STRUCTURE OF GLAND PACKING BOX

Abstract: Disclosed is a structure of gland packing box (1) enhanced in the lubricating function and cooling function of the seal part, by forming at least one dislocating part (2ax; 2bx) for partly dislocating in the axial direction the gland packing (3A; 3B), on the fitting face of a gland packing holding member for fitting in the axial direction the gland packing (3A; 3B) externally mounted on the rotary shaft (4) in the packing box (1), causing part of the annular gap formed between inside of the gland packing holding member (2) and outside of the rotary shaft (4) to overlap with the internal surface of the gland packing (3A; 3B) in the circumferential direction, and forcing a fluid to be sent into the inner surface of the overlapping gland packing (3A, 3B) along with rotation of the rotary shaft (4).

Description: 1. Field of the Invention: This invention relates to a gland packing box composed in a shaft seal part of a hydraulic machine, and more particularly to a structure of a gland packing box suppressing the power loss as much as possible while enhancing the lubricating function and cooling function of the seal part. 2. Description of the Prior Art: As a general conventional structure of a gland packing, the constitution as shown in Fig. 14 is known. In the drawing, numeral 100 is a packing box formed at an end of, for example, a pump casing, 101 is a neck bush, 103A, 103B are gland packings, 104 is a packing gland, and 105 is a rotary shaft, in which the gland packings 103A, 103B are pressed in the axial direction with a specified tightening pressure by the neck bush 101 inserted deep in the packing box 100 and the packing gland 104 with the end part set in the opening of packing box 100, thereby keeping a sealing performance to the rotary shaft 105. The structure of the gland packing box is so designed as to prevent abnormal wear of the rotary shaft 104 or seizure of seal part 106 due to dry operation, by allowing to escape slightly the fluid from the seal part 106 between the outside of the rotary shaft 105 and the inside of the gland packings 103A, 103B, and providing this escaping fluid with lubricating function and cooling function. In the conventional structure of packing box stated above, however, the gland packing fitting faces 101A, 104A abutting against the gland packings 103A, 103B of the neck bush 101 and packing gland 104 are formed in a shape to be perpendicular and uniform to the axial line of the rotary shaft 105, and the gland packing 103A, 103B are held by these packing fitting faces 101A, 104A, so that the axial ends of the gland packings 103A, 103B naturally cross perpendicularly and uniformly to the axial line of the rotary shaft 105. Therefore, a tiny annular gap 107 formed between the inside of neck bush 101 and outside of rotary shaft 105 only corresponds to the axial end of the gland packing 103A, and does not overlap with the inside of the gland packing 103A in the circumferential direction. Accordingly, the escaping fluid functioning as lubricant and coolant is sent into the seal part 106 only through the inner end in the axial direction of the tiny annular gap 107. However, since it is designed to press the inside of the gland packings 103A, 103B to the outside of the rotary shaft 105 and keep a favorable sealing performance by tightening the packing gland 104 in the direction of neck bush 101 with a specified tightening pressure, the inside of the gland packings 103A, 103B and the outside of the rotary shaft 105 forming the seal part 106 is in tight contact state, and it is practically difficult to send the escaping fluid only by the fluid pressure in the casing into such seal part 106, and the leak flow is diminutively limited, and the lubricating function and cooling function cannot be exhibited effectively. Still more, if the tightening pressure of the packing gland 104 is excessive, or when the inner peripheral edge of the gland packing 103 projects into the tiny annular gap 107 due to the effect of internal stress of gland packings 103A, 103B, or the like, this projecting part locally becomes high in density, and the leak flow into the seal part 106 is extremely limited, and the lubricating function and cooling function are lowered, which may lead to problems such as abnormal wear of the rotary shaft, seizure of seal part due to dry operation, and other troubles. Such problems also occur in the part of a tiny annular gap 108 formed between the inside of packing gland 104 and the outside of rotary shaft 105 in Fig. 20. Hence, by forming a cooling jacket 109 on the peripheral wall of the packing box 100, and, for example, cooling water is circulated, and a passage 110 communicating with the tiny annular gap 108 is formed in the packing