IMPROVED MEANS OF RENDERING STEAM-TIGHT THE OPENING FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE PISTON ROD THROUGH THE CYLINDER COVER IN STEAM ENGINES, WHICH MEANS ARE APPLI- CABLE ALSO TO OTHER PARTS OF STEAM ENGINES, AND PARTS OF OTHER ENGINES, MACHINES, AND APPARATUS, FOR THE RENDERING THEREOF STEAM-TIGHT AND FLUID-TIGHT
Year: 1861

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City
of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OF
RENDERING STEAM-TIGHT THE OPENING FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE PISTON ROD
THROUGH THE CYLINDER COVER IN STEAM ENGINES, WHICH MEANS ARE APPLI-
CABLE ALSO TO OTHER PARTS OF STEAM ENGINES, AND PARTS OF OTHER ENGINES,
MACHINES, AND APPARATUS, FOR THE RENDERING THEREOF STEAM-TIGHT AND
FLUID-TIGHT." A communication from abroad by Francisque Million,
of 33, Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 16th May 1862, and dated the 22nd November 1861.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 22nd November 1861, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
PLETT
MAT 4
WHEREAS I have petitioned Her Majesty Queen Victoria for Letters
Patent for an Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OF RENDERING STEAM-TIGHT THE
OPENING FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE PISTON ROD THROUGH THE CYLINDER COVER IN
STEAM ENGINES, WHICH MEANS ARE APPLICABLE ALSO TO OTHER PARTS OF STEAM.
ENGINES, AND PARTS OF OTHER ENGINES, MACHINES, AND APPARATUS, FOR THE
RENDERING THEREOF STEAM-TIGHT AND FLUID-TIGHT," Communicated to me from
abroad by Francisque Million, of 33, Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris, France.
W
2'92

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Michael Henry, do hereby declare
that the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same may
be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, as communicated to me, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say-
This Invention relates to a mode of rendering parts steam-tight or fluid-
tight round piston rods, valve rods, plungers, tubes working telescopically, and
other instruments, apparatus, and parts of pumps, engines, and machinery,
instead of using the ordinary hempen packing and stuffing boxes (or equi-
valents thereof) hitherto commonly employed for such objects. For this
purpose, according to this Invention, a moveable metallic box, socket, tube,
or tubular piece, herein-after, to avoid repetition, mostly called packing or
surrounding appliance, is fitted or placed at the part to be rendered steam or
fluid-tight, so as to surround the piston rod or other article to which it is
applied, and is so arranged as to effect or answer the purpose of a packing,
that is to say, to keep the parts steam-tight or fluid-tight, or to obtain steam-
tightness or fluid-tightness between the surfaces. The said packing or
surrounding appliance may be made in one or more parts or pieces, and the
passage formed through or in it for the reception of the piston rod or other
article that it surrounds, may be bored, so as to present smooth sides or
surface; or such sides or surface may be formed with grooves round the
same. When I say that the packing or surrounding appliance is moveable,
it must be understood that I mean free to move in the sense or manner herein-
after explained.
Now, in order that the Invention may be more clearly and easily explained,
I proceed to describe it, by way of example, as applied, instead of the usual
stuffing box and hemp packing, to the purpose of keeping a piston rod steam-
tight where it works through a cylinder cover in a reciprocating steam engine,
as, when the arrangement is understood as applied for this object, its appli
cation in other instances_is_readily_comprehensible..
What I mean by the expression "moveable," as applied to the packing or
surrounding appliance, is this, that the said appliance is free to move with or
to follow or partake of the motion of the piston rod in respect of its (the
rod's) lateral vibrations or oscillations, or its wabbling, swaying, or play, as
distinguished from its regular and required or longitudinal motion; in other
words, the packing or surrounding appliance is free to move with the rod in
directions transverse to the longitudinal motion of the rod (its longitudinal
motion being that which it partakes of in common with. its piston). Now,

