KOYA UNIVERSITY

Course Title: Dynamics of machine

Course Code: KOU20727

Speed Control By Governors;

Dynamics of Governor Mechanisms.
Governors:
• Types of governors
• force analysis of Porter and Hartnell
governors
• Controlling force
• Stability
• Sensitiveness
• Isochronisms
• effort and power

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Introductio
n
• The function of a governor is to regulate the mean speed of an
engine, when there are variations in the load
• For example, when the load on an engine increases, its speed
decreases, therefore it becomes necessary to increase the
supply of working fluid.
• On the other hand, when the load on the engine decreases, its
speed increases and thus less working fluid is required.
• The governor automatically controls the supply of working fluid
to the engine with the varying load conditions and keeps the
mean speed within certain limits.
• A little consideration will show that, when the load increases,
the configuration of the governor changes and a valve is
moved to increase the supply of the working fluid ; conversely,
when the load decreases, the engine speed increases and the
governor decreases the supply of working fluid.

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Note :
• The function of a flywheel in an engine is
entirely different from that of a governor.
• It controls the speed variation caused by the
fluctuations of the engine turning moment
during each cycle of operation.
• It does not control the speed variations caused
by a varying load.
• The varying demand for power is met by the
governor regulating the supply of working fluid.

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Types of
Governors
• The governors may, broadly, be
classified
1. as
Centrifugal
2. governors Inertia
governors.

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Centrifugal
Governors
• The centrifugal governors are based on the balancing of
centrifugal force on the rotating balls by an equal and
opposite radial force, known as the controlling force.
• It consists of two balls of equal mass, which are attached to
the arms as shown in Fig.

These balls are known as governor balls or fly balls. The balls

revolve with a spindle, which is driven by the engine through
bevel gears.

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Centrifugal
Governors
• The upper ends of the arms are pivoted to the spindle, so that
the balls may rise up or fall down as they revolve about the
vertical axis.
• The arms are connected by the links to a sleeve, which is keyed
to the spindle. This sleeve revolves with the spindle ; but can
slide up and down.
• The balls and the sleeve rises when the spindle speed
increases, and falls when the speed decreases.

In order to limit the travel of the sleeve in upward and

downward directions, two stops S, S are provided on the
spindle.

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• The sleeve is connected by a bell crank lever to a throttle valve.
• The supply of the working fluid decreases when the sleeve
rises and increases when it falls.
• When the load on the engine increases, the engine and the
governor speed decreases.
• This results in the decrease of centrifugal force on the balls.
Hence the balls move inwards and the sleeve moves
downwards.

The downward movement of the sleeve operates a throttle

valve at the other end of the bell crank lever to increase the
supply of working fluid and thus the engine speed is increased.

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• When the load on the engine decreases, the engine and the
governor speed increases, which results in the increase of
centrifugal force on the balls.
• Thus the balls move outwards and the sleeve rises upwards.
• This upward movement of the sleeve reduces the supply of the
working fluid and hence the speed is decreased. In this case,
the power output is reduced.

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Terms Used in
Governors
• The following terms used in governors are important from the subject
point of view ;
1. Height of a governor. It is the vertical distance from the centre of the
ball to a point where the axes of the arms (or arms produced)
intersect on the spindle axis. It is usually denoted by h.
2. Equilibrium speed. It is the speed at which the governor balls, arms
etc., are in complete equilibrium and the sleeve does not tend to
move upwards or downwards.
3. Mean equilibrium speed. It is the speed at the mean position of the
balls or the sleeve.
4. Maximum and minimum equilibrium speeds. The speeds at the
maximum and minimum radius of rotation of the balls, without
tending to move either way are known as maximum and minimum
equilibrium speeds respectively.
5. Sleeve lift. It is the vertical distance which the sleeve travels due to
change in equilibrium speed.

• Note : There can be many equilibrium speeds between the mean and
the maximum and the mean and the minimum equilibrium speeds.

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Porter
Governor
• In Porter governor central load is attached to the sleeve as
shown in Fig (a).
• The load moves up and down the central spindle. This
additional downward force increases the speed of revolution
required to enable the balls to rise to any predetermined level.
• Consider the forces acting on one-half of the governor as
shown in Fig.(b).

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Though there are several ways of
determining the relation between the
height of the governor (h) and the
angular speed of the balls (ω), yet the
following two methods are important
from the subject point of view :
1. Method of resolution of forces ; and
2. Instantaneous centre method.
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Again, considering the equilibrium of the forces acting
on B. The point B is in equilibrium under the action of
the following forces, as shown in Fig.
(i) The weight of ball (w = m.g)
(ii) The centrifugal force (Fc),
(iii) The tension in the arm (T1), and
(iv) The tension in the link (T2).
Resolving the forces vertically,

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•

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 The + sign is used when the sleeve moves upwards or the governor
speed increases and negative sign is used when the sleeve moves
downwards or the governor speed decreases.

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 Instantaneous center method
• In this method, equilibrium of the forces acting on
• the link BD are considered. The instantaneous centre I lies at
the point of intersection of PB produced and a line through D
perpendicular to the spindle axis, as shown in Fig.
• Taking moments about the point I,

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 All the arms of a Porter governor are 178 mm long and are hinged at a distance of 38
mm from the axis of rotation. The mass of each ball is 1.15 kg and mass of the sleeve
is 20 kg. The governor sleeve begins to rise at 280 r.p.m, when the links are at an
angle of 30° to the vertical. Assuming the friction force to be constant, determine the
minimum and maximum speed of rotation when the inclination of the arms to the
vertical is 45°.

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Hartnell
Governor
• A Hartnell governor is a spring loaded governor as shown in Fig. It
consists of two bell crank levers pivoted at the points O,O to the
frame.
• The frame is attached to the governor spindle and therefore rotates
with it.
• Each lever carries a ball at the end of the vertical arm OB and a roller
at the end of the horizontal arm OR.

A helical spring in compression provides equal downward

forces on the two rollers through a collar on the sleeve.
The spring force may be adjusted by screwing a nut up or down
on the sleeve.

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• Consider the forces acting at one bell crank lever.
• The minimum and maximum position is shown in Fig. Let h be
the compression of the spring when the radius of rotation
changes from r1 to r2
• For the minimum position i.e. when the radius of rotation
changes from r to r1 as shown in Fig.(a), the compression of
the spring or the lift of sleeve h1 is given by

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• Similarly, for the maximum position i.e. when the radius of rotation changes
from r to r2 as shown in Fig.(b) the compression of the spring or lift of
sleeve h2 is given by

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Notes :
1) Unless otherwise stated, the obliquity effect of the arms and the moment due to the
weight of the balls is neglected, in actual practice.
2) When friction is taken into account, the weight of the sleeve (M.g) may be replaced
by (M.g. ± F).
3) The centrifugal force (Fc ) for any intermediate position (i.e. between the minimum
and maximum position) at a radius of rotation (r) may be obtained as discussed
below :
Since the stiffness for a given spring is constant for all positions, therefore for
minimum and intermediate position,

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Sensitiveness of
Governors
• Consider two governors A and B running at the same speed. When this
speed increases or decreases by a certain amount, the lift of the sleeve of
governor A is greater than the lift of the sleeve of governor B. It is then said
that the governor A is more sensitive than the governor B.
• In general, the greater the lift of the sleeve corresponding to a given
fractional change in speed, the greater is the sensitiveness of the governor.
• The sensitiveness is defined as the ratio of the difference between the
maximum and minimum equilibrium speeds to the mean equilibrium speed.

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Stability of
Governors
• A governor is said to be stable when for every speed within
the working range there is a definite configuration i.e. there is
only one radius of rotation of the governor balls at which the
governor is in equilibrium.
• For a stable governor, if the equilibrium speed increases, the
radius of governor balls must also increase.
Note : A governor is said to be unstable, if the radius of
rotation decreases as the speed increases.

