AN IMPROVED PACKING FOR STUFFING BOXES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, EDWARD STAMFORD HOUGH of N° 3 Brighton Terrace Brockley in the County
of Kent, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED PACKING FOR STUFFING BOXES" to be as follows :-
7. J 62.
As the packing used for stuffing boxes becomes shrunken or worn, it is necessary
to tighten up frequently the glands which serve to compress the packing, and this
it is often very difficult to do properly, especially during the movement of the
engines or machines to which the packings belong.. My Invention relates to means
of avoiding the necessity for frequent adjustment of the packing, and this I effect
in the following manner. I divide the packing, which may be of any somewhat
yielding material usually employed for the purpose, into two separate layers, one
to occupy the bottom of the stuffing box, and the other to occupy the top next
to the boss of the gland., Between those two layers of packing I insert a pair of
metallic washers one next each layer, and, between the washers, springs compressed
so as to exert a force pushing the washers apart and so causing them to keep the
two layers of packing in a state of compression. A single spring may be used, this
being made in helical or zig-zag form surrounding the rod or plunger which works
through the stuffing box; or, when the rod or plunger is of considerable size, a
number of springs may be arranged within the annular space of the stuffing box.
The washers may have their faces that bear on the layers of packing sloped, so as
to tend to press the ring of packing inwards, and in cases where entire washers
cannot conveniently be passed on to the rod or plunger, they may be made in
halves, and in that case each is preferably made in two thicknesses breaking
joint: One of the two layers of packing and its washer may in some cases be
dispensed with.
5
1
201
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
I, EDWARD STAMFORD HOUGH of N° 3 Brighton Terrace Brockley in the County
of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for AN
IMPROVED PACKING FOR STUFFING BOXES" and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
As the soft packing used for stuffing boxes becomes shrunken or worn, it is
necessary to tighten up frequently the glands which serve to compress the packing,
and this it is often very difficult to do properly, especially during the movement
of the engines or machines to which the packings belong. My Invention relates
to means of avoiding the necessity for frequent adjustment of the packing, and this
I effect in the following manner. I divide the packing which may be of any soft
and yielding material usually employed for the purpose, into two separate layers,
one to occupy the bottom of the stuffing box, and the other to occupy the top
next to the boss of the gland. Between those two layers of packing I insert a
pair of metallic washers, one next each layer, and, between the washers, springs
compressed so as to exert. a force pushing the washers apart and so causing them
to keep the two layers of packing in a state of compression. A single spring may
be used, this being made in helical or zig-zag form surrounding the rod or plunger
which works through the stuffing box; or, when the rod or plunger is of considerable
size, a number of springs may be arranged within the annular space of the stuffing
box. The washers may have their faces that bear on the layers of packing sloped so
as to tend to press the ring of packing inwards, and in cases where entire washers
cannot conveniently be passed on to the rod or plunger, they may be made in
halves and in that case each is preferably made in two thicknesses breaking joint.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents the section of a stuffing box
with packing according to my Invention with its two layers of packing P¹ and P'
and washers W¹ W between which is a helical spring S surrounding the piston
rod R. The gland G is tightened down in the usual way by bolts and nuts,
compressing the packings and the spring, and the elasticity of the spring maintains
the pressure on the packings when they become shrunken or worn. O is an oil
pipe to introduce lubricant into the stuffing box. In Fig. 2 which represents the
section of a stuffing box, with packing according to my Invention, for a rod R
which may be a plunger of considerable diameter, separate springs S are arranged
around the rod R and the washers W1 W' are shewn made in two thicknesses so
that each thickness can be put on the rod in halves, the two thicknesses being then
in each case turned so far round as to break joint of their halves, and so retained
by the steady pins or dowls.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed I claim :-
In a stuffing box, subjecting the soft and yielding packing material to spring
pressure acting on a washer which bears on the packing, substantially as and for
purpose herein set forth.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.