IMPROVEMENTS IN .STUFFING BOXES. AND IN PACKING TO BE. EMPLOYED WITH STUFFING BOXES AND PISTONS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anthony Liddell, of Canterbury, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
.STUFFING BOXES. AND IN PACKING TO BE. EMPLOYED WITH STUFFING
BOXES AND PISTONS."
Sealed the 27th January 1858, and dated the 20th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anthony Liddell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on,
the 20th October 1852.
1. ANTHONY LIDDELL do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN STUFFING BOXES, AND IN PACKING TO BE
EMPLOYED WITH STUFFING BOXES AND PISTONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists. firstly. in forming in stuffing boxes two
conical recesses for the reception of packing, the object being to prevent
the waste of lubricating material, which now occurs in horizontal or
inverted stuffing boxes. by interposing between the head of the gland
and the part where the oil is inserted a second packing, which will
prevent the passage outwards of the oil. A lateral hole is made inter-
medinte hetween the additional and the ordinary recess which holds the
packing for the insertion of the oil. and when a sufficient quantity has

page_text: been applied it is closed by a screw plug. The additional packing is
retained in its place by a second gland, which is forced into the head of
the first gland. In packing stufting boxes in which piston rods or
other bodies work or are retained, I twist into a helical coil a strip of
metal (by preference copper), the inner diameter of which is such as to
fit the rod or other body. I then turn down the coil in a lathe so that
it shall fit into the conical recess of the stuffing box. and when thus
prepared I run this coil upon the rod or tube which it is intended to
embrace, and place it in the stuffing box. I then pour into the box
molten lead or other mictal which is fusible at a lower temperature than
the metal of which the helical coil is composed, thereby filling up the
box and imbedding the coil in the metal. By this means a solid and
lasting packing is produced, which, as it wears away, may be contracted
in diameter by entering farther into the conical recess.
The same effect will be produced if a bush or filling piece formed
like a hollow cone is used in a box having a cylindrical chamber. In
this instance the molten metal will fix the position of the filling piece
as well as the coiled strip of metal.
When packing pistons or plungers. I secure to the piston a frustrum
of a cone, which forms a kind of bed to receive the packing, and as the
packing wears away I force it further over the conc by means of a
cover which screws on to the piston rod and constitutes the head of the
piston, and thus effectually prevents the passage of air or water between
the piston and its cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Anthony Liddell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ANTHONY LIDDELL, of Canterbury, in the County of Kent, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Anthony Liddell, Her special license
that I, the said Anthony Liddell, my executors, administrators. and
5 assigns, or such others as I, the said Anthony Liddell, my executors,
administrators. and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STUFFING BOXES, AND IN PACKING TO BE EMPLOYED WITH STUPPING BOXES
AND PISTONS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Anthony Liddell, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
scal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Anthony Liddell, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed. to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention of Improvements in Stuffing Boxes, and in lacking to
be employed with Stuffing Boxes and Pistons, consists in adapting in a
peculiar manner to the rubbing surfaces a coil or strip of metal, which
in the case of stuffing boxes for packing piston rods is inserted in
a conical recess made in the stuffing box, which, when the strip of
metal is placed therein. is filled with lead or other soft metal. In
carrying out this object a band or strip of metal (by preference copper)
is twisted or coiled helically round a rod or mandril of the size of the
rod or other surface to be packed; the outer edges of this coil should be
turned off or rounded, and then the metal coil may be placed on the rod
or other surface, and inserted in its conical recess in the stuffing box.
I then pour into the box molten lead or other metal which is fusible at

page_text: a lower temperature than the 'metal of winch the helical com 18 COM
posed, thereby filling up the, box, and imbedding the coil in the metal.
By this 'mcans a solid, and lasting packing is produced, which, as it
wears away, may be contracted in diameter by being forcibly compressed
by forcing it against the conical sides of the stuffing box by screwing
down the gland.
i.
!
. In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn, at Fig. 1, a vertical
section of the stuffing box of a piston rod with my improvement's
adapted thereto. a, a, is the outside casting of the stuffing box;
For the
and b, b, is a cast iron lining turned conically internally.
convenience of inserting it in its place in the stuffing box this
lining is divided into two parts, as shewn at the detached sectional
view, Fig. 2. c, c, is a coil or strip of copper or other metal which
surrounds the piston rodd. The inner side of the gland e, is turned
out conically, as shewn in Fig. 1, and is provided with another copper
coil c, which also surrounds the piston. roil. The metal coil .c,
having been inserted in its place, the vacant space around the piston
rod is filled with molten lead or other soft metal f. It will now-be
seen that as the metal coils c, and c", wear away, the packing may be
tightened by screwing down the glande, which will compress the soft
metalf, and by forcing down the metal coils c, and c, against-the
inclined sides of the lining will cause then to embrace the piston rod..
Fig 3, is a sectional view of a piston, shewing the method of applying
the Invention as a packing for pistons. 9, is the solid part of the
piston; f, the soft metal packing; c, the coiled strip of copper, which is
turned out conically inside, as shewn in the Drawing, the outer or
rubbing surface in this instance being cylindrical or nearly so. e, e, is a
cover, which is adapted to the piston in such a manner that it may be
screwed down thereon so as to compress the soft metal, and cause it to
force the metal coil c, into close contact with the sides of the cylinder.
If thought, desirable, the edges of the piston cover e, may be turned so
as to form the frustrum of a cone, by depressing which the soft metal
may be forced down or outwards against the cylinder so as to form a
perfectly steam or water tight packing.
Having now described my improvements, and the best means with

page_text: which I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I
claim, in conclusion, the use and application of the strips of coiled metal
c, and c, and the soft metal f, for packing rubbing surfaces, as shewn
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anthony Liddell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
5
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
ANTHONY LIDDELL. (L.S.)