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Isochronous
Governors
• A governor is said to be isochronous when the equilibrium
speed is constant (i.e. range of speed is zero) for all radii of
rotation of the balls within the working range, neglecting
friction.
• Let us consider the case of a Porter governor running at
speeds N1
and N2 r.p.m.

For isochronism, range of speed should be zero

i.e. N2 – N1 = 0 or N2 = N1. Therefore from equations (i)
and (ii) h1 = h2, which is impossible in case of a Porter
governor. Hence a Porter governor cannot be
isochronous

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• Now consider the case of a Hartnell governor running at
speeds N1
and N2 r.p.m.

• For isochronism, N2 = N1. Therefore from equations (iii)

and (iv),

Note : The isochronous governor is not of practical use

because the sleeve will move to one of its extreme positions
immediately the speed deviates from the isochronous speed.

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Huntin
g
• A governor is said to be hunt if the speed of the engine fluctuates
continuously above and below the mean speed. This is caused by
a too sensitive governor which changes the fuel supply by a large
amount when a small change in the speed of rotation takes
place.
• For example, when the load on the engine increases, the engine
speed decreases and, if the governor is very sensitive, the
governor sleeve immediately falls to its lowest position.
• This will result in the opening of the control valve wide which will
supply the fuel to the engine in excess of its requirement so that
the engine speed rapidly increases again and the governor sleeve
rises to its highest position.
• Due to this movement of the sleeve, the control valve will cut off
the fuel supply to the engine and thus the engine speed begins to
fall once again. This cycle is repeated indefinitely.
• Such a governor may admit either the maximum or the minimum
amount of fuel. The effect of this will be to cause wide
fluctuations in the engine speed or in other words, the engine will
hunt.
Effort and Power of a
Governor
• The effort of a governor is the mean force exerted at the
sleeve for a given percentage change of speed(or lift of the
sleeve).
• It may be noted that when the governor is running steadily,
there is no force at the sleeve.
• But, when the speed changes, there is a resistance at the
sleeve which opposes its motion.
• It is assumed that this resistance which is equal to the effort,
varies uniformly from a maximum value to zero while the
governor moves into its new position of equilibrium.
• The power of a governor is the work done at the sleeve for a
given percentage change of speed.
• It is the product of the mean value of the effort and the
distance through which the sleeve moves.
Mathematically,
Power = Mean effort × lift of sleeve
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• Effort and Power of a Porter
Governor

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• We know that, when the speed is N r.p.m., the sleeve load is M.g.
Assuming that the angles α and β are equal, so that q = 1, then
the height of the governor,

• When the increase of speed takes place, a downward force P will have to
be exerted on the sleeve in order to prevent the sleeve from rising. If the
speed increases to (1 + c) N r.p.m. and the height of the governor remains
the same, the load on the sleeve increases to M1.g. Therefore

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• A little consideration will show that (M1 – M)g is the downward force
which must be applied in order to prevent the sleeve from rising as the
speed increases.
• It is the same force which acts on the governor sleeve immediately after
the increase of speed has taken place and before the sleeve begins to
move.
• When the sleeve takes the new position as shown in Fig. (b), this force
gradually
diminishes to zero.

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Power of the porter
Governor

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 Controlling
•Force
We know that when a body rotates in a
circular path, there is an inward radial
force or centripetal force acting on it.
• In case of a governor running at a steady
speed, the inward force acting on the
rotating balls is known as controlling
force.
• It is equal and opposite to the centrifugal
reaction.
• The controlling force is provided by the
weight of the sleeve and balls as in Porter
governor and by the spring and weight as
in Hartnell governor (or spring controlled
governor).
• When the graph between the controlling
force (Fc) as ordinate and radius of
rotation of the balls (r) as abscissa is
drawn.
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