Improvements in Metallic Packing for Piston or other Rods or Spindles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May. 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metallic Packing for Piston or other Rods or
Spindles.
I, ARTHUR HAMILTON KENRICK, of 17, Great George Street, Westminster, in
the County of London, Civil and Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to metallic packing for piston rods, valve rods or spindles or
other rods or shafts of an analogous nature; and its object is to make the said
packing in a simple manner, easily applicable to different classes of work, and at
less cost than that usually employed.
My invention is well adapted for several classes of engine work, such as marine
engines, locomotives, and stationary engines of different types and as the packing
is of a simple character, it is easily and quickly applied, or new packing rings
inserted, by men who are not highly skilled workmen.
In its simplest form, my invention comprises four solid metallic rings, which are
bored to a close working fit upon the rod or spindle, and turned upon the outside to
slide casily into the stuffing box. Two of the rings are of brass, gun metal, phosphor
bronze, or other suitable hard metal or alloy; and the other two are of a suitable
soft metal or alloy, such as Babbit's metal, or other kind or kinds of so-called anti-
friction metal. In all cases the soft metal rings should be fitted more closely to the
rod and to the inside of the stuffing box, than is necessary with respect to the hard
metal rings, as the soft metal rings are intended to keep the steam from escaping
along the surface of the rod or interior surface of the stuffing box.
This simple packing of four solid metallic rings may be further reduced to three
rings-one hard metal and two soft, metal rings in the case of a specially designed
stuffing box and gland for new work. In this case, the neck bush or bottom of
the stuffing box, and the bottom of the gland are internally coned at a suitable
angle to act upon the two soft metal rings, (which have a double coned hard ring
between them), when pressed together; so as to make the rod and stuffing box
surfaces steam tight. But as metallic packings are generally applied to stuffing
boxes of the usual form and construction, adapted to use clastic or non-metallic
packing, the four ring variety of metallic packing is the simplest for general
purposes although it is sometimes necessary to use five rings.
In two classes of engines-marine and locomotive-one end of the piston rod is
frequently enlarged; rendering it impossible to use solid metallic rings if fitted
closely to the rod, and to the interior of the stuffing box. In this case 1 cut the
rings in two, along the axial line, face the joints closely together, tin them in some
cases, and bore and turn them to fit the rod and stuffing box respectively. The
rings are afterwards divided so that they can be placed over the rod in their several
positions, preferably breaking joint with each other, and on screwing them closely
together endways by the gland nuts, the whole becomes tight. The rings,
moreover, may be tongued together if desired.
The rod or spindle may be lubricated at the gland end, in the usual manner, or
in the centre of the length of the stuffing box, as is frequently done in marine
engines. For central lubrication, a special arrangement of the central ring is made,
as will be more particularly described hereafter, the oil or lubricant being supplied
through any suitable cup or feeding device. In the case of central lubrication,
however, and when the divided rings are employed, an additional soft metal solid
ing is inserted next to the gland, to prevent the steam blowing through. As this
ring is preferably made solid, the bore is greater than the working part of the rod,
to enable it to be passed over the enlarged end of the rod. But the exterior

page_text: diameter of the ring is made to fit closely to the interior of the stuffing box, as it is
at that part that steam is most likely to escape as it passes from the central
lubricating point.
In the further description of this invention, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings in which
Fig. represents the typical four rings in section; the rings being arranged apart
from each other, but in their relative positions.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a part of a stuffing box with the rings confined
in position between the box and the rod or spindle. This figure represents the
three ring combination with the specially designed neck bush and gland.
Fig. 3 is a half section and half elevation of a rod, gland, and stuffing box having
the same form and arrangement of three rings as in Fig. 2, but as this applies to
an ordinary stuffing box designed to use elastic packing, the three metallic packing
rings are supplemented by a top and bottom hard metal ring as suggested by the
dotted lines in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a similar section and cievation through a box containing five rings,
the upper one being a V shaped packing ring, made larger in the bore to pass over
an enlarged end.
"Throughout the figures, a represents the rod or spindle, the stuffing box, c the neck
bush or bottom of the stuffing box, the bottom packing ring of soft metal placed
next to the neck bush or bottom of the stuffing box (except in Fig, 3), e is the hard
metal follower or lubricating ring, is the outer soft metal packing ring, is an
outer hard metal bush, is a soft metal double coned or V ring, i is the gland, stud
or bolt and nut for same, for tightening the gland.
In Fig. 1 the bottom soft metal packing ring d is bored to fit the rod, coned
thence outwardly at about an angle of 25 degrees to fit the externally coned hard
metal follower ring e, turned on the exterior to fit the inside of the stuffing box,
and rounded on the bottom to fit against the neck bush e or bottom of the stuffing
box, as shown in Fig. 4. The hard metal ring e is turned conically-as above
stated-to fit the soft metal ring and expand it outwardly against the stuffing box,
and thus to prevent steam escaping along the box. The ring e is sometimes turned
with one or two lubricating grooves, as explained hereinafter, but it also is shown
with a short bevel or cone on the upper side. This is adapted to enter and expand
a lip on the underside of the outer soft metal ring which also serves to prevent
the escape of steam along the stuffing box. A small amount of draft or clearance
space is left between the square faces of the rings e and f, to allow of the expansion
of the lip aforesaid. The soft metal ring is also turned conically on its exterior
towards the rod, and adapted to fit within the corresponding outward cone of the
hard metal bush g. The top of the ring or bush is turned to fit against the
underside of a gland, and when the latter is tightened upon the aforesaid rings, to
compress them all together, the action tends to expand the lip and upper edge of the
respective soft metal rings f, d, against the stuffing box, to prevent steam escaping in
that direction while it also closes in the upper end of the ring upon the rod, and
prevents steam escaping along the rod. The hard metal rings e and serve as
bushes to carry the rod and withstand its wear and the rod may be lubricated
from the outer end. All the bevel or conical portions are preferably made alike at
an angle of twenty five degrees, or a few degrees more or less. The rings d and f
may be of the same or of different kinds or degrees of soft metal, as desired.
;
In Fig. 2 a variation is made in the hard metal follower ring e by reducing its
width, and turning it with its former short bevel or cone on the lower as well as on
the upper side. Between the two short cones a central groove is turned on the
outside, and a corresponding groove made on the inside of the ring, with a few
small holes communicating between the two. This is done whenever it is desired
to lubricate the rod at the centre of the stuffing box, or to hold the oil at that
point, the result being that the rod is surrounded with a ring of lubricating
matter within the box, which keeps the rod in good working condition. The
lubricant is supplied from a suitable exterior reservoir through a hole drilled in

