IMPROVEMENTS IN PISTON PACKING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PISTON PACKING."-A communication
from abroad by Charles Lowery, of Brooklyn, State of New York, and
Horace Alonzo Miller, of the City of New York, United States of
America.
Sealed the 26th June 1860, and dated the 3rd February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd February 1860.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PISTON PACKING," to be as
follows:-
This Invention of "Improvements in Piston Packing" relates to that kind
of piston packing known as metallic ring packing. It consists in producing
the expansion of the packing ring or rings to make it or them fit the cylinder
in which the piston works by means of two levers, which are fitted to the
central hub or boss of the piston head, and are made to act on a cut metal
ring fitted to the interior of the packing ring or rings. These levers are
operated upon by a cam placed within the body of the piston, so that by

page_text: turning the cam the levers will be made to press against the sides of the cut
or opening in the inner ring, and the said ring will be thereby expanded
equally all round, and so made to press against the interior of the packing
ring or rings, and so made to press it or them outward against the cylinder on
all sides thereof.
The Invention also consists in constructing the levers with hooked ends,
and the sides of the cut or opening in the inner ring are inclined, so as to
receive the hooked ends of the levers, so that the packing ring or rings will
support the piston head, and prevent it from sinking and drawing the rod out
of line with the cylinder.
And it further consists in shutting up the stem or shaft of the cam (by
which the levers are actuated) entirely within the piston, by means of a screw
plug or other stopper fitted to the opening provided for the wrench or key by
which the shaft aud cam are turned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 PISTON PACKING," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of improvements in piston packing relates to that kind of
piston packing known as metallic ring packing. It consists in producing the
expansion of the packing ring or rings to make it or them fit the cylinder in
which the piston works, by means of two levers, which are fitted to the central
hub or boss of the piston head, and are made to act on a cut metal ring fitted
to the interior of the packing ring or rings. These levers are operated upon.
by a cam placed within the body of the piston, so that by turning the cam the
levers will be made to press against the sides of the cut or opening in the
inner ring, and the ring will be thereby expanded equally all round, and so
made to press against the interior of the packing ring or rings, and thus
caused to press it or them outward against the cylinder on all sides thereof.
The Invention also consists in constructing the levers with hooked ends,
and the sides of the cut or opening in the inner ring are inclined, so as to
receive the booked ends of the levers, so that the packing ring or rings will
support the piston head, and prevent it from sinking and drawing the rod out
of line with the cylinder.
And the Invention further consists in shutting up the stem or shaft of the
cam (by which the levers are actuated) entirely within the piston, by means of
a screw plug or other stopper fitted to the opening provided for the wrench or
key by which the shaft and cam are turned.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a section, taken directly through
the axis of a horizontal piston constructed according to the present Invention;
Figure 2 is a section of the same, perpendicular to the axis. Similar letters.
of reference indicate corresponding parts in both Figures.
A is the head of the piston, having the central boss or hub B cast with it;
R is the piston rod; C is the follower plate, secured to the head A by means
of screw bolts a, a, in the usual manner; D, D, are the packing rings, two in
number, cut open obliquely at one point in the usual manner, as shown at b,
in Figure 2, to permit their being opened or expanded; E is the inner ring,
of a depth equal to that of the two packing rings, and fitted to the interior of
those rings. This ring has an opening c (Fig. 2) on one side, the sides of the
said opening being parallel with the axis of the ring, but bevelled from the

page_text: interior toward the exterior in opposite directions, as shown in Figure 2.
This ring has two pins & secured in it to enter the cuts b in the packing rings.
F, F, are levers curved to fit against opposite sides of the hub or boss. B,
which serves for their fulcrum. These levers are so arranged that their
arms g, g', enter the opening c, and one of the arms lays against one side, and
the other against the opposite side of the opening c; the arm f¹ of the
lever Frests against one of the sockets a', a', that are provided on the piston
head for the bolts a, a, to pass through, and the arms f of the lever F rest
against the cam G. This cam is fast on a short shaft h, which works in one
bearing in the piston, and in another in the follower, and the end of this shaft
which enters the follower is made with a square h¹ to receive a wrench, by
which to turn it to bring the cam into operation on the lever F for the
purpose of expanding the ring E. The shaft h has secured upon it a ratchet
wheel H, and a pawl i attached to the inside of the follower C is pressed
against the ratchet wheel by a spring j to prevent the cam from turning in the
opposite direction to that in which it is required to turn to bring the lever into
operation to expand the ring E, and to arrest the cam in the position to which
it may be adjusted. The packing rings are adjusted or set out in the following
manner-The piston is placed within the cylinder before the rings are
expanded, in which condition it fits the cylinder loosely, and after it has been
properly connected with the engine, the cam G is turned by applying a wrench
to the square h¹ of its shaft in such a manner as to make it press the arm f of
the lever F toward the arm f' of the lever F¹, and by that means the arm g
of the lever F is made to press upon its side of the opening c of the ring E.
This pressure has a tendency to turn the ring, but is counteracted by the
pressure of the arm g¹ of the lever F' against the opposite side of the gap, and
hence the two levers are made to press upon the ring in opposite directions,
and to expand it circumferentially- against the packing rings D, D, and to
force the rings outward against all sides of the cylinder. When the packing
rings have worn so as to require expanding or setting out, a slight turn of the
cam will be sufficient to make it tight again, and as the expansion is equal all
round, the cylinder will always wear circular, and never require re-boring.
The levers should be made of steel, so as to possess some elasticity. Figure 2
represents the ends of the arms g, g¹, bent to hook over the bevelled sides of
the cut c of the ring E, and the cut at the top of the said ring. By this means
the piston head is kept suspended from the rings, and the piston rod is kept
in line with the cylinder. In a piston which is arranged to work vertically
the cut c may be on any side, and its two sides may be parallel with each
other, and the arms g, g', of the levers may be straight. Figure 1 represents

page_text: the square end of the shaft h of the cam G as entirely within the hole provided
in the follower to receive the wrench, and the said hole as being closed by a
screw plug 7, by which the piston is shut up steam-tight. This plug is taken
out when the cam is required to be turned, in order to set out the packing
rings.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me
from abroad, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, as described by my foreign correspondent,―
I claim the mode herein set forth of constructing the elastic metallic
packing of pistons.
I claim particularly the combination of the levers F, F, acted upon by a
cam or its equivalent, so as to press the levers apart, and cause them to act on
the split or cut ring which forces out the packing rings.
I also claim shutting or enclosing the cam G or its equivalent in the
piston.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)