gland 104, and through this passage 110, for example, cooling water is introudced into the tiny annular gap 108 to enhance the cooling effect. In spite of these effects, however, since the cooling jacket 109 is only to cool the gland packings 103A, 103B directly, the cooling effect on the seal part 106 is not expected much, and the lubricating effect is not expected at all. Incidentally, if the cooling water is led into the tiny annular gap 108 through the passage 110, only the slight portion corresponding to the tiny annular gap 108 or the projecting portion of the gland packing 103B is directly cooled by this cooling water, and the cooling effect and lubricating effect on the seal part 106 cannot be expected as in the case of the cooling jacket 109 above. GB-A-2 166 814 discloses a continuous annular but axially variable seal which provides hydrodynamic lubrication between the seal and a rotating shaft. The seal assembly uses differential pressure to maintain the seal compressed as it wears. Annular seal mounting members are positioned above and below the seal and have surfaces to matingly engage the seals. The mounting members are permitted to move relative to one another in response to differential fluid pressure between an oil chamber above the seal acting on the upper mounting element and a chamber acting on the lower mounting element. FR-A-2 103 056 describes a molded packing which is close to a V-packing or U-packing and, therefore, completely different from a gland packing. Such a molded packing is designed to seal between the lip part and the shaft as the lip part is contacting the shaft with a greater contact pressure than the fluid pressure applied. The contact pressure of such a self-sealed molded packing is different from the one of a gland packing. This is particularly true due to the fact that the contact pressure in axial direction increases for a gland packing in the direction to the packing gland, wheres under the same circumstances the contact pressure in axial direction decreases. DE-C-903 878 describes a gland packing box comprising a holding member of which the fitting faces of the packing gland and the neck bush are inclined to form an angle to the axial direction of the holding member, which continuously varies from a minimum over a maximum to a minimum value over the circumference of the holding member. This arrangement leads to a sealing surface which does not continuously cover the circumference of the shaft, since the contact pressure generated by the tightening varies over the circumference of the shaft. It is therefore desirable that the fitting faces are formed at a constant angle to the axial direction of the holding member. It is an object of this invention to provide a structure of gland packing box which can be easily applied to the existing structure of gland packing boxes and can enhance the lubricating function and cooling function effectively. A solution of this problem is provided by the invention characterized in claim 1 and claim 5. It is a particular advantage of the invention that the clamp packing does not require wide space and that it can be easily incorporated into an existing product next to the fact that the dislocating part is easy to fabricate and is very inexpensive. Many other characteristics and effects of this invention will be more easily understood and appreciated from the detailed description of the invention given in conjunction with the appended drawings. Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the structure of gland packing box according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a development of the gland packing for explaining the overlapped portion of the gland packing in Fig. 3 in the circumferential direction. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of essential parts for explaining the fitting face of the gland packing holding member according to this invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the forming method of the fitting face shown in Fig.3. Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are sectional views showing modified examples of the fitting face. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the structure of gland packing box according to this invention. Fig. 8 is a partial perspective view showing essential part of the gland packing holding member in Fig.7. Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the structure of gland packing box according to this invention. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a plate-shaped member of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the structure of gland packing box according to this invention. Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the structure of gland packing box according to this invention. Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the structure of gland packing box according to this invention. Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional gland packing box. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, the preferred embodiments of this invention are described below. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 indicate an embodiment of this invention, in which pairs of dislocating parts 2ax₁, 2ax₂, 2bx₁, 2bx₂ for deviating the gland packings 3A, 3B in the axial direction are formed on the fitting faces 2a, 2b of the neck bush 2A and packing gland 2B to compose the gland packing holding member 2. That is, the dislocating parts 2ax₁, 2ax₂ on the fitting face 2a at the neck bush 2A are curved surfaces partly dislocating downward for the portion corresponding to about half of the dimension t₁ in the axial direction of the gland packing 3A from the vicinity of the middle part to the middle part of both front and rear faces (only rear face is shown in Fig. 1) of the fitting face 2a, whereas the dislocating parts 2bx₁, 2bx₂ on the fitting face 2b at the packing gland 2B are curved surfaces dislocating downward for the portion corresponding to about half of the dimension t₂ in the axial direction of the gland packing 3B from the vicinity of the middle part to the middle part of the front and rear faces of the fitting face 2b similarly to the dislocating parts 2ax₁, 2ax₂. Therefore, since the gland packings 2A, 2B are held by the fitting faces 2a, 2b of the gland packing holding member 2 composed of the neck bush 2A and packing gland 2B having dislocating parts 2ax₁, 2ax₂, 2bx₁, 2bx₂, it is dislocated in the axial direction by the portion corresponding to about half of the dimensions t₁, t₂ in the axial direction at the two front and rear positions on the circumference, and the tiny annular gap 6 in the neck bush 2A overlaps with the region indicated by oblique lines X₁, X₂ in Fig. 2 in the inner surface of the gland packing 3A in the circumferential direction in the upper part of the right and left sides in Fig. 1. On the other hand, the tiny annular gap 7 in the packing gland 2B overlaps with the region indicated by oblique lines Y₁, Y₂ in Fig. 2 in the inner surface of the gland packing 3B in the circumferential direction in the lower part of the right and left sides in Fig 1. Accordingly, the fluid is forced into the region indicated by X₁, X₂ as a leaking fluid, and the fluid escaping to the lower part of the tiny annular gap 7 through the seal part 5 is forced into the region indicated by Y₁, Y₂, so that the lubricating function and cooling function are enhanced. Fig.3 is a sectional view of essential parts to explain that the fitting faces 2a, 2a₁, 2a₂, 2b, 8a, 8b of the gland packing holding member 2 (composed of neck bushes 2A, 2A1, 2A2, packing gland 2B and lantern ring 8) are formed at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the axial direction in the whole circumferential direction. That is, in this embodiment, by forming each fitting face at an angle of 90 degrees to the axial direction in the circumferential direction, the end faces of the gland packings 3A, 3B, 3C are pressed uniformly in the peripheral direction. That is, it is intended to prevent uneven sealing state in the peripheral direction due to uneven pressing of the end faces of the gland packings 3A, 3B, 3C in the peripheral direction. To form such fitting faces 2a, 2a₁, 2a₂, 2b, 8a, 8b, for instance, as shown in Fig. 4, the gland packing holding member 2 is moved reciprocally in the horizontal direction while rotating in one direction by means of a miling machine, and one end of the gland packing holding member 2 is machined by the cutter 11, so that the entire circumference may be easily formed in an angle of 90 degrees. Fig. 5, Fig. 6 are sectional views of essential parts showing other modifications of the fitting faces. Fig. 5 is intended to increase the sealing force at the inner side of the gland packings 3A, 3B greater than the sealing force at the outer side by tapering the entire circumference of the fitting face 2b of the packing gland 2A in a same angle of α inward in the radial direction, whereas Fig. 6 is intended, to the contrary, to increase the sealing force at the outer side of the gland packings 3A, 3B greater than the sealing force at the inner side by tapering the entire circumference of the fitting face 2b of the packing gland 2B in a same angle of β outward in the radial direction. Such tapering process of the entire circumference of the fitting face 2b in a same angle may be easily achieved by inclining the cutter 11 of the milling machine at a specified angle. Meanwhile, needless to say, this tapering of the fitting face may be applied not only to the packing gland 2B, but also to other gland packing holding member, such as fitting faces of the neck bush and lantern ring. Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of this invention, in which fitting faces 2a, 2b of the neck bush 2A and packing gland 2B to compose the gland packing holding member 2 are formed in an angle of 90 degrees to the axial direction on the whole circumferential surface as shown also in Fig. 8, while plural (four in the drawing) projecting dislocating parts 2ax₃ ..., 2bx₃ ... for deviating the gland packings 3A, 3B inward in the axial direction are formed at specified intervals in the peripheral direction. Even in such dislocating parts 2ax₃ ..., 2bx₃ ..., the gland packings 3A, 3B are dislocated inward in the axial direction at four positions in the circumferential direction, and the tiny annular gap 6 formed between inside of the neck bush 2A and outside of rotary shaft 4 overlaps with the inner peripheral surface of the gland packing 3A not dislocated inward in the axial direction in the circumferential direction. Besides, the tiny gap 7 at the side of packing gland 2B also overlaps with the inner surface of the gland packing 3B not dislocated inward in the axial direction in the circumferential direction. Therefore, in this case, too, similar to the constitution shown in Fig. 1, the escaping fluid is forced to be sent into the inner surface of the gland packing 3A along with the rotation of the rotary shaft 24, while the fluid escaping into the lower part of the tiny annular gap 7 through the seal part 5 is forced to be sent into the inner surface of the gland packing 3B along with the rotation of the rotary shaft 24, so that the lubricating function and cooling function may be enhanced. (Experimental Examples) As the structure of gland packing box of shaft seal is part of rotary shaft in a horizontal pump, the product of this invention and a conventional product are compared, and the results of measurements of fluid leak, gland part heating temperature and dynamic torque are shown in Table 1. Meanwhile, the displacement denote the distance of dislocation in the axial direction. The test conditions were as folows: (1) Sample gland packing Carbide fiber Teflon impregnated packing. (2) Gland packing size Inside diameter 32 mm x outside diameter 48 mm x 8 mm square. In the case of product of this invention, the displacement was 4 mm. (3) Fluid Industrial water (2 kg/cm²). (4) Rotating speed 1800 rpm (V = 3 m/s). In the test, using a spring, tightening face pressures of 5 kg/cm² and 10 kg/cm² were applied to the sample gland packing A. As clear from Table 1, in the structure of the gland packing box of this invention, a sufficient leak flow necessary for exhibiting the excellent lubricating function and cooling function could be maintained, and if the tightening face pressure was increased to 10 kg/cm², the leak was not reduced to zero, so that sliding resistance and heat generation could be effectively inhibited. By contrast, in the conventional structure of gland packing box, the leak was small, and the sliding resistance and heat generation increased significantly, and when the tightening face pressure was increased to 10 kg/cm², in particular, the leak became zero, which led to seizure. Fig. 9 shows an embodiment of this invention, in which a gland packing holding member 2' is composed of a neck bush 2 A' inserted deep in the packing box 1 and a packing gland 2 B' with its end fitted into the opening in the packing box 1, and gland packings 3A', 3B' are externally mounted on a rotary shaft 4 as being held in the axial direction through plate-shaped members 12, 12 by means of the neck bush 2 A' and packing gland 2 B'. That is, one end in the axial direction of the gland packing 3A' abuts against the fitting face 12a of the plate-shaped member 12 disposed on the fitting face 2 a' of the neck bush 2 A', while the other end in the axial direction of the gland packing 3B abuts against the fitting face 12a of the plate-shaped member 12 disposed on the fitting face 2 b' of the packing gland 2 B'. By tightening the packing gland 2 B' with a specified tightening pressure by a tightening machine (not shown) in the direction of the neck bush 2 A', the inside of the gland packings 3A', 3B' are brought to tight contact with the outside of the rotary shaft 4, thereby forming a seal part 5 between the inside of the gland packings 3A', 3B' and the outside of the rotary shaft 4. Said plate-shaped member 12 is made of a metal plate, and at its fitting face 12a side, plural (four in the embodiment) dislocating parts 12ax for dislocating the gland packings 3A', 3B' in the axial direction are formed at specified intervals by press forming. Therefore, since the gland packings 3A', 3B' are held by the