Improvements in and Connected with Metallic Packing for Piston Rods and other Working Parts of Engines and Machines.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1886. .
Complete Left, 29th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Aug., 1887.
Improvements in and Connected with Metallic Packing for Piston
Rods and other Working Parts of Engines and Machines.
I, JAMES MURRAY, of 8 Brown Street, Glasgow Lanarkshire, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to improvements connected with annular metallic packing
rings, which are turned cylindrically to fit the piston rod on their inside, and cylindri-
cally on their outside to fit the internal surface of the stuffing box, or nearly so, and
which rings are made flat on their one side, and tapered or made conoidal on the
opposite side, and parallelly in their horizontal depth, and at such an angle and ground
or turned on their angled sides, that the one angular ring may fit into the other, fluid
tight, and when pressed down by the gland the one ring will be forced towards the
parallel piston rod, and the other ring towards the parallel inner circumference of the
stuffing box so as to make the joints with these perfectly fluid-tight. The sharp angle
edges of these rings are generally turned off parallelly to the working cylindrical
surfaces, and at right angles to these, that is, horizontally when the piston rod and
stuffing box are vertical, and vice versa, when the piston rod and stuffing box are
horizontal, to strengthen these edges and enable the cylindrical conoidal and flat
bearing surfaces to work more closely together. These rings have heretofore been
cut in halves or segments radially, with a small space between them to allow for wear
in being pressed in towards the piston rod; and the flat sides of the rings are laid on
each other also to build up as many rings as is desired within the stuffing box with
their angled and flat sides alternately uppermost. And the radial cut joints of the
segments are reversed in each alternate set of rings, so as to break bond with these
joints, and prevent escape of fluid, an india-rubber or other soft packing ring being
inserted on the top below or between the gland and the rings to prevent all possible
escape of steam or fluid, through the cut rings, and give elasticity to the rings in
pressing them in with the gland and bolts.
My improvements consist as follows:-In cutting the alternate sets of rings, which
have to be pressed inwards against the piston rod, into two, three or four segmental
parts, (or even more for large stuffing boxes,) and in cutting their ends, not radially

page_text: as heretofore, but at right angles to the tangent of each segment, (and it may be rather
shorter at the inner corners not to touch each other) and so that these segments which
work on the piston rod or other reciprocating part have their ends parallel to each other,
so that they can be pressed in to any extent of their wear, and give perfect tightness
at their wearing surfaces and at their ends also when desired.
This improved mode and arrangement of cut rings has the great advantage of not
requiring to withdraw them for stripping their ends, as they are always from their
construction in perfect working order. The intermediate rings which press outwards,
may either be cut at one part as a spring ring, or they may be cut in two, three or
more parts, to act in pressing in the other cut segments, in either case to act on the
piston rod, or be pressed out themselves as before stated against the inner cylindrical
surface of the stuffing box to maintain fluid-tightness with that surface.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1886.

page_text: Improvements in and Connected with Metallic Packing for Piston
Rods and other Working Parts of Engines and Machines.
I, JAMES MURRAY, of 8 Brown Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in
writing, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My invention has reference to improvements connected with annular metallic
packing rings, which are turned cylindrically to fit the piston rod or other working
spindles passing through them on their inside, and cylindrically on their outside to
fit the internal surface of the stuffing box, or nearly so, and which rings are made
flat on their one side, and tapered or made conoidal on the opposite side, and parallelly
in their horizontal depth, and at such an angle and ground or turned on their angled
sides, that the one angular ring may fit into the other, fluid tight, and when pressed
down by the gland the one ring will be forced towards the parallel inner circumference
of the stuffing box so as to make the joints with these perfectly fluid-tight. The
sharp angle edges of these rings are generally turned off parallelly to the working
cylindrical surfaces, and at right angles to these, that is, horizontally when the piston
rod and stuffing box are vertical, and vice versa when the piston rod and stuffing box
are horizontal, to strengthen these edges, and enable the cylindrical conoidal and flat
bearing surfaces to work more closely together. These rings have heretofore been cut
in halves or segments radially, with a small space between them to allow for wear in
being pressed in towards the piston rod; and the flat sides of the rings are laid on
each other also to build up as many rings as is desired within the stuffing box with
their angled and flat sides alternately uppermost. And the radial cut joints of the
segments are reversed in each alternate set of rings, so as to break bond with these
joints, and prevent escape of fluid, an india-rubber or other soft packing ring being
inserted on the top below or between the gland and the rings to prevent all possible
escape of steam or fluid, through, the cut rings, and give elasticity to the rings in
pressing them in with the gland and bolts.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in the several figures where shown.
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of a stuffing box B and gland B¹ with a
piston rod passing through it, and as fitted with my improved annular metallic
packing rings A, A' which fit or bear on the piston rod C on their inside a, and on
the bored internal surface of the stuffing box B on their outside a¹. Figure 2 is a
transverse section taken on the line 1 -
1 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an end view
and a sectional edge view of the intermediate rings A' which in this case are shown
as cut in two parts and are fitted between the sets of packing rings A to act in
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page_text: pressing in these segmental rings A on the piston rod C and be pressed out them-
selves against the inner cylindrical surface of the stuffing box B to maintain fluid-
tightness with that surface. Figures 4 and 4 A show side and edge views and sections
of my improved metallic packing rings A which are cut in sections and made angled
or conical on the outer surface to act on the corresponding inner surface of the
rings A¹, so as to be pressed fluid pressure tight against the piston or working rod C.
While Figure 5 shows an end view of the asbestos, india-rubber, or other outer
packing ring A2 which is placed between the outermost ring A and the gland B¹
to prevent any possible escape of steam or fluid through the segmental rings A, A¹,
and to retain the latter in proper position.
Referring to these Drawings:-My improvements consist as follows:-In cutting
the alternate sets of rings A which have to be pressed inwards against the piston rod,
into two, three or four segmental parts, four being that shown in the Drawings, but
they may be cut into even more segmental parts for large stuffing boxes, and in cutting
their ends a² not radially as heretofore, but at right angles to the tangent of each
segment, (and it may be rather shorter at the inner corners not to touch each other)
and so that these segments A which work on the piston rod C or other reciprocating
part, have their ends a² parallel to each other, so that they can be pressed in to any
extent of their wear, and give perfect tightness at their wearing surfaces and at their
ends also when desired.
This improved mode and arrangement of cut rings A has the great advantage of
not requiring to withdraw them for stripping their ends, as they are always from their
construction in perfect working order, capable of being tightened up. The inter-
mediate rings A (which are pressed outwards and press the segmental rings A inward)
may either be cut at one part as a spring ring, or in two parts as shown in Figure 3,
but they may be cut in three four or more parts, to act in pressing in the other cut
segments A, and be pressed out themselves as before stated against the inner cylin-
drical surface of the stuffing box B to maintain fluid-tightness with that surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The construction or arrangement and combination of the parts of metallic
packing, or packing rings and stuffing boxes, for piston rods and other working parts
of engines and machines, all substantially as and for the purposes and advantages
herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The mode of constructing and arranging metallic packing rings A consisting
in forming them in segmental parts with their ends a² cut at right angles to the
tangent of each segment, so that these ends a² are parallel to each other, all substan-
tially as and for the purposes and advantages herein described, in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
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