Improvement in Piston and Gland Packing.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 10th May, 1893-Accepted, 24th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Piston and Gland Packing.
I, JAMES WALKER of No. 7 Love Lane Shadwell London E. Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:—
My invention has for its object the combination of metal with soft flexible
material, which combination forms an elastic packing for any kind of packing
glands or stuffing boxes for steam, water, other fluids, air and other
gases.
For the purpose of carrying out my invention I use any kind of suitable material
woven into a cloth, in combination with sheet metal, or wire or suitable material
plaited with the wire or metal.
The packing may be constructed by folding or rolling up any suitable material
or metal or by weaving or plaiting any suitable material or metal; preferably an
indestructible material with a metal, but my special feature in the construction is
the folding of the cloth with metal or wire in endless folds or bellows like folding,
without any covering or binding, thus leaving the packing free to expand.
may also put a sufficient covering to protect the packing either of suitable material
or metal, at the same time allowing it to expand.
In rolling or folding I may place between the layers of the material wire gauze,
flat metal springs, or layers of sheet metal in order to make the packing as metallic
as possible. The folds or layers may be either vertical or horizontal in the gland.
Rubber may also be introduced into the packing in order to assist its elasticity.
The whole may be cemented together with rubber or other suitable compound to
make it resist pressure and heat.
I now come to the special feature in the construction, in combining metal with
the soft material which principally constitutes the metallic packing. In the course
of construction, of which the above is a stage, a piece or pieces of metal may be
inserted between the layers, so as to produce a metal face to the rod, or pins or
staples may be driven in on the edge between the layers. Plates with projecting
points or tails made to suit the curve of the rod may be driven or fastened in while
in construction. These plates may be put in the packing either horizontal or
perpendicular and so placed with the object of preventing steam cutting a way
through the face of the packing.
I prefer folding the packing the long way as before described, I prefer to insert
pins of any suitable shape, and in such order as to prevent the steam from cutting
its way through the metallic face of the packing. In this case, also, I may place
staples of a suitable shape or plates of a suitable shape, to curve of rod with tails
or prongs of a sufficient length to hold these plates. The staples or plates may be
so placed as to form a solid metallic face to the rod and at the same time the
packing will be quite flexible and elastic.
In order that the packing may retain its elasticity I introduce springs into the
packing in course of construction preferably a flat corrugated spring similar to that
used in piston rings, at the same time these springs do not prevent the packing
being screwed up. In placing this metallic spring in the packing I construct it on
the angle in the packing so that in screwing the packing up, the division made by
the metal forms two wedges consequently the packing is expanded when screwed
up. I also make the packing in triangular sections to fit each other with the metal
may also insert metal in ordinary packing.
The packing may be made in rings made up of layers.
The pins or metal may be put in from the back.
on face.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Piston and Gland Packing.
I, JAMES WALKER of Lion Works, 7 Love Lane, Shadwell in the County of
London 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 has reference to packing in which metal is combined with soft
flexible material so as to form an elastic packing for glands or stuffing boxes for
steam, water or other fluids and it relates more particularly to packing of the
character described in the Specification of my Patent No. 3675 of 1888, in which
metal is so combined with asbestos cloth or other soft material as to make the
working face of the packing more or less metallic. For the purpose of my
invention I may use any suitable material woven into a cloth and combine sheet
metal or wire therewith, or I may plait asbestos or other suitable material with
wire or metal strips, or I may adopt other known constructions for the body of the
packing, I generally employ by preference an asbestos cloth woven with or without
wire and folded in endless or bellows-like folds as described in my said former
Specification and the folds may be either vertical or horizontal in the gland.
According to one part of my present invention I introduce one or more flat
corrugated metal springs into the packing while in the course of construction.
The addition of these springs increases and maintains the elasticity of the
packing and does not prevent the packing being screwed up. In placing these
springs in the packing I sometimes put them at an angle or inclination so that in
screwing up the packing the two wedge shaped parts or halves divided by the
spring or springs move or slide on each other and thereby cause the packing to
expand or increase in thickness.
According to another part of my invention I insert pieces of metal between
layers of the asbestos cloth or other soft material in the course of constructing the
packing, the outer edge of the said metal pieces being flush with the working face
of the packing so as to make this face metallic or practically so.
According to another part of my invention I make the packing in triangular
sections to fit each other so that when the packing is screwed up these sections by
sliding on each other will increase the thickness of the packing; the face of the
triangular piece which constitutes the working face is more or less metallic.