page_text: the circumstance of the packing or surrounding appliance, being moveable in
the manner described, is the main feature or characteristic point of the
Invention; for if it were a fixture, as, for example, if cast in a piece with the
cylinder cover, it would not answer the required purpose, because if the piston
rod happened while working to be swayed, forced, or driven against the
appliance it would "bind" or grip the rod, and the touching surfaces would in
consequence be rapidly worn away, and the required tightness of the parts
soon destroyed, whereas in this Invention the appliance not being a fixture,
but being quite free to follow or accommodate itself to the lateral oscillations,
play, or wabbling of the rod, there is no "binding," gripping, or destructive
rubbing of the surfaces, the rod works smoothly through the appliance, and
the surfaces do not wear away rapidly, but keep duly steam-tight.
Wherever in this description I use the expression "inside surface" of the
packing or surrounding appliance, I mean the sides of the passage bored or
formed through the same for the rod to pass through, or, what is the same
thing, the surface of such passage immediately surrounding the rod; and when
I employ the expression "elastic or yielding material," I mean tow, cork,
hemp, vulcanized caoutchouc, gutta percha, leather; lead, cloth, or like elastic
or yielding substance; and by the term "packing," I mean the operation or
purpose of or the means used in obtaining steam-tightness or fluid-tightness at
the required part or parts, or, in other words, rendering the parts steam or
fluid-tight.
And in order that the nature of the Invention, and the mode of performing
it, may be fully understood, I proceed to describe with reference to the
Drawings various methods or modifications for carrying the same into effect.
Figure 1 is a vertical section showing the Invention according to one'
arrangement applied to the piston rod of a steam engine. A is the packing or
surrounding appliance,. consisting of a cylindrical metal block with a passage
(for the piston rod) bored through it, or it may be described as a metal tube;
it has a flange a at bottom. B is the cylinder cover, which is formed at
top, as shown, to present a sort of box or recess to receive the appliance,
similar to a stuffing box; T is the piston rod. The flange a is fitted between
the parts b and C, 6 being the surface of the cylinder cover (or bottom of the
box cast thereon), and C a gland or lid firmly secured to the cover B by
bolts D. The surfaces a, b, and C may come in direct contact if ground or
made perfectly smooth or true, though I do not recommend it, but prefer to
interpose between the said surfaces washers or packings e, f, composed of
vulcanized caoutchouc or other elastic or yielding material, as the parts are
thereby rendered more steam-tight. The appliance A is sufficiently free to

page_text: move laterally, and thus partake of the lateral oscillation or wabbling of the
piston rod; the passage through the appliance is bored truly to fit closely
round the rod and keep it steam-tight, while leaving it free enough to work
smoothly through.
A second arrangement is shown in section, Figure 5, and plan, Figure 6.
E is the packing or surrounding appliance, consisting of a tubular piece or
cylinder with a passage bored through it, it has flanges at top and bottom,
or it
may only have one flange, or be without any, if of sufficient thickness of
metal. A is the cylinder cover; C, a sort of box or recess cast thereon, similar
to a stuffing box, the bottom of which is of course the top of the cylinder cover
or part marked A; D, gland or cover to the box C. The appliance C is fitted
between the parts A and D, and its top and bottom surfaces may be in imme-
diate contact therewith, in which case the touching surfaces should be ground
true; but I prefer to interpose between the surfaces of E and A, and of E
and D, washers or packings of elastic or yielding material, as was done in
respect of the modifications shewn in Figure 1. The appliance E is sufficiently
freely fitted to be capable of lateral or transverse vibration or motion, so that
the rod is allowed the necessary lateral play or swaying.. The inside surface
of E is preferably grooved. I may here mention that when my packing or
surrounding appliances have smooth inside surfaces they are durable enough,
but if the inside surface is grooved they last longer. The grooves therein
should be circular, that is, carried round the inside surface, and they should
be angular at the back or end of the groove, as if of [shape, (or rectangular)
in transverse section. The grooves should be deep, and as many in number
as possible, the smooth portions of the inside surface of the appliance being
bored truly.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 4, plan of a third modification,
in which the packing or surrounding appliance is grooved on the inside surface
and formed in two parts, segmental springs h being inserted in the grooves.
In this particular instance it is wise to bore the passage through the packing
appliance of sufficient diameter to allow the piston rod B a little lateral play.
Figure 7, sectional elevation,-and-Figure-8, plan, of a fourth modification,
in which, instead of the packing appliance being in a single piece,-it-is-com-
posed of a number of metal washers or rings g, g, which are fitted or packed
one above the other in the stuffing box or packing recess, and may be described
as consisting of a number of plates or cylindrical blocks, each having an orifice
bored through it for the piston rod to pass, so that when piled one above the
other with the orifices in a line they form a cylindrical packing around the
rod. The touching surfaces of the pieces g should be ground smooth and true,

