5 February 2018

What is mechanical governor | Function | Working

What is the governor?

In simple words, the governor controls engine speed. It uses gears and flyweights inside the crankcase to detect changes in the load and adjusts the throttle accordingly.

The function of a governor?

To maintain the speed of an engine within specified limits whenever there is a variation of load occurs.

How it works?

The governor system is like a cruise control system in an automobile. It maintains the speed of your lawnmower or outdoor power products. 

In general, the speed of an engine varies in two ways, during each revolution and over a number of revolutions. For the first case, it is due to variation in the output torque of the engine during a cycle and can be regulated by mounting a suitable flywheel on the shaft. While in the second case, it is due to variation of the load upon the engine and requires a governor to maintain the speed.

If the load on the shaft increases, the speed of the engine decreases unless the supply of fuel is increased by opening the throttle valve. 

If the load on the shaft decreases, the speed of the engine increases unless the fuel supply is decreased by closing the valve sufficiently to slow the engine to its original speed. 

Thus, the throttle valve is operated by the governor through a mechanism for the purpose. 

Use of governor?

A governor is used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine. It is also called a speed limiter or controller. 

There are two types of governor used in any automobile application. One is centrifugal governor and another is inertia governor.