Self Adjusting Metal Packing Ring for Engine Cylinders and like purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 6th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1996
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Self Adjusting Metal Packing Ring for Engine Cylinders and
like purposes.
1, JAMES ALLEN MAGILL of the Locomotive Department, East Indian
Railway, Gya Station, Bengal East India, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
Inside the stuffing box of the cylinder which is secured by the usual gland, I
place a fixed packing box which I construct in two pieces with steam checked
joints.
Inside this packing box I place my self adjusting metal packing ring, which is
constructed of separate pieces of special form, each being a segment of a circle and
the whole forming a circle when placed together.
The entire ring has a concave periphery in which is fitted a contracting or
compressing spring which holds the segments together and causes them to contract
around and clip the piston rod.
These segments are curved at their ends or lines of juncture and are fitted with
fillets allowing of necessary margin for adjustment and so contrived as to form a
steam tight joint while admitting of contraction and expansion of the entire ring
around the piston rod, there being sufficient space reserved in the packing box
outside the periphery of the packing ring to permit this movement and allow of
lateral oscillation when the piston rod from wear or other causes varies in its
diameter.
My packing ring being secured in the recess of the packing box, and the packing
box being rigid in the stuffing box, is perfectly safe from accident.
To facilitate the removal of the packing box and ring as a whole, and dispense
with the disconnection of the piston rod and crosshead, the packing box has screwed
tapped holes in which a hand screw can be inserted.
My improved packing ring will run 150,000 miles in a locomotive with a five and a
balf feet driving wheel without requiring attention.
Dated this 11th day of May 1896.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Self Adjusting Metal Packing Ring for Engine Cylinders and
like purposes.
I, JAMES ALLEN MAGILL of the Locomotive Department East Indian
Railway, Gya Station, Bengal, East India, Engineer 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 refers to improvements in metal steam-tight packing for
engineering purposes.
Inside the stuffing box of the cylinder which is secured by the usual gland I place
a fixed packing box which I construct in two pieces with steam checked joints.
Inside this packing box I place my self adjusting metal packing ring which is

page_text: constructed of separate pieces of special form, each being a segment of a circle and
the whole forming a circle when placed together.
The entire ring has a concave periphery in which is fitted a contracting or
compressing spring which holds the segments together and causes them to contract
around and clip the piston rod. These segments are curved at their ends or lines
of juncture and are fitted with fillets allowing of necessary margin for adjustment
and so contrived as to form a steam tight joint while admitting of the contraction
and expansion of the entire ring around the piston rod there being sufficient space
reserved in the packing box outside the periphery of the packing ring to permit
this movement and allow of lateral oscillation when the piston rod from wear or
other causes varies in its diameter.
My packing ring being secured in the recess of the packing box, and the packing
box being rigid in the stuffing box, is perfectly safe from accident.
To facilitate the removal of the packing box and ring as a whole, and dispense
with the disconnection of the piston rod and crosshead, the packing box has screw
tapped holes in which a hand screw can be inserted.
I will now describe the invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which;-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a stuffing box fitted with my improved packing
ring.
Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1 half being in section.
Figs. 3 and 4 show elevations of the packing box constructed in two pieces.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the special packing ring employed.
Fig. 6 is a partial sectional side elevation of Fig. 5.
The packing ring a, is composed of several segments a', each provided with a
fillet or projecting end a", which fits into a corresponding recess in the other end
of an adjacent segment (see Fig. 5).
Thus the ring is capable of being extended or contracted so as to conform to
the size of the piston rod. It is compressed around the rod by one or more
springs b.
The packing ring is enclosed in a groove c¹ in a packing box c, made in two
halves (see Figs. 3 and 4). The halves are preferably made to fit together in the
manner shown.
One extremity of each half has a fillet or has a projection which fits into a
corresponding recess in the opposite extremity of the other half. The outside
surfaces, of this packing box are preferably shouldered as shown and the bush e,
and gland g, are formed to correspond so that when placed in position in the
stuffing box f, the joints between the packing box and the bush and gland will be
steam tight.
To facilitate the extraction of the packing box when required, it is furnished
with holes h. These holes may be tapped with a thread so that a screwed key may
be inserted and the box can be thus easily drawn or pulled out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1.) A self adjusting metal packing for piston rods, and like purposes consisting
of the ring a, with its parts a¹, the spring b, box c, as herein described and set
forth.
(2.) In a metal packing for steam and like uses the ring a, with its segmental
shaped parts a¹, fillets a", and with or without a spring of suitable kind for
compressing same as herein described and set forth.
Dated this 6th day of August 1896.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97 Newgate Street, E.C., Patent Agent.