Corliss Steam-Engine Governor, Patent Model

Corliss Steam-Engine Governor, Patent Model

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Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Corliss, August 8, 1882, no. 262209.
The model represents a flyball governor in which the motion of the slide, owing to a change in the speed of the engine to which the governor is attached, not only changes the position of the cut-off or throttle devices to regulate the speed of the engine but also changes the gear ratio between the engine and the governor to change the speed of the governor relative to the speed of the engine.
When the governor speed is increased by an increase in the speed of the engine, the balls rise and communicate motion to a slide, which, in turn, affects the throttle or cut-off to return the engine to its lower speed. At the same time the motion of the slide shifts a friction roller on its driving disk so that the governor speed is increased relative to the engine causing an additional motion of the slide in the same direction. As a result, the governor slide is given a greater motion for a given change in speed than would otherwise result.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
governor, engine, model
patent model, governor, steam engine
Object Type
Patent Model
date made
1882
patent date
1882-08-08
inventor
Corliss, George H.
place made
United States: Rhode Island
associated place
United States: Rhode Island, Providence
Physical Description
brass (overall material)
wood (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 7 1/2 in x 4 1/4 in x 6 1/2 in; 19.05 cm x 10.795 cm x 16.51 cm
ID Number
MC.308715
catalog number
308715
accession number
89797
patent number
262,209
See more items in
Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
Bulletin 173
Engineering, Building, and Architecture
Work
Industry & Manufacturing
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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