Stearns’ and Hodgson’s Patent Model of a Steam Engine Governor – ca 1852
Stearns’ and Hodgson’s Patent Model of a Steam Engine Governor – ca 1852
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- George S. Stearns and William Hodgson of Cincinnati, Ohio, submitted a patent application for an improvement in governors for steam engines to the United States Patent Office. They received patent 9,236 on August 31, 1852. A governor regulates the speed of an engine. Their governor was of normal design, but Stearns and Hodgson claimed as new their use of quadrants with teeth at the end of each arm supporting a fly ball. The inventors claimed the advantages of such a design were simplicity of operation and low cost of construction.
- The patent model as shown in the image is constructed of cast iron and steel. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model. It includes a hand crank to permit demonstration of actual operation. A full description of the workings of the governor and diagrams showing the complete design of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.
- Object Name
- governor, steam engine
- governor, steam engine, model
- patent model, governor, steam engine
- date made
- 1852
- patent date
- 1852-08-31
- inventor
- Stearns, George R.
- Hodgson, Will
- place made
- United States: Ohio
- associated place
- United States: Ohio, Cincinnati
- Physical Description
- cast-iron (overall material)
- Measurements
- over drive shaft: 12 in x 6 in; 30.48 cm x 15.24 cm
- ID Number
- MC.251287
- catalog number
- 251287
- accession number
- 48865
- patent number
- 9,236
- subject
- Patent Models
- Steam Engines
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
- Engineering, Building, and Architecture
- Work
- Industry & Manufacturing
- Patent Models
- Exhibition
- Power Machinery
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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