A-Z glossary

 #  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  Y  Z

Governor

(1) A regulator, generally of the centrifugal type, which detects the speed of the machinery and, in corn mills, is commonly used to apply its output to automatically adjust the tentering of millstones for the purpose of maintaining a constant quality of product despite the changes of speed that might occur. A development of the CONICAL PENDULUM. (2) Governors have been used to control the shutters and therefore the speed of the windmill sails, and similarly to control the water flow to and hence the speed of a waterwheel. They have also been applied to American windmills to control the angle of the blades, or power from steam engines.

See all images and documents relating to this topic.

Alternative terms

Term Language Region
Balance Irons English
Conical Pendulum English
Regulator English