IMPROVEMENTS IN PISTONS FOR STEAM ENGINE AND OTHER CYLIN- DERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE BUCKETS OF PUMPS.
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Donald Skekel, of Demerara, British Guiana, and
now of West Square, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PISTONS FOR STEAM ENGINE AND OTHER CYLIN-
DERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE BUCKETS OF
PUMPS. Partly a communication from abroad by Alexander Skekel,
of Demerara.
Sealed the 11th January 1861, and dated the 18th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Donald Skekel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th July 1860.
I, DONALD SKEKEL, of Demerara, British Guiana, and now of West Square,
in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PISTONS FOR STEAM ENGINE AND OTHER
CYLINDERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE BUCKETS OF
PUMPS," partly communicated to me from abroad by Alexander Skekel, of
Demerara, aforesaid, to be as follows, that is to say :—
The improvements consist, first, in a peculiar construction of piston of steam

page_text: and other engines, in which the packing rings are forced out by means of
plugs or pistons set round the piston, and acted on by steam from the boiler,
whereby a more uniform thrust is obtained over the surface of the packing
rings.
Secondly, in an improved construction of metallic packing for pistons, which
presents a uniform surface to the sides of the cylinder.
Thirdly, in the adaptation and application of the above improvements to the
buckets of pumps.
Pistons constructed according to the first part of the Invention, are formed
with a suitable number of cylindrical metallic plugs or pistons fitted steam-
tight in the body of the piston, and acted on by steam from a steam chamber
within the piston supplied by a tube working through a steam-tight stuffing
box in the cylinder cover, and which tube is incased in another tube secured
to the gland of the stuffing box, and receiving its supply from the valve
casing or any other convenient part of the engine. The steam constantly
acting upon the plugs or pistons maintains a constant and regular pressure on
the packing rings.
The steam may be admitted into the chamber communicating with the
plugs or pistons by means of holes in the top and bottom of the piston, having
separate or connected valves fitting thereon, by which the pressure acting
either upon top or bottom of the piston is permitted to to enter into the annular
chamber behind the plugs or pistons, and acts as before described.
A pressure may be obtained within the chamber for acting on the plugs or
pistons by employing compressed air, gas, or other compressed fluid, or any
hydrostatic column.
When water or other inelastic fluid is employed to produce the pressure on
the plugs in lieu of steam, the plug or piston is made hollow, and becomes a
cylinder for the reception of another similar plug, behind which the air is
compressed, and acts as the elastic medium between the hydrostatic column
and the packing rings.
The improvements in metallic packing consist in constructing the packing
with the V-blocks outside instead of inside the segments. The thrust of the
plugs or pistons, or of the springs (when applied to ordinary pistons) being
received by the segments of the packing ring instead of the V-blocks, as in the
arrangement now in use.
To adapt the improved arrangement of mechanism for the construction of
pistons to the packing of pump buckets, a number of plugs or pistons are
applied between two annular chambers, one communicating with the front,

page_text: and the other with the back of the plugs in the chamber communicating with
the back of the plugs, air is admitted by a tube passing through a stuffing box.
or otherwise, a vacuum being formed in the chamber communicating with
the front of the plugs by a pipe in connection with the condenser thro' a
stuffing box, as before described for the steam arrangement, the plugs acting.
in a similar manner to those of the steam piston.
The
arrangement of metallic packing, above described, for steam pistons, is
applicable to all kinds of pump buckets.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Donald Skekel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DONALD
SKEKEL, of Demerara, British Guiana, and now of West Square, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Donald Skekel, Her special licence that 1, the said Donald Skekel, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Donald Skekel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PISTONS FOR STEAM ENGINE AND OTHER CYLINDERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE BUCKETS OF PUMPS," the result partly of communi-
cation made to me from abroad by Alexander Skekel, of Demerara, and
partly of invention & discovery made by me, upon the condition (amongst
others) that 1, the said Donald Skekel, my executors or administrators,
an instrument in writing under my or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
by

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Donald Skekel, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The improvements consist, first, in a peculiar construction of the pistons of
steam and other engines, in which the metallic packing is forced out by means
of plugs placed round the piston at suitable distances, and acted on by steam
from the boiler, whereby a more uniform pressure is obtained over the surface
of the packing.
Secondly, in an improved construction of metallic packing for pistons, which
presents a uniform surface to the inside of the cylinder.
Thirdly, in the adaptation and application of the above improvements to the
buckets of pumps.
* Pistons constructed according to the first part of the Invention are
formed with a suitable number of cylindrical metallic plugs fitted steam-
tight in the body of the piston, and acted on by steam from a steam chamber
within the piston, supplied by a tube working through a steam-tight stuffing
box in the cylinder cover, and which tube is enclosed in another tube secured
to the gland of the stuffing box, and receiving its supply of steam from the
valve casing or any other convenient part of the engine. The steam con-
stantly acting upon these plugs maintains a constant and regular pressure on
the piston packing.
The steam may also be admitted into the chamber communicating with the
plugs by means of holes in the top and bottom of the piston, having
separate and connected valves fitted thereon, by which the pressure acting
either upon top or bottom of the piston is permitted to enter into the
annular chamber behind the plugs, and acts as before described.
A pressure may be obtained within the chamber for acting on the plugs by
employing compressed air, gas, or other compressed fluid, or an hydrostatic
column.
When water or any other non-elastic fluid is employed to produce the
pressure on the plugs in lieu of steam, the plug is made hollow, and becomes
a cylinder for the reception of another similar plug, behind which the air is
compressed and acts as the elastic medium between the hydrostatic column
and the metallic packing.
The improvements in metallic packing consist in constructing the packing
with the wedges outside instead of inside the packing segments. The thrust

page_text: of the plugs or of the springs (when applied to ordinary pistons) being
received by the segments of the packing instead of the wedges, as in the
arrangement now in use.
To adapt the improved construction of pistons to the packing of pump
buckets, a number of the said plugs are applied between two annular
chambers, one communicating with the front, and the other with the back of
the plugs. In the chamber communicating with the back of the plugs air is
admitted by a tube passing through a stuffing box or otherwise, a vacuum
being formed in the chamber communicating with the front of the plugs by a
pipe connected to the condenser. This pipe passes through a stuffing box, as
before described for the steam arrangement, the plugs acting in a similar
manner to those of the steam piston. This arrangement of metallic packing
for steam pistons is applicable to all kinds of
pump buckets.
To make the Invention better understood, I will now proceed to more
particularly describe the same, by reference to the annexod Drawings, in which
Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a section through A, B, of a piston for a steam
engine or any other cylinder; Figure 2, a plan in section through C, D; and
Figure 3 shews a section of a cylinder and piston constructed according to the
first part of the said Invention. The same letters of reference indicate cor-
responding parts in each of those Figures.
A, piston rod; B, the piston; C, junk ring; D, metallic packing; E,
circular plug fitted into the body of the piston B; F, circular aperture com-
municating with chamber G; H, pipe screwed into the end of the piston
rod A, and enclosed in another pipe I (shewn in Figure 8); J is an ordinary
stuffing box, and K a bent pipe communicating with the slide valve casing,
or any other convenient part of the engine for supplying the interior of the
piston B with steam through the pipe H. This pipe is furnished with a stop-
cock L for shutting off the steain when required. M, M, stud bolts for
securing junk ring C to piston B; N, N, Fig. 2, wedges fitting into the
metallic packing D.
This action of this piston is as follows:-The stopcock L, Figure 3, being
opened, steam is allowed to pass through the bent pipe K into the pipe I, and
thence into the inner pipe H, which pipo is fitted with a stuffing box J
packed in the usual manner. The pipe H communicates with the interior of
piston B through the apertures F, F, Figure 1, and chambers G, G, and the
steam being admitted into the pipe H, acts by its elastic force on the ends of
the plugs E, E, and thus maintains a constant and uniform pressure on the
metallic packing D.

