The adjustment of the lengths of g and g′ may therefore be employed for two purposes; first, to prolong the point of cut off, and maintain the speed when the engine is overloaded, or to hasten the point of cut off for a given engine speed, and thus adjust the engine for a lighter load.
HIGH SPEED AUTOMATIC CUT OFF ENGINES.
What are termed high speed engines are those whose pistons run at a velocity of more than about 600 feet per minute, some making as high as 800 or 900 feet in regular work. High speed engines are usually provided with an automatic cut off, and a majority of them vary the point of cut off, by means of shifting the eccentric across the shaft, so as to reduce the eccentric throw, and therefore the valve travel. This causes the valve to cut off the steam earlier.
The eccentric, instead of being fixed upon the crank shaft, has an elongated bore, and is hung on an arm that is pivoted at its other end after the manner of a pendulum. This arm is called the eccentric hanger.
A wheel governor is usually employed to shift the eccentric across the shaft. In some cases, however, two valves are employed, one effecting the admission, the release, and the compression, and the other the cut off.
When two valves are employed, the lead, the point of cut off, the point of release, and the point of compression may be maintained equal for all points of cut off; whereas, when a single valve is employed, the lead, the point of release, and the compression will vary with the point of cut off, or, in other words, will be different for every different point of cut off.
The general principles upon which a wheel governor is constructed is, that two weights or weighted levers in moving outwards from the engine shaft, from the action of centrifugal force, move or rather shift the eccentric across the shaft, reducing its throw, and therefore by reducing the travel of the valve hasten the point of cut off and reduce the power of the engine.
In the governor of the Buckeye engine, the centrifugal force may be varied by increasing or diminishing the distance of the weights from the pivots of the arms on which they swing.
