Nadya Novarizka Mawuntu (1803141)

FLY-BALL GOVERNOR

An early example of automatic control is the centrifugal governor, also known as fly-ball
governor, which is used to develop the successful James Watt’s steam engine, in 1780s. He required
a way to control the speed of the steam engine so it would remain constant. The system consists of a
pulley which is connected to the engine shaft, 2 fly balls, 2 arms, a spindle and linkage that connected
to the engine throttle.
First, the engine sends power through a belt to the pulley, this makes the governor spins and
the sleeve moves up and down. This happened because of the centrifugal force acting on the fly balls.
As the speed increased, the arms will extend and thrown the fly balls away from the spindle. This
action moves the linkage to open or close the throttle valve, which control the supply to the engine.
The fly-ball governor decreases inlet steam when engine is running too fast and increases the
inlet steam when the engine is running to slow. When the engine is in full speed, the throttle will
close and slowing down the speed of the engine. And when the sleeve rises, the throttle will open and
speeding up the engine.

Reference:
1. Åström, Karl Johan and Murray, Richard M. (2008) Feedback Systems: An Introduction for
Scientists and Engineers. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN 978-0-691-
13576-2.
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASIl3HWTT4U