Governors: Key Notes

1. 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.
2. Flywheel controls the speed variation caused by the fluctuations of the engine turning moment during each
cycle of operation.
3. The supply of the working fluid decreases when the sleeve rises and increases when it falls.
4. The Porter governor is a modification of a Watts governor, with central load attached to the sleeve.
5. The + sign is used in friction when the sleeve moves upwards or the governor speed increases and - sign is
used when the sleeve moves downwards or the governor speed decreases.
6. Hence in order to have the same equilibrium speed for the given values of m, M and h, balls of smaller masses
are used in the Proell governor than in the Porter governor.
7. A Pickering governor is mostly used for driving gramophone.
8. 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.
9. A governor is said to be unstable, if the radius of rotation decreases as the speed increases.
10. 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. The
isochronism is the stage of infinite sensitivity.
11. A Porter governor cannot be isochronous.
12. 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.
13. A governor is said to be hunt if the speed of the engine fluctuates continuously above and below the mean
speed.
14. 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).
15. The power of a governor is the work done at the sleeve for a given percentage change of speed.
16. For the governor to be more sensitive, the change in the value of over the change of radius of rotation
should be as small as possible.
17. For the governor to be stable, the controlling force (FC) must increase as the radius of rotation (r) increases.
18. For a governor to be stable the slope of the controlling force curve must be greater than that of the speed
curve.

Gyroscope: Key notes

1. Whenever the effect of any force or couple over a moving or rotating body is to be considered, it should be
with respect to the reactive force or couple and not with respect to active force or couple.
2. The axis, about which the axis of spin is to turn, is known as axis of precession. The angular motion of the axis
of spin about the axis of precession is known as precessional angular motion.
3. The gyroscopes are installed in ships in order to minimize the rolling and pitching effects of waves.
4. The left hand and right hand sides of the ship, when viewed from the stern are called port and star-board
respectively.
5. The maximum gyroscopic couple tends to shear the holding-down bolts.
6. The pitching of a ship produces forces on the bearings which act horizontally and perpendicular to the motion
of the ship.
7. In case of rolling of a ship, the axis of precession (i.e. longitudinal axis) is always parallel to
the axis of spin for all positions. Hence, there is no effect of the gyroscopic couple acting on the body
of a ship.

Flywheel
1. During the expansion or working stroke, the fuel burns and the gases expand, therefore a large
positive loop is obtained. In this stroke, the work is done by the gases. During exhaust stroke, the
work is done on the gases, therefore a negative loop is formed.
2. a flywheel controls the speed variations caused by the fluctuation of the engine turning moment
during each cycle of operation.
3. The reciprocal of the coefficient of fluctuation of speed is known as coefficient of steadiness.