AN IMPROVED PACKING FOR STUFFING BOXES
Year: 1885

page_text: I FRANKLIN HOCKING of 16 Spellow Lane, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
AN IMPROVED PACKING FOR STUFFING BOXES to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object an improved packing for stuffing boxes for
working parts of machinery where soft, or metal packings are employed to prevent
the escape of the fluids, or liquids which may be operating the mechanism, or
being operated upon by the mechanism or which may be under employment in
machinery.
For instance the packing may be employed for stuffing boxes of piston and valve
rods and spindles of steam, hydraulic and pneumatic engines, also expansion and
other working joints of pipes, or ducts containing and used for conveying liquids,
or fluids.
A packing constructed according to my Invention, consists of a casing of pliable
material containing pliable rods, or cords, or a number of pellets of suitable metal,
or pellets of wood. The metal may be that known as Babbit, or soft, or white
metal, or brass, or alloys of their natures.
The pellets may take various forms of regular, or irregular shape, and either of
which may have curved, or plain surfaces, and they may be made like beads for
threading. Suitable and readily made forms being those of a sphere, or cylinder,
or poli-surfaced figure. The pliable metal cords, or rods may be formed of folded,
corrugated, or indented sheet foils of any suitable metal, such as tin, or other
equivalent metal foils. The casing is preferably formed of canvas of hemp, cotton,
or like pliable material and is provided with a channel, or channels, which may be
formed by sewing layers of the material together in single, or multiple rows of
stitching, or by weaving the material in the form of a single channel, or multiple
channels. The channel, or channels, is, or are filled with the pellets, or pliable rods
in any convenient manner, and when filled, constitute the packing.
A packing thus made may be applied to a stuffing box, in several ways,
bamely:-It may be placed in the stuffing box, in single, or in multiple form, and
it may be applied in single, or compound layers of either the single, or multiple
form. Another manner of placing, or applying the packing into a stuffing box,
consists in twisting the packing, which may be either in single, or multiple form,
TD 011

page_text: so that a spiral form of packing is obtained, such spiral packing may be used in
single spirals, or compound spirals. When applying the multiple packing in the
spiral form, I prefer to have the rows, or channels partly detached from one
another for greater flexibility and to facilitate the twisting of the channels round
each other,
By my Invention, I provide a simple and efficient flexible packing, and wherein
a simple means is provided whereby the packing is made to adjust itself and is
brought to bear against the surface of the part to be made tight against leakage of
the fluid, or liquid, namely the gland, or other device (which may be employed to
hold the packing in place and through which it is adjusted) when being adjusted
causes the pellets, or flexible rods of the packing to adjust themselves and bear
against the surface that the packing is required press against.

page_text: I FRANKLIN HOCKING of 16 Spellow Lane, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for AN IMPROVED
PACKING FOR STUFFING BOXES and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My Invention has for its object an improved packing for stuffing boxes for
working parts of machinery where soft, or metal packings are employed to prevent
the escape of fluids, or liquids which may be operating the mechanism, or being
operated upon by the mechanism or which may be under employment in
machinery.
For instance the packing may be employed for stuffing boxes of piston and
valve rods and spindles of steam, hydraulic and pneumatic engines, also expansion
and other working joints of pipes, or ducts containing and used for conveying
liquids, or fluids.
A packing constructed according to my Invention, consists of a casing of pliable
material containing pliable cords, or a number of pellets of suitable metal, arranged
in combination with the pliable material as hereafter described. The metal may
be that known as Babbit, or soft, or white metal, or alloys of their natures. The
metal, or alloys in every case being of such a formation which shall always allow
the packing to be pliable and the packing to be compressible.
The pellets may take various forms of regular, or irregular shape and either of
which may have curved, or plain surfaces, and they may be made like beads for
threading. Suitable and readily made forms being those of a sphere, or cylinder,
or poli-surfaced figure. The pliable metal cords, may be formed, of any suitable
metal, such as tin alloys, white metal, or other equivalent metal. The casing is
preferably formed of canvas of hemp, cotton, or like pliable material and is
provided with channels which may be formed by sewing layers of the material
together in multiple rows by stitching, or by weaving the material in the form of
multiple channels. The channels are filled with the pellets, or pliable cords, in any
convenient manner and when filled constitute the pliable compressible packing.
The beforegoing being the object and nature of my Invention I will now proceed
to more particularly describe how the same may be carried out into practical effect,
reference being had to the annexed sheet of Drawings, which make a part of this
Specification and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, like letters
and figures of reference being used to denote the same, or corresponding parts
throughout the Drawings.

page_text: Figure 4 is a plan of a casing of pliable material containing metal pellets
according to my Invention.
Figure 5 is a section through X X Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a plan of a casing of pliable material, containing pliable metal cords,
and arranged to roll spirally, and according to my Invention.
Figure 7 is a section through X X Figure 6.
Figure 8 shows the packing illustrated at Figures 6 and 7 rolled up spirally.
Figure 9 is a section through X X Figure 8.
Figure 10 shows the packing illustrated in Figures 1. 2. 3. 4 and 5 rolled up.
Figure 11 is a section through X X Figure 10.
Figure 12 is a sectional elevation showing the packing made up in a rectangular
form.
Figure 13 is a side view of Figure 12.
Figure 14 is a modified form of Figure 12.
Figure 15 is a side view of Figure 14.
Figures 16 and 17 illustrate a metal cord such as I use in manufacturing my
packing.
Figures 18 and 19 show a modifications of the metal cord.
Figures 20 and 21 show another modification of the metal cord.
Figures 22 and 23 show another modification of the metal cord.
Figures 24 and 25 shown a plain strip of pliable metal twisted into the form
of a cord.
Figures 26 and 27 show cylindrical pellets which I use in the manufacture of
the packing.
Figures 28 and 29 show spherical pellets.
Figures 30, 31, 32 and 33 show the pellets threaded.
Figure 34 is a sectional elevation of a stuffing box packed with packing according
to my Invention.
A packing according to my Invention is constructed of a casing of pliable
material such as hemp, or cotton canvas, which is folded and stitched together
with rows of stitching so as to form multiple channels as shown in Figures 1 to 7
inclusive of the Drawings. a is the ply of canvas which is doubled by folding and
then stitched together by rows of stitching 6 forming channels c.
The canvas
instead of being folded as shown at Figure 2 can be formed of two plies stitched
together as at Figure 3, or it can be woven in a tube and then stitched together in
multiple channels, or the multiple channels can be woven in the piece. The
channels c are filled in with a pliable metal cord, which may take any of the
forms shown in Figures 16 to 23 inclusive of the Drawings, or the metal filling
may take the form of a single strip of pliable metal twisted as shown at
Figures 24 and 25. These cords, d are placed in the channels c after sewing, or
weaving, or they may be placed in the channels during the process of sewing, or
weaving. The metal may take the form of pellets of cylindrical, or spherical
shape, which may be loose as shown at Figures 26 to 29, or they may be made like
beads for threading. These pellets d are placed in the channels c in the manner
before described in reference to the metal cords. After being put together in the
form shown at Figures 1 and 2, or 4 and 5 the canvas casing a with the multiple
channels c and the cords, or pellets & are rolled up together in manner such as
shown at Figures 10 and 11, or the packing may be rolled up spirally as shown at
Figures 8 and 9. In this case a double row of stitching 6 is provided between
the channels c as shown at Figures 6 and 7. and the canvas is slit at intervals at e
so as to enable the packing when rolled up to be spirally twisted. The packing
may be made up in various forms, namely it may have a central core of one, or
more metal filled channels which may be surrounded with an outer layer, or layers
of multiple, metal filled, channels. The packing may also be made up in various
shaped sections, for example, it may be made in a circular section as shown
at Figure 11 or it may have a rectangular section as shown at Figure 12 or it can
be made up with a triangular, or other required section, the nature of the packing

page_text: being such as to readily accomodate itself to the required section, owing to the
pliable nature of its construction, due to the use of the pliable cords, or the metal
pellets. The stringing of the pellets together affords a ready means of drawing
them into the channel and prevents the pellets falling away as the packing wears.
The packing manufactured as before described may be applied to a stuffing box
in several ways, namely it may be placed in single, or compound layers, such as
shown at Figures 1 and 2' wrapped round the rod to be packed, or it may be rolled
up as shown at Figures 8 and 9 or 10 and 11, or 12 and 13, or 14 and 15, or in
any equivalent manner and placed in the stuffing box in single, or multiple form in
manner such as shown in Figure 34.
By my Invention I provide a simple and efficient pliable, or flexible packing and
wherein a simple means is provided whereby the packing is made to adjust itself
and is brought to bear against the surface of the part to be made tight against
leakage of the fluid, or liquid. The packing is thoroughly compressible and self
adjustable as it will be observed that the multiple layers are so arranged that the
extended portions of the one layer (when in position in a stuffing box, or made up
for a stuffing box) coincide with and lie in the hollows of the other layer. The
number of layers may be increased as occasion may demand and the section of the
packing may take any required form. The packing may also be used in a spiral,
or twisted form and when in position for packing the extended portions of the
spiral lie in the channels of the adjacent spiral.
The metals, or materials of which the packing herein set forth is manufactured
are particularly applicable and useful. in steam engines wherein high pressure
steam is employed, such for instance as pressures of from fifty to two hundred
pounds per square inch as the employment of metal in such cases is known to be
most useful and efficient in remedying several well understood defects which occur
when what are known as soft packings are employed, and further the ordinary
ring, or divided ring metal packing usually necessitate their being constructed of a
specified size for each special size of rod, whereas the packing according to my
Invention and herein described embodies the advantages of a metallic packing as
well as those of a soft packing, that is although metallic, the pliable nature of its
construction provides for its being adapted and fitted to rods and in stuffing boxes
of varying sizes and without reference to special and specified dimensions. The
packing is also thoroughly compressible and can be constructed, or readily cut to
any size and readily applied, and through its compressible nature when the gland
of the stuffing box is being tightened it adjusts itself to the configuration of the
stuffing box and the rod and becomes substantially self adjusting.
.
In conclusion I would mention that I am aware that metal wires and cords and
pellets have been proposed to be used, or have been used with fibrous and other
material for packing stuffing boxes, and I do not in this Specification lay any
claim to their broad use.
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. As a new, or improved article of manufacture a pliable packing consisting
of a pliable casing made up of channels which are provided with a material, or
materials of the type, or formations, such as those herein described substantially as
set forth.
.
Second. As a new or improved article of manufacture a pliable packing
consisting of the improved packing herein before claimed arranged in layers
substantially as set forth with reference to Figures 10. 11. 12 and 13 of the
annexed Drawings.
Third. As a new, or improved article of manufacture a pliable packing consisting
of the improved packing claimed with reference to claim one arranged in a spiral,
or twisted form substantially as set forth with reference to Figures 8. and 9 of the
annexed Drawings.

page_text: Fourth. A packing consisting of a pliable case (such as a) either sewn or woven,
and pliable metal rods (such as d) combined and arranged substantially as set
forth.
"
T
Fifth. A packing consisting of a pliable case (such as a) either sewn, or woven
and metal pellets (such as d) combined and arranged substantially as set forth.
Sixth. As a means for manufacturing packing of the type herein described
stitching together layers of canvas, or other pliable materials between which
stitched layers there is contained metal in manner such as set forth.
'