fitting faces 12a, 12a of a pair of plate-shaped members 12, 12 having said dislocated parts 12ax, they are partly dislocated in the axial direction by the portion of projection of the dislocating parts 12ax of the plate-shaped members 12. Accordingly, the tiny annular gap 6 formed between the inside of the neck bush 2 A' and the outside of the rotary shaft 4 is extended to the dislocated portion in the axial direction, and this portion of this extended gap 6 and the inner surface of the gland packing 3A' not dislocated in the axial direction overlap with each other in the circumferential direction. As a result, the fluid in the gap 6 is forced to be sent into the inner surface of the gland packing 3A' not dislocated in the axial direction along with the rotation of the rotary shaft 4, so that the lubricating function and cooling function are enhanced. On the other hand, the tiny annular gap 7 formed between the inside of the packing gland 2 B' and the outside of the rotary shaft 4 is extended to the portion partly dislocated in the axial direction of the gland packing 3B' by the dislocating parts 12ax of the plate-shaped members 12, and this portion of extended gap 7 and the inner surface of the gland packing 3B' not dislocated in the axial direction overlap with each other in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the fluid escaping into the tiny annular gap 7 from the neck bush 2 A' side through the seal part 5 is forced to be sent into the inner surface of the gland packing 3A' not dislocated in the axial direction along with the rotation of the rotary shaft 4, so that this portion may be lubricated and cooled effectively. Fig. 11 shows an embodiment of this invention, in which four gland packings 3A', 3B', 3C', 3D' are used, and a lantern ring 8' is placed between the gland packings 3B' and 3C', and a gland packing holding member 2' is composed of neck bush 2 A', packing gland 2 B' and lantern ring 8', while plate-shaped members 12, 12, 12 are disposed on a fitting face 2 b' of the packing gland 2 B' and both fitting faces 8'a, 8'b of the lantern ring 8' so as to partly dislocate in the axial direction of the gland packings 3B', 3C', 3D' by means of their dislocating parts 12ax ..... By thus constituting, the sealed fluid charged into the lantern ring 8' through the feed passage 13 is forced to be sent into the inner surface of the gland packings 3B', 3C', 3D' not dislocated in the axial direction, and the lubrication function and cooling function may be effectively exhibited even if the overall length of the seal part 5 is long. Fig. 12 shows an embodiment of this invention, in which a coil spring 11 is placed between a neck bush 2A' and the deep end of the packing box 1, and its spring force is always applied to thrust the gland packings 3A', 3B', 3C' in the axial direction through the neck bush 2A' and the plate-shaped member 12. Therefore, since the gradual stress relaxation occurring in the gland packings 3A', 3B', 3C' can be compensated by the spring force of the coil spring 11, deterioration of the sealing performance of the seal part 5 can be effective prevented, so that the life may be extended. Fig. 13 shows an embodiment of this invention, relating to a structure of a gland packing box for dislocation partly the gland packing in the axial direction by using a plate-shaped member 12, and this is a sectional view of application into a device having a horizontal shaft (for example, a horizontal pump). The fluid escaping the seal surface 5, in the case of a horizontal shaft, does not stay in the gap 7 but is discharged outside. The auxiliary seal 13 is to be used here may be either the shown lip seal or a gland packing. This embodiemnt may be similarly applied to the case of using the embodiment shown in Fig. 11 or Fig. 12 into a horizontal shaft device. In this embodiemnt, the case of forming the plate-shaped member 12 by metal plate was explained, but, of course, this plate-shaped member may be integrally formed by synthetic resin or the like. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 9, Fig. 11, Fig. 12 and Fig. 13, the lubricating function and cooling function of the seal part 5 are extremely enhanced by the dislocating parts 12ax ... of the plate-shaped member 12, and the power loss may be inhibited as much as possible by preventing abnormal wear of the rotary shaft or seizure of the seal part due to dry operation. What is more, since the means for partly dislocating the gland packing in the axial direction is a plate-shaped member, it may be easily applied in a conventional structure of gland packing box, and furthermore since it is enough to form dislocating parts in the plate-shaped member, the manufacture is easy and the cost is low, and the practical effect is great.

Claims: A gland packing box comprising a gland packing holding member (2) for holding in the axial direction a gland packing (3A, 3B) externally mounted on a rotary shaft (4) in said packing box (1), wherein a dislocating part (2ax, 2bx) for partly dislocating the seal part (5) in contact with the shaft (4) of said gland packing (3A, 3B) in an axial direction is formed on the fitting face (2a; 2b) of said gland packing holding member (2), wherein the entire fitting face (2a, 2b) of the gland packing holding member (2) is formed at a constant angle to the axial direction of its holding member (2) and wherein the gland packing holding member is composed of packing gland (2B) and neck bush (2A), characterized in that said dislocating part (2ax1, 2bx1) projects at least at two positions into the ring-shaped gland packing (3A, 3B) in a range of about half of the packing width (t₁, t₂) with reference to the axial direction, with the entire fitting face (2a, 2b) of said gland packing holding member (2) being formed with a smooth curved surface and at a same angle to the axial direction of its holding member (2). A gland packing box according to claim 1, characterized in that the gland packing holding member (2) is composed of packing gland (2B), lantern ring (8) and neck bush (2A). A gland packing box according to claim 1, characterized in that the entire fitting face (2a, 2b) of the gland packing holding member (2) is formed at an angle of 90° to the axial direction of the holding member. A gland packing box according to claim 2, characterized in that said neck bush (2a) is thrusted to the gland packing side (3A, 3B) by a spring member (11). A gland packing box comprising a gland packing holding member (2) for holding in the axial direction a gland packing (3A, 3B) externally mounted on a rotary shaft (4) in said packing box (1), wherein a dislocating part (2ax, 2bx) for partly dislocating the seal part (5) in contact with the shaft (4) of said gland packing (3A, 3B) in an axial direction is formed on the fitting face (2a, 2b) of said gland packing holding member (2), wherein the entire fitting face (2a, 2b) of the gland packing holding member (2) is formed at a constant angle to the axial direction of its holding member (2) and wherein the gland packing holding member is composed of packing gland (2B) and neck bush (2A), characterized in that said dislocating part (2ax1, 2bx1) formed on the fitting face (2a, 2b) of the gland packing holding member (2) is composed of a plurality of projections (2bx3, 2ax3, 12ax) formed at specified intervals, with the fitting face (2a, 2b) of said gland packing holding member (2) being formed at a same angle to the axial direction of its holding member (2). A gland packing box according to claim 5, characterized in that the gland packing holding member (2) is composed of packing gland (2B), lantern ring (8) and neck bush (2A). A gland packing box according to claim 6, characterized in that the entire fitting face (2a, 2b) of the gland packing holding member (2) is formed at an angle of 90° to the axial direction of the holding member. A gland packing box according to claim 5 characterized in that said gland packing holding member (2) comprises at least one annular plate-shaped member (12) being disposed at the gland packing (3A', 3B') and that said plurality of projections (12ax) are formed at the part of said annular plate-shaped member (12) which is in contact with the shaft (4). A gland packing box according to claim 8, characterized in that the plate-shaped member (12) is a metal plate and the dislocating part (12ax) is formed by pressing. A gland packing box according to claim 8, characterized in that the dislocating part (12ax) is disposed in a plurality at equal intervals on the inner rim of the plate-shaped member (12). A gland packing box according to claim 8, characterized in that the gland packing holding member (2') is composed of packing gland (2B') and neck bush (2A'), and that the plate-shaped members (12) forming the dislocating part (12ax) are disposed between the packing gland (2B') and the gland packing (3B') as well as between neck bush (2A') and gland packing (3A'), respectively. A gland packing box according to claim 8, characterized in that the gland packing holding member (2') comprises two gland packings (3A, 3B, 3C, 3D), a lantern ring (8'), the neck bush (2A') and the packing gland (2B') as well as plate-shaped members (12), said plate-shaped members (12) disposed between the packing gland (2B') and the gland packing (3C', 3D') as well as between the gland packing (3C' 3D') and the lantern ring (8') on the one hand and on the other hand between the gland packing (3A', 3B') and the lantern ring (8'), respectively. A gland packing box according to claim 11, characterized in that the neck bush (2A') is thrusted to the gland packing side by a spring member (11).

Inventors: IKEDA, TAKASHI, SASAKURA, HIROYUKI, UEDA, TAKAHISA
Applicants: NIPPON PILLAR PACKING CO. LTD.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: F16J15
IPC codes: F16J15