page_text: the side of the stuffing box at any convenient point in its circumference, corre-
sponding to the outer groove on the ring e. This same arrangement for lubricating
may be applied to the ring e shown in Fig. 1 as is indicated in Fig. 4. The bottom
soft metal ring d is also modified by making it exactly like the outer soft metal
ring shown both in this Fig. 2 and in Fig. 1, so that the said soft metal rings are
interchangeable. The outer bevels or cones on d and fare acted upon by a
specially made neck bush c and gland i which are correspondingly coned inside to
force the soft metal rings d and upon the rod a at the same time that the two lips
are expanded outwards against the box by means of the double coned central
ring e, in the manner explained with reference to the ring in Fig. 1. This
arrangement of a narrow double coned hard metal ringe with the interchangeable
soft metal rings and, (making three rings), adapted for a specially formed
stufting box and gland. If the neck bush e or gland are formed in the usual
manner, as is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, two extra hard metal rings
are introduced to fill up the spaces, (making five rings), as is shown in Fig. 3-
e being the bottom extra ring, and g the outer one.
In Fig. 4 the typical four ring variety of packing is shown within an ordinary
form of stuffing box, and adapted for central lubrication as previously described.
The rod a is, however, supposed to have an enlarged end and the rings d, e, f and g
are also supposed to have been made and hored in two halves to be placed upon the
rod, in any convenient manner, as already described. In this case, steam may
escape along the interior of the stuffing box, and to prevent this, one or two turns
of an ordinary elastic packing is sometimes combined with the metallic packing.
But I prefer to use a solid soft metal ring double coned inwardly in the form of
the letter V, and turn the contiguous surfaces of the ring g and bottom of the
gland to fit thereon. When the gland is screwed down, the solid soft metal ring h
is forced outwardly against the stuffing box to keep it steam tight, while the ring
is bored large enough to slip over the enlarged end of the rod a.
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. A metallic packing for rods, shafts, or spindles comprising four solid metallic
rings, two of the said rings being of soft metal, and two being of hard metal com-
bined with a suitable stuffing box and gland, arranged and operating substantially
in the manner described and shown with reference to Fig. 1.
2. A metallic packing for rods, shafts or spindles, comprising three solid metallic
rings, two of the said rings being of soft metal, and one of hard metal, combined
with a specially formed stuffing box bottom, and gland, arranged and operating
substantially in the manner described and shown with reference to Fig. 2.
3. A metallic packing for rods, shafts or spindles, comprising five solid metallic
rings, two of the said rings being of soft metal, and three being of hard metal com-
bined with a suitable stuffing box and gland, arranged and operating substantially
in the manner described and shown with reference to Fig. 3.
4. A packing ring of soft metal turned to fit closely to the inside diameter, and
base portion, of a stuffing box, bored for a short distance to fit a rod or spindle
working therein, and coned thence outwardly at or about an angle of twenty five
degrees, substantially as and for the purpose described and shown with reference
to d in Fig. 4.
5. A packing ring of soft metal turned for a short distance to fit closely to the
inside diameter of a stuffing box, bored to fit a rod or spindle working therein,
coned on its exterior, at or about an angle of twenty five degrees, and recessed at
one end to form a lip near to its exterior diameter, substantially as and for the
purpose described and shown with reference to fin Fig. 4.
6. A packing ring of hard metal bored throughout its length to allow the
working therein of a rod or spindle turned to fit within a stuffing box, coned on
its exterior for a short distance at one end and for the greater portion of its

page_text: 3
length at the other in opposite directions at or about an angle of twenty five
degrees, substantially in the manner described and shown with reference to e in
Fig. 4.
7. A narrow packing ring of hard metal bored to allow the working therein of a
rod or spindle, coned on its exterior equally in opposite directions, at or about an
angle of twenty five degrees, and fitted within a stuffing box, substantially in the
manner described and shown with reference to e in Fig. 2.
8. In metallic packings, the combination of two reversely placed interchangeable
soft metal rings, each having a projecting lip near its exterior surface and bored
through the greater portion of its length to fit a rod or spindle working therein,
with a central double coned hard metal ring adapted to engage with and expand
the said lips when compressed within and between a suitably formed stuffing box
and gland. substantially as and for the purpose described.
9. A solid packing ring of soft metal of a V form in cross section, turned to fit
the interior of a stuffing box, bored to pass over the enlarged end of a rod, and
combined with a suitable shaped gland and divided packing rings within the said
box, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 25th day of May 1891.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicant.