Improvements in Metallic Packing for Piston-rods.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metallic Packing for Piston-rods.
We, WILLIAM HENRY BODFISH of Everett in the County of Middlesex,
JONATHAN RAMSEY, of 7 Cambridge Street, Boston, County of Suffolk and
ROSWELL CARLETON, of 5 Cambridge Street, Boston, County of Suffolk, all in
the State of Massachusetts, U.S.A., Gentlemen, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to metallic packing for piston rods, and has for its object
to provide a simple and durable packing, which can be applied to and removed
from the rod, without disconnecting the latter from the piston-head or removing it
from the stuffing-box. To this end, the invention consists in the improvements
which we will now proceed to describe and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification:
Figure 1 represents a sectional view of a portion of a cylinder, the stuffing-box
thereon and the packing, embodying our invention, the piston-rod being shown in
elevation.
Figure 2 represents a side elevation of a portion of the piston-rod, and our
improved packing thereon, removed from the stuffing-box.
Figure 3 represents a section on line 3 3, Fig. 2.
Figure 4 represents a perspective view of one-half of the ribbed ring forming
part of the packing shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Figure 5 represents a side view of said ring.
Figure 6 represents a perspective view of one of the bevelled or tapered parts
of the packing.
Figure 7 represents an edge view and Figure 8 a side view of the ribbed ring,
made in two separable parts to permit the ring to be applied to the rod by an edge-
wise movement.
Figures 9 and 10 represent perspective views of other parts of the packing :
and Figures 11 and 12 represent perspective views showing modifications.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings:
a represents a steam engine cylinder; b the piston that works therein; and
the piston-rod. a¹ represents a stuffing-box of the usual construction, through
which the piston-rod passes, said stuffing-box being formed to contain our improved
packing.
ونا
Our improved packing comprises two general parts, namely: first, a sleeve c,
composed of Babbitt metal or other suitable compressible material, which is
adapted to surround the piston-rod and is formed internally to closely fit said rod,
and is externally tapered so that its periphery constitutes a coned frustum; and,
secondly, a collar d, surrounding and adapted to compress the sleeve said collar
being internally tapered to fit the external taper of the sleeve, so that when moved
end wise upon the sleeve, the latter being prevented from moving, the collar will.
exert a compressive action upon the sleeve and press the latter closely against the
periphery of the rod. The sleeve c is made in two or more parts or sections,
which are separable from each other, the edges of one section c¹ having tongues,
which enter grooves in the corresponding edges of the other section, said tongues
and grooves co-operating to form steam-tight joints between the two sections of the
sleeve: see Figure 3.
The collar d is composed of the parts or sections 4, 5 and 6, shown in Figures 9
and 10. The sections 5 and 6 are formed to collectively constitute a ring or band
surrounding the sleeve c, their inner surfaces being tapered to fit the tapered

page_text: exterior of said sleeve. The section 5 is cut away or reduced in thickness from its
ends part way to its centre, the reduced portion terminating in two shoulders 7 7.
The section 5 is also provided with flanges 88, extending along said reduced
portions at one end of the section, the flanges being continuations of the
shoulders 77. The section 6 is reduced along its entire external surface like
the ends of the section 5, and has a flange 9, constituting a continuation of
the flanges 88, the end of the flange 9 meeting the ends of the flanges 88 when the
sections 5 and 6 are in position upon the sleeve c. In the reduced portions of the
section 5 are formed slots 10 10. The section 4 is formed to fit the reduced
portions of the sections 5 and 6, and to bridge over the joints between said sections,
its form being such that, when applied to the sections 5 6, its outer surface will be
flush with the shoulders 7 7 and with the flanges 89. The section 4 is provided
with tongues 12 12, formed to enter the slots 10 10 in the section 5, and when need
be screws may be tapped through the section 4 into the sections 5 and 6 at suitable
points. The described construction of the collar d enables it to be placed upon
the piston rod by the assemblage of its parts thereon, the sections 56 being first
placed upon the rod by lateral movements in opposite directions, after which the
section is moved upon the rod, the ends of section 4 being separated by a
space of sufficient width to receive the rod between them, after which the
section 4 is moved lengthwise of the rod until its tongues 12 enter the slots 10.
The engagement of the tongues 12 with the slots of the section 5 locks the parts
or sections of the collar d firmly together, and makes it a practically continuous
collar which is not liable to be separated by accident.
e represents a ring or washer, which is interposed between the larger end of the
collard and the inner end of the packing-receiving cavity of the stuffing-box. The
Baid ring has upon one side an annular V-shaped rib e', which enters a corresponding
groove e (Figure 6) in the sections of the sleeve c. The object of said rib and
groove is to increase the tightness of the joint at the larger end of the sleeve c;
and, by forming the rib upon a removable washer, as shown, we are enabled to
renew it from time to time, which could not be conveniently done if the rib were
formed directly upon the piston-head.
It will be seen that the packing, consisting of the compressible tapered sleeve c
and the practically rigid compressing collar d movable lengthwise upon the sleeve,
operates to form a tight joint around the piston-rod, without bearing upon or
coming in contact with the surrounding wall of the packing-receiving cavity in
the stuffing-box, the outer surface of the collar d being separated from the wall of
the stuffing-box by an annular space, as indicated in Figure 1. Hence the packing
can be adjusted or contracted at any time, to compensate for the wear, simply by
the end wise movement of the collar d upon the sleeve c, this movement being
effected by the adjustment of the gland as of the stuffing-box.
The collar d is made of such length that there is room between its inner end and
the inner end of the packing-receiving cavity to permit a considerable inward
movement of the collar before the latter comes in contact with the inner end of
the cavity; hence the collar can be adjusted from time to time to compensate for
wear of the inner surface of the sleeve until the sleeve has worn so thin as to be
useless.
In Figures 7 and 8 we show the ring e as made in two separable parts or sec-
tions 14 15, the section 15 being of such length that the opening formed by its
removal is wider than the piston rod, so that the ring e may be applied to the rod
by the assemblage of its parts upon the rod. The ends of the section. 15 have
tongues 16 16, which enter corresponding grooves in the ends of the section 14, and
facilitate the formation of a steam-tight joint.
In Figures 11 and 12, we show a modification, in which we substitute for the
sleeve c made in two parts or sections, as above described, and for the ring e
arranged at one end of said sleeve, a series of narrower sections g, preferably six
in number although the number may be increased or diminished, said sections
collectively forming a continuous ring adapted to surround the piston-rod, their

page_text: outer surfaces being tapered and their inner surface formed to closely fit the rod,
so that they constitute an equivalent of the sleeve c. Upon the larger ends of the
sections we form outwardly-projecting flanges g', which bear upon the inner end
of the packing-receiving cavity in the stuffing-box. The collar d, used with the
sections g, may be of the construction above described.
The sections of the collar d are preferably made of a harder and more rigid
metal than the sleeve, brass being the preferred metal. It is important that the
collar d be so rigid as to be capable of yielding to, or being expanded by the
outward pressure exerted on its interior by the compressive force applied by the collar
to the sleeve. The above-described sectional construction of the collar not only
gives the desired rigidity, but also permits the application and removal of the
collar without disturbing or displacing the piston-rod.
In using the words "compressible metal" in the following claims, we mean to
designate any metal or alloy having the usual characteristics of Babbitt metal and
other materials which are employed for bearings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
1. The combination in a metallic packing, of an externally tapered compressible
metal sleeve formed internally to fit a piston rod, a collar of rigid construction
having an internally tapered surface fitting the exterior of the sleeve, and a ring
or gasket having an annular rib formed to bear against the larger end of the sleeve,
said parts being formed for insertion in the cavity of a stuffing box, as set
forth.
2. A. metallic packing composed of an externally tapered compressible metal
sleeve made in separable longitudinal sections having tongued and grooved joints,
the larger ends of said sections being provided with grooves; a ring adapted to
bear against the inner end of the cavity of the stuffing box and provided with an
annular rib adapted to enter the grooves in the sleeve sections; and a collar of
rigid construction internally tapered to fit the exterior of the sleeve and arranged
to bear against the gland of the stuffing box, as set forth.
3. The collar composed of two separable sections, collectively forming an
internally tapered ring adapted to surround an externally tapered sleeve, and a
binding or locking section formed to unite said sections and cover the joints
thereof, said locking section being fitted in recesses formed for it in the other
sections, the whole forming a rigid or unyielding divisible collar presenting a
cylindrical exterior; combined with an externally tapered sleeve formed to fit the-
tapered interior of the collar, said sleeve being composed of separable sections, as
set forth.
4. The sleeve-compressing collar composed of the semi-circular "section 5
externally reduced at its ends to form shoulders 7 7 and flanges 8 8, the reduced
portions having slots 10 10; the semi-circular section 6 externally reduced from
end to end and having a flange 9 constituting a continuation of the flanges 8 8; and
the segmental section 4 formed to fit the reduced portions of the sections 5 6 and
provided with tongues 12 12 formed to engage the slots 10 10, the ends of said
segmental section being separated by a space wider than the diameter of the piston
rod, as set forth.
Dated this Eighth day of August 1899
JONATHAN RAMSEY,
WILLIAM HENRY BODFIsh,
ROSWELL CARLETON.