, which being mounted on a loose spindle, will, on receiving rotary motion, cleave the air, water, or other fluid in which it is immersed, and will rise or fall, or traverse the fluid, according to the speed by which it is driven.

In Plate XIII., fig. 1, shews, in side elevation, a governor, constructed upon this principle; and fig. 2, is a sectional elevation of the same. a, a, is a vessel containing water or other fluid; and from the bottom of this vessel to the cover a tube b, extends upwards, to receive a spindle c, which it supports in a vertical position. The lower extremity of this spindle c, rests in a step d, and its upper end turns in a bearing carried by a standard a*, bolted to the top flange of the vessel a.

Rotary motion is given to the spindle c, by a bevil-wheel, on a shaft e, (connected with the motive-power machinery) taking into a bevil-wheel keyed to the spindle c. Over the fixed tube b, rides a loose hollow spindle f, which carries, at its lower end, a screw g, and, at its upper end, an excentric hollow double cone h, shewn in sectional plan, and on an enlarged scale, at fig. 3. The spindle c, is provided, at its

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upper end, and at opposite sides thereof, with a feather-edge, for the purpose of taking into two grooves made through the hollow cone. When, therefore, rotary motion is communicated to the spindle c, the cone will be caused to revolve, and with it the screw g; which, by acting upon the liquid like a propeller, will have a tendency to rise therein and lift the hollow cone to a higher level. This cone terminates in a grooved ring, which is embraced by a strap-piece forming a portion of a lever i,-the weighting of which determines the resistance to be given to the upward movement of the screw g, and cone h, and, consequently, the amount of motion to be imparted to the throttle-valve of the engine, as will be presently explained. The weighted lever i, is carried by a fulcrum-pin k, which works in bearings carried by the standard a*; and this lever is made to bear down the screw g, by pins which, projecting from the strap-piece of the lever, take into an annular groove formed in the periphery of the ring at the top of the cone h. 1, is a vertical rock-shaft, supported in bearings from the standard a*, and carrying two arms m, m*, which are provided with antifriction bowles and embrace the double cone h, at opposite sides of its base, for the purpose to be presently explained. The arm m, is continued past the cone, and connected to the throttle-valve of the motive-power engine, for the purpose of governing the motions of that valve.

In working this improved governor it is necessary to keep the fluid in the vessel a, quiescent, or to prevent it from following the movement of the screw g. For this purpose vertical blades n, (radiating from a loose boss, which rests on the boss of the screw, and rises and falls therewith) are provided in the vessel a. These blades, which are intended to act as dash-boards, and prevent the liquid from attaining a circular motion, are secured from rotating by one of them being let into a vertical recess made in the side of the vessel a, (see the sectional plan of the vessel at fig. 4,) while, at the same time, the blades are free to rise and fall, and thus present no obstruction to the vertical movements of the screw.

The action of the governor is as follows:-Water or other fluid having been let into the vessel a, and rotary motion communicated through the shaft c, to the double cone h, the cone will, by reason of its irregularity or excentricity, bear against one or other of the bowles of the arms m, m*, according to the position they have assumed with respect to the cone, and cause the arms to vibrate; which motion will be communicated to the throttle-valve, and regulate the supply of steam to the engine. Fig. 1, shews the double cone in its