I also in some cases fold a layer of sheet metal in endless folds with and between
layers of asbestos cloth or other soft material in order to make the packing as
metallic as possible.
The accompanying drawings represent various packings constructed in accordance
with my present invention.
Figure is a horizontal section and Figure 2 a transverse section on the line 2-2
of Figure 1 of a packing into which in accordance with my invention a flat
corrugated metal spring a has been introduced while the packing was in course of
coustruction. The packing is composed of asbestos cloth or of asbestos and wire
cloth folded first in endless folds bb as described in my said former Specification
and then folded over the spring a as seen at c and twice round the folds bb and
spring a as seen at d. e e are metal pins or nails (the form shown being that
generally called a "ragged nail") which as described in my said former Specifi-
cation are driven into the working face of the packing so as to make it more or less
metallic.
Figures 3 and 4 represent a packing the same as that shown in Figures 1 to 2
except that instead of one flat corrugated spring a there are three springs placed
one against another. The middle spring is less deeply corrugated than the outer
ones and the inside curves or bends of the outer springs rest in the hollows of the
middle spring.

page_text: Figures 5 and 6 represent a packing the same as those shown in Figures 1 to 4
except that two corrugated springs are employed and the corrugations of each of
these springs are not parallel but are of tapered form as clearly seen in Figure 6,
the tapers on the one spring being the reverse of those on the other spring, so that
when the packing is screwed up in a gland the springs by moving on each other
transversely become forced apart by reason of the wedging action of the reverse
tapers and thereby tend to expand the packing in the direction of its thickness.
Figures 7 and represent a packing in which a flat corrugated spring is placed
between two flat uncorrugated strips of metal. In the packing shown in these
figures the asbestos or other cloth is not folded in endless folds as in Figures 1 to 6
but is in layers ff between which metal pieces g g have been inserted during the
construction of the packing; the outer edge of these metal pieces is flush with the
working face of the packing and inakes this face metallic or practically so. In
order to enable the packing to be bent into the form of a ring for introduction into
a gland or stuffing box the metal pieces are formed of a number of A-shaped pieces
which may either be entirely separate from each other or as I prefer for
convenience joined by a slight connecting part as seen at h h, Figure 7.
Figures 9 and 10 represent a packing in which a flat corrugated spring a such as
that shown in Figures 1 and 2 is placed in the packing at an angle or inclination
and thereby divides the packing into two wedge shaped parts, so that when the
packing is screwed up, these parts slide or move on each other and thereby increase
the thickness of the packing.
Figures 11 and 12 represent a packing made in three triangular sections k l m
made to fit each other so that when the packing is screwed up the two outer
sections by sliding on the middle section in increase the thickness of the packing.
Between the sections is a thin sheet of metal n to facilitate the sliding movement.
The two outer sections are shown as having a metallic core p, but this is not
essential. The middle section is shown with metal pins or nails d d driven into the
working face in accordance with my said former Specification. Instead of these
metal pins any other method of making the face more or less metallic may be
employed in this packing, as for example thick wires or flat strips of metal woven
into or threaded in and out of the face of the face of the packing; the same
remark applies to the packings shown in Figures 1 to 6 and Figures 9 and 10.
Figure 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of Figure 15, Figure 14 a section on
the line 14-14 of Figure 15, and Figure 15 a view of the working face of a
packing also made in three triangular sections but with the working face composed
of the edges of two strips of asbestos or other cloth grand a strip of metal s
between them, the three strips being folded together in endless folds as shown.
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 in respect of piston and gland packing of the kind or character hereinbefore
referred to is :-
1. The introduction into packing, during the course of construction, of one or
more flat corrugated metal springs, substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described and represented in Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The introduction into the packing during the course of construction, of one or
more flat corrugated metal springs placed at an angle or inclination so as to divide
the packing into wedge shaped parts, substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 9 and 10 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. The construction of packing with layers of asbestos cloth or other soft
material and pieces of metal inserted between the said layers during the formation
of the packing, the outer edge of the metal pieces being flush with the working face
of the packing, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
represented in Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The construction of packing in triangular sections, substantially as and for

page_text: the purpose herein before described and represented in Figures 11 to 15 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. The construction of packing with a layer of sheet metal folded in endless
folds with and between layers of asbestos cloth or other soft material, substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 13 to 15
of the accompanying drawings.
6. The several constructions of packing represented in the accompanying
drawings and herein before described.
Dated this 9th day of May 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.