page_text: so that they may lie exactly, closely, and truly one on the other. The bottom
piece of the series rests on the cylinder cover (or bottom of the stuffing box)
and the top piece bears against the gland or lid, all the touching surfaces
being ground smooth or true. In this arrangement the piston rod is not only
allowed its usual lateral oscillations or play, but as each piece g also yields or
accommodates itself a little, the packing will follow the rod, if by reason of
the wearing of the surfaces or otherwise the position or direction of the rod
should be somewhat modified. Washers or packings of elastic or yielding
material should be interposed between each metallic piece g, and also between
the topmost piece g and the gland, and between the lowermost piece g and the
cylinder cover, thereby rendering the parts tighter. The inside surface of each
piece g may be grooved.
The appliance shewn at A, Figure 1, may also be modified thus:-Instead
of flanging it at one or both ends a portion of its thickness may be cut away
'on the outer side towards or near both ends, so as to form necks, ledges, or
shoulders at those parts, the stuffing box (and gland) in which it fits being
shaped correspondingly to receive it, but yet allow it the required lateral
motion; and packings of elastic or yielding material are inserted between it
and the stuffing box and gland, being placed round it close above the upper
and close under the lower shoulder or ledge. Or again, the appliance may
have a flange, shoulder, or collar (or more than one) cast or formed on its
outer surface at any desired height thereof, the flange being fitted in the
stuffing box and gland, which are properly shaped to receive.it, and made
steam-tight by packings of elastic or yielding material between the surface of
the flange and those of the stuffing box and gland; or the appliance may have
flanges secured directly to the stuffing box by bolts passing through oval holes
of larger diameter than that of the bolts, to allow it the required lateral
play or wabbling. I recommend in all cases the employment of washers or
packings of elastic or yielding material between the "packing or surrounding
appliance" and the stuffing box, gland, socket, recesses, or surfaces in, by, or
between which it is fitted, received, or surrounded, as by these means the parts
are rendered more steam or fluid-tight, and the metal surfaces far less liable
to wear away than they would be if in immediate contact. When the packing
or surrounding appliances are used in steam engines, water sometimes comes in
5 at the ends, in which case provision may be made for it to escape by forming
an orifice or passage in the top groove; a cock may be fitted thereto or a small
tube, as shewn at Figure 2, through which the water may be carried away
when desirable. However, as the interposition of water between the packing
or surrounding appliance and the piston rod makes a "hydraulic joint," it

page_text: may sometimes be advisable to take advantage of it and make arrangements
expressly for obtaining a supply of water at that part by condensing the steam
thereat, which is done by refrigerating or cooling the packing or surrounding
appliance by any convenient means; an example of one such mode is shown
in Figure 9, in which a stream of cold water is admitted through the pipe z
by opening the cock y, and is carried off, when beated, through the pipe v; or
water may be forced against the rod and packing appliance. Among other
engines or apparatus to which the Invention is applicable air and gas engines
.may be mentioned.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, arranging and combining parts, in the manner herein-before described
and exemplified in the accompanying Drawings, for the purpose of obtaining
steam-tightness or fluid-tightness.
Second, the mode of rendering.parts steam or fluid-tight by fitting round the
piston rod or other article a metal box, tube, socket, or tubular piece formed of
one or more pieces and bored through to constitute a packing or surrounding
appliance, of sufficient length, grooved or not on the inside surface, and so
fitted or arranged as to be capable of a certain lateral or transverse. motion,
in such manner as to prevent the piston rod (or other article) that it surrounds
from " binding" or "gripping," washers or packings of elastic or yielding
material being inserted between the appliance and the box, gland, or surfaces
that surround and enclose it at the parts required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of November, in the year One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
S: E. A. NEWSOME.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)