Stuffing Boxes for Propeller Shafts.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 27th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Stuffing Boxes for Propeller Shafts.
1, JAMES JOSEPH BATES, of No. 304 North Eighth Street, in the City of St. Louis,
State of Missouri, United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the stern of a vessel, showing
my improved stuffing box in position;
Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the vessel looking toward the stern
thereof;
Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3, Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 is a view taken on line 4-4, Figure 1, looking in the direction of the
arrow;
Figure 5 is a rear view of the sleeve, showing the propeller shaft in cross-section,
the packing gland being removed, to more clearly show the construction of the key
which holds the collar in place.
This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in stuffing boxes for
propeller shafts, and consists in the means hereinafter described for tightening up
the packing at the rear end of the shaft without necessitating the vessel's removal
from the water. Another feature of invention resides in the construction of a hollow
sleeve through which the shaft passes, said shaft being packed at each end of the
sleeve, leaving an intermediate chamber which is adapted to receive a lubricant,
which lubricant, also acts as a signal to indicate the presence of water in the sleeve,
which results from the wearing of the packing boxes, or a loose packing. Other
features of invention reside in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the
several parts of my device, all as will hereinafter be described and afterwards
pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings, A indicates the hull of a vessel, B the stern post, and C the keel,
all of such parts being of ordinary construction.
D indicates the propeller shaft which has mounted on its rear end a propeller E,
as is usual.
F indicates a sleeve through which the rear end of the propeller shaft passes, said
sleeve being formed with inwardly extending flanges and near its ends, which
tend to center the shaft in the sleeve. The forward flange f acts as a shoulder for
the packing G which is compressed by a suitable gland G', as usual. The rear
flange facts as a shoulder against which a collar H abuts, said collar being keyed
to the sleeve by a key I whose rear end is cut away, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, to
permit the introduction of a packing gland J from the exterior, which gland
compresses suitable packing K therebetween and the collar H.
L'indicates hollow tubes or pipes which are fitted in the stern post, through which
tubes pass rods M, the rear ends of which are secured to the gland J, while the
forward ends of the rods are threaded, and pass through brackets N, secured to the
hull of the vessel, said threaded ends receiving nuts by which means the rods may
be advanced and the gland J made to compress the packing at the rear end of the
sleeve.
Between the flanges f and
is a chamber which is adapted to receive a

page_text: lubricant for lubricating the bearings of the propeller shaft in the sleeve. Extending
upwardly from this chamber is a reservoir O which is preferably left open at its
top, while extending from the bottom of the chamber is a short section of pipe P
on the lower end of which is arranged a cock Q. It is obvious that this cock could
be arranged so as to lead directly from the chamber, and a short section of pipe P be
dispensed with, without in the least departing from the principle of my invention.
The operation of the device is as follows: The parts being in the position shown
in Figure 1, any wear that may take place at either end of the sleeve, may be taken
up, on the inner end, by tightening the gland G, and on the outer end by turning
the nuts on rods M against their respective brackets. Should wear at the outer end
take place to such an extent that water would be admitted, as would perhaps happen if
attention was not given to the packing frequently, the grit carried by the water would
soon grind the bearing surfaces to such an extent as to cut them. In order to prevent
this, by notifying the engineer of the presence of water in the sleeve, the reservoir O
is left open at its top, as above described, and immediately that water enters into
the oil chamber, the oil being the lighter will overflow, and, if desirable, such over-
flow could be conducted to the engineer's room, where it would be readily seen.
After the glands are tightened, upon such notification, the cock Q, leading from the
bottom of the chamber, is opened, to permit the water to flow out, and when the
water is removed, oil is placed in the reservoir O to replace that which was lost in
the overflow, or might have escaped through the cock Q.
O indicates a valve arranged at the top of the reservoir O, said valve being
designed to be used in the event that the packing or wearing surfaces should be
so worn that tightening the glands would not prevent the entrance of water into the
oil chamber. In such an event, by closing the valve the water would be prevented
from rising through the reservoir and the device would operate practically the same
as similar devices now in use.
The construction, as above described, is simple, cheap, and very efficient as a
packing. It is advantageous over the forms of packing now in existence in that a
propeller shaft runs through a lubricant instead of gritty water, as is now the case.
By the provision of means for notifying the attendant of the presence of water in
the sleeve, the packings can be adjusted so as to save the propeller shaft from wear.
The construction is such that it may be applied to existing vessels without
necessitating any material change in the arrangement of machinery or other parts
of the vessel.
I am
aware that many minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and
combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those
herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and
principle of the invention.
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. The combination with a propeller shaft, of a sleeve surrounding the same,
packing, and packing glands at each end of the sleeve, rods which engage the
outside or rearmost packing gland, said rods extending to the interior of the hull,
and means for tightening said rods so that the gland compresses the rearmost packing;
substantially as described.
2. The combination with a propeller shaft, of a sleeve surrounding the same, packing,
and packing glands arranged in each end of the sleeve, the rearmost packing gland
being located outside of the hull of the vessel, and means located inside the hull of
the vessel and connected to the outside gland for tightening said gland; substantially
as described.
3. The combination with a propeller shaft, of a sleeve surrounding the
same, and
having inwardly extending flanges near each end thereof, a collar arranged at the
rear end of the sleeve and abutting against the rearmost of said flanges, a key
co-operating with said collar and sleeve, a packing gland, packing interposed between

page_text: said gland and collar, and means located in the hull of the vessel and attached
to said gland for tightening the same; substantially as described.
4. The combination with a propeller shaft, of an oil chamber surrounding the same,
and a reservoir connected to said chamber and open .at its top, whereby, upon the
presence of water in said chamber, the oil in the reservoir is caused to overflow;
substantially as described.
5. The combination with a propeller shaft, of an oil chamber surrounding the
same, a reservoir connected to said chamber, said reservoir being open at its top,
whereby, upon the presence of water in said chamber, the oil in the reservoir is
caused to overflow, and a cock in the bottom of the chamber for withdrawing the
water; substantially as described.
6. The combination with a propeller shaft, of a sleeve surrounding the same,
packing in each end of the sleeve, whereby, a chamber is formed in said sleeve, an
oil reservoir connected to the top of said chamber for supplying the same with oil, and
a cock leading from the bottom of the chamber; substantially as described.
Dated the 24th day of November 1896.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicant.