Centrifugal governor

A mechanism in which rotating weights move outward as angular speed increases, allowing their displacement to indicate or regulate a machine's speed. The steady configuration follows the balance of actual applied forces and centripetal acceleration, or equivalently of applied forces and centrifugal force in a rotating reference frame. Geometry and the restoring mechanism determine the speed-displacement relation.

For total ball mass $m$, arm length $l$ and imposed constant shaft speed $\Omega$, the reduced effective potential is $V_{\mathrm{eff}}/(m{l}^2)=-{\Omega }^2{\sin }^2\theta /2-{\omega }_0^2\cos \theta$. Its equilibrium equation is $\sin \theta ({\omega }_0^2-{\Omega }^2\cos \theta )=0$. The downward state is stable for $|\Omega |<{\omega }_0$ and loses linear stability above it; nonzero stable openings then satisfy the displayed relation. Extending the angle to signed values gives a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation. Squared angular frequencies of small oscillations are ${\omega }_0^2-{\Omega }^2$ at the downward state and ${\Omega }^2-{\omega }_0^4/{\Omega }^2$ at the open states. At threshold the quadratic term vanishes but the quartic potential is positive, so zero linear frequency does not imply finite-amplitude free motion.

Consider two equal balls of mass $m$, four light rods each of length $L$, a fixed upper pivot and a light sliding lower collar. Each upper and lower rod makes angle $\theta$ with the spindle. A spring of spring constant $k$ is uncompressed at $\theta =0$ and is compressed by collar motion. Its compression is $\delta =2L(1-\cos \theta )$. Collar balance gives $2T_l\cos \theta =k\delta$, while vertical ball balance gives $(T_u-T_l)\cos \theta =mg$. Radial Newton's second law gives $(T_u+T_l)\sin \theta =m{\omega }^{2}L\sin \theta$. Eliminating the rod tensions proves the displayed relation for nonzero $\theta$.