page_text: The improved metallic packing D, according to the second part of my
Invention, shewn in sectional plan in Figure 2, is constructed of three or
more segments D, D, and wedges N, N. These wedges are placed in an
opposite direction to that in which they are usually employed, and are fitted
outside the metallic packing in lieu of inside. By this arrangement, a regular
and uniform surface is presented to the inside of the steam cylinder; thus the
segments receive the pressure instead of the wedges, as in the arrangement at
present employed.
Figure 4, Sheet II. of the Drawings, is a section of Figure 5 thro' E, F,
shewing another mode of construction of piston, in which valves are employed
for the admission of steam into the annular chamber of the piston in lieu of
pipes, and Figure 5 is a section through G, H, of Figure 4. In this arrange-
ment, steam is admitted into the annular chamber P through the valve
openings Q, Q, communicating with the plugs E, E. A, piston rod; B,
piston; C, junk ring; D, metallic packing; E, plug; R, R, separate and
connected valves provided with openings Q, Q; T, T, valve seats.
The action of this arrangement of piston is as follows:-Steam being
admitted into the cylinder on one side of the piston, causes the valves R, R,
to open the apertures Q, Q, and admit the steam into the annular chamber P,
which is prevented from escaping into the other side of the cylinder by the
valves falling into their seats T, T, and closing the opposite apertures Q, Q
and the steam being thus confined in the annular chamber P, and in com-
munication with the circular plugs E, E, forces them out by its elastic force,
and maintains a uniform and constant pressure on the metallic packing, as
before described.
Figure 6 represents a partial section, and Figure 7 a horizontal section
through I, J, of a construction of piston suitable when water or any other
non-elastic fluid is employed to produce a regular pressure on the piston. A,
piston rod; B, piston; C, junk ring; D, metallic packing; E, E, circular
plugs; E", E", inner plugs; V a pipe communicating with annular chamber
W, and having a cylinder X and piston Y fitted with a screwed end for com-
pressing the fluid used for obtaining the required pressure.
The action of the piston in this arrangement is as follows:-The pipe V
being filled with water or other non-elastic fluid, and communicating with the
annular chamber W, fills this annular chamber with the non-elastic fluid
employed. The cylinder X is then attached to the end of the pipe V by
means of a screw thread, a corresponding thread being formed in the cylinder
X. The piston Y is then attached. Any forward movement of this piston

page_text: causes the water or other non-elastic fluid contained in the hollow pipe to be
compressed, and likewise the fluid contained in the chamber W. The ends of
the plugs E being in communication with the annular chamber W containing
water, receive the pressure of the fluid contained in the pipe V and annular
chamber W, by which means a constant and uniform pressure is maintained
on the metallic packing. The hollow plug E becomes the receptacle for
another plug E", behind which air is compressed, and which acts as the elastic
medium between the column of water. or other fluid and the packing D.
In adapting the improvements to the buckets of pumps, an arrangement
similar to that shewn in section at Figure 8 is employed, of which Figure 9
is a view in section. a, bucket of pump; b, pump rod; c, pipe leading to
condenser of steam engine. d, pipe in communication with atmosphere;
e, stuffing boxes or glands; f, circular plug in communication with the
annular chamber g; h, valve of pump, and i guard for the same.
The action of this arrangement of pistons for the buckets of pumps is as
follows: In the annular chamber j, communicating with the back of the
plugs f. f, air is admitted by means of the pipe d, which is in communication
with the atmosphere, and provided with a stuffing box e. In the annular
chamber g, in communication with the front of the plugs f,f, a vacuum is
formed by the pipe c being in communication with the condenser of the
steam engine, and communicating with the annular chamber 9 thro' the
pipe k. A vacuum being formed on the front of the plugs, as above
described, and air being admitted on the other side of the plugs through the
pipe d, a constant and uniform pressure is maintained as in the steam
arrangement.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, I would state that I
do not confine myself to the precise details herein-before described and shewn, so
long as the peculiar character of the Invention be retained, as variations may
be made therein without departing from the principle thereof. What I
claim as new, and intend to be protected by the herein in part recited Letters
Patent, is,―
First, the mode of constructing pistons with circular plugs inserted in the
body of the piston, and acted on by steam, whereby a constant and uniform
pressure is maintained on the metallic packing, as herein-before described and
shewn in the several Figures of the annexed Drawings.
Secondly, the mode of introducing steam into the body of the piston by
means of two pipes working one within the other through a stuffing box, as
herein-before described & shewn in Figure 3, Sheet 1, of the accompanying
Drawings.

page_text: Thirdly, the mode of introducing steam into the body of the piston by
means of separate and connected valves, as herein-before described and repre-
sented in Figures 4 and 5 of Sheet 2 of the Drawings.
Fourthly, the constructing metallic packing with the wedges reversed, as
herein-before described & represented in Figure 2, Sheet 1, & Fig. 5, Sheet 25
of the Drawings.
Fifthly, the mode of applying pressure by the employment of fluids on the
segments of metallic packing for pistons, as herein-before described and shewn
in Figures 6 & 7, Sheet 2, of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Donald Skekel, have hereto set my 1
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
DONALD SKEKEL (LS.)