An Improved Piston Packing Ring.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 26th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 2nd May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Piston Packing Ring.
I, JOHN PITT BAYLY, of 18 Fulham Place, Paddington, in the County of
London, Patent Agent, (a communication to me from abroad by James Brandon, of
New York, U.S.A., Inventor,) do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
By this invention a broad steel packing ring is provided, and is severed by two
cuts which extend half its width only. These two cuts are upon opposite sides of
the rings and are a distance apart. The two inner ends of these two cuts are
joined by a cut which extends along the centre of the ring in a circumferential
direction, and which cut is sufficiently long to pass the inner end of one of the two
cuts firstnamed. A thin piece of metal is secured in the circumferential cut and
covers the ends of the firstnamed cuts in such manner that the ring can open or
close without opening the cut or severance of the ring.
Dated this 20th day of June 1890
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Piston Packing Ring.
I, JOHN PITT BAYLY, of 18 Fulham Place, Paddington, in the County of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by James Brandon, of New York, U.S.A., Inventor,) to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement in the joint in the packing-ring for a
piston, whereby the ring is permitted to expand in order to make a close contact
with the cylinder within which it is placed without opening a throughway at the
joint.
Heretofore in the most approved packing the ring has been divided at one point
by an oblique transverse cut, and the direct passage of the fluid under pressure
from side to side of the piston through said cut has been prevented by means of a
strip inserted in the ring transversely to the length, and cut so as to intersect
the joint, and an example thereof may be found illustrated in the Specification
relating to my United States Patent No. 315,155, dated April 7th, 1885. As an
improvement upon said joint the packing-ring has been constructed in two or more
segmental sections having joint or lines of junction formed of two oblique lines or
cuts extending severally inward from the two, faces of the ring to about the middle
of its width, where they are connected by a straight circumferential line or cut
forming an offset at the inner ends of said oblique lines. The two surfaces on
this circumferential line are scraped together to make a steam-tight joint, thereby
avoiding the necessity of inserting a transverse piece in the joint dividing the
sections. This form of joint in a sectional ring is illustrated in the Specification
relating to my. United States Patent No. 345,569, dated July 13th, 1886. It
necessitates, however, as set forth, a division of the ring into two or more sections
in order to permit the contacting surface on the circumferential line to be scraped
or fitted together.
The object, of my present invention is to secure the advantages of this oblique
joint having a central offset, and which avoids the necessity of a loose piece
inserted transversely to the length of the joint in connection with a ring divided

page_text: at one point only, so as to have each a single joint therein; and my invention
consists in the combination with a circumferential slot cut in the ring, and having
laterally inclined cuts extending in opposite directions from its ends to the outer
edges of the ring to divide it by a piece inserted in the slot to fill it and maintain
the normal width of the ring, and which is secured to one of the inner faces of
the slot, and is left free to move over the opposite face and brake-joint with one
of the lateral cuts, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a packing-ring divided at one point only with
my improved offset-joint.
Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are front elevations of said ring illustrating said successive
strips in the formation of the joint, Fig. 5 being a perspective view of the joint
when sprung apart laterally far enough to permit riveting the facing strip by which
the joint is made steam-tight.
A represents the metallic packing-ring which is made at the outset to form an
unbroken circle. In forming a joint in said ring to allow it to expand or contract
radially with an elastic tension, I first cut a central slot or slit in the periphery of
the ring, with its sides as shown at 6 in Fig. 2. This may be quickly done by,
means of a circular saw. Two oblique cuts d and d¹ are then made in the ring.
parallel with each other to divide it transversely, the one d to extend outwardly on
one side from a point at one end of the slit b, and the other d¹ on the opposite
side outwardly from a point about two-thirds the length to the 'slit. To produce a
steam-tight joint along the circumferential slit without reducing the width of the
ring or imparing the exact parallelism of its opposite tension, and without effecting
its freedom of contraction or expansion by reason of its division I insert within
the slit ba metallic strip E (see Figs. 1, 4, and 5) which so closely fits in said slit
and extends from end to end thereof in close contact with its two sides as to form
a close joint therewith.
The strip E may be made fast in any suitable manner, but by preference a
hole C is drilled in the edge of the portion of the slit which extends beyond the
second oblique cut d¹ in such manner as to partially intersect and cut the strip
inserted in the slit, as shown in Fig. 4, and is tapped to receive a screw F (see
Figs. 1 and 5) which being inserted therein serves to firmly lock and fasten that
end of the strip. The ring A is then sprung apart laterally at its joint, as shown
in Fig. 5, far enough to permit of the drilling of a rivet-hole in the exposed face
of the strip E and into the body of the ring, and the insertion of a rivet H which
completes the fastening of the strip, so as to make it virtually an integral portion
of the ring, supplying thereby the mental removal in cutting out the slit b. The
free face of this strip E, when fitted and secured in place as described, will form a
steam-tight joint with the opposite face of the offset in the cut dividing the ring
when the normal width of the ring is maintained, while the two faces of the joint
will have liberty to move one upon the other, leaving the ring free to expand or
contract, as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: .
1. A divided packing-ring made in one piece, with a single irregular joint, a
portion of which is circumferential in direction, in combination with a metallic strip
inserted in the circumferential length of the joint and secured to one edge thereof
to move freely over the opposite edge, whereby the joint is guarded to prevent a
leak of steam through it without diminishing the normal width of the ring,
substantially in the manner, and for the purpose herein set forth.
2. An elastic divided packing-ring formed in a single piece, of uniform width
throughout, having a circumferential slot cut centrally in the width thereof, of a
length greater than the distance thereof, from either edge of the ring, and
severally extending outwardly from points at or near each end of said slot, in

page_text: combination with an inserted piece filling the width of said slot, and secured to one
edge thereof to move freely over the opposite edge and brake-joint with one of the
lateral cuts, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
Dated this 26th day of March 1891.
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.