An Improved Packing for the Stuffing Boxes of Piston Rods and other Rods Requiring Packing.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Packing for the Stuffing Boxes of Piston Rods and
other Rods Requiring Packing.
ALFRED COCKS Consulting Engineer 58 Lawford Road, London, N.W. do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the rings pressing inwards on which the rols wears besides at least one cut
being taken completely through the section of the rings one or any suitable
number of cuts may be made partially through the section of the inner rings
preferably but not necessarily at the angle of the mitre of each ring wearing on
any rod.
Similar cuts may be made in the outer rings besides the one cut or more
completely through the section as named for the inner rings more elasticity will
thus be insured to allow each ring to work more easily to its place in case the rod
or stuffing box are not accurately turned or bored or are unequally worn.
The insertion of one or more rings of any suitable material turned on rim to
diameter of stuffing box and with hole bored to the diameter of the rod and turned
convex on one side of the ring and concave on the other, these rings preferably
made of a suitable metallic material must necessarily tend to flatten when the gland
is screwed theron and as the stuffing box will resist the pressure outwards the ring
will press inwards and thus maintain a perfectly close fitting wearing surface on the
rod or plungers working through and will thus remain until the rim is pressed level
in the stuffing box by the pressure of the gland as before mentioned, these rings
may be turned in one ring or may be cut in two or more parts but the segments
must butt or touch each other when inserted into the stuffing box they may be
placed between the other valves or next to the gland in the stuffing box and when
working under fair conditions no other means will be required to resist any known
working steam water, or other pressure used in machinery.
Dated this 6th day of September 1895.
An Improved Packing for the Stuffing Boxes of Piston Rods and
other Rods Requiring Packing.
I, ALFRED COCKS, of 58 Lawford Road, London, N.W., Consulting 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved packing suitable for the stuffing-boxes of
piston rods, hydraulic rams, stern glands, and the like, as I shall now describe with
reference to the accompanying drawings wherein
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation showing an example of my improved packing as
applied to a piston-rod, and Figs. 2 & 3 are detail views thereof.
Fig. 4 is a cross section, to a smaller scale showing a modification.
The packing in the example shown comprises a number of metallic rings 1
J
3

page_text: (hereinafter called the inner rings) each having a conical periphery; a number of
metallic rings 2 (hereinafter called the outer rings) each having a cylindrical
periphery, a conical recess on one side to partly receive the conical periphery of
the adjacent inner ring, and flat at its other side; and a ring 3 which is made
concave on one side and convex on the other and is arranged between the inner and
outer rings 1-2 and the gland 4 of the stuffing box 5. Each inner ring 1, which
is of hard material such as brass or gun-metal, is bored to fit the piston rod 6, and
has a radial cut 7, which passes completely through it and also a number of other
cuts 8 (Fig. 2) which pass from the inside of the ring partially through the ring,
preferably ending in a line 8ª (Fig. 1) parallel to its conical periphery. These
cuts 8 in conjunction with the cuts 7 enable the rings 1, when compressed, to easily
close in on the rod 6 so as to form a fluid tight joint therewith, and so prevent
steam or other fluid escaping between the rod and the packing. Furthermore by
cutting each ring 1 completely through only at one point instead of at two or more
points, as heretofore usual, the use of fibrous packing in conjunction with the rings
to prevent the stuffing box leaking is obviated.
Each outer ring 2, which is also of a hard material such as brass or gun-metal, is
turned to fit the stuffing box 5, bored to loosely fit the piston rod, and has a cut 9
which passes completely through it so as to enable the ring to spring and acccom-
modate itself to any slight inaccuracy in the bore of the stuffing box and form a
fluid tight joint therewith, the cut 9 in each ring 2 being arranged to break joint
with the cuts 7 in adjacent rings 1. The concavo-convex ring 3 which is made of
a soft ductile metal such as Babbits or anti-friction metal, is turned to fit the
stuffing box 5 and bored to fit the piston-rod 6 so that when the gland 4 is screwed
up, the ring 3 will be flattened out and, the stuffing box resisting its outward
pressure, its inner edge is caused to press against the piston-rod 6 and form a fluid
tight joint therewith. At the same time the pressure of the gland 4 causes the
inner rings 1 to be forced further into the outer rings 2 with the result that the
inner rings will be pressed tightly against the piston rod 5 and the outer rings 2
against the inner surface of the stuffing box 5 and a tight joint formed with each
of these parts.
As will be obvious, various modifications may be made in the construction of the
packing hereinbefore described. For example, the numbers of rings 1 and 2 may
be less or greater than that shown, and they may be variously arranged on the rod
to be packed. Thus two outer rings 2 may be placed, with their flat faces together,
between each two inner rings 1. The number of cuts 7 and 8 in the inner rings 1
may also be varied and the outer rings 2 may be provided with a number of cuts
extending partly through it like the cuts 8 in the rings 1 in order to give the said
rings 2 more elasticity and enable them to fit the stuffing box more closely. Also
the shape of the soft metal ring 3 may be varied as shown for example in Fig. 4
where it is represented as made of hollow truncated conical form and is arranged
to be compressed by a gun metal ring 10 which has no radial cut and which may
be placed between the stuffing box gland and the ring 3 and is recessed on one side
in such a way as to press against the central sinaller part of the said ring so as to
compress this part around the rod 6 when the gland is screwed up.
A ring such
as 3 can be used in packing of various kinds. More than one ring 3 may be
employed, and each of them may be made either whole or in two or more segments,
but such segments must abut against one another when the ring is in use.
the rings 1, 2 and 3 may be arranged on the rod or the like in any desired order so
long as each inner ring 1 partly enters the conical recess in an adjacent outer
ring 2, and the ring 3, or each such ring may be placed between the flat surfaces
of two adjacent rings 2, or preferably between the recessed side of an uncut ring
such as 10 and another uncut ring 11 having opposite flat surfaces as shown in
Fig 4. A ring such as 11 may advantageously be inserted in every case between
a soft metal ring such as 3 and the next adjacent cut ring 1 or 2 in order to prevent
a portion of the soft metal ring entering the cut or cuts in the latter ring and
interfering with its proper action.
Also

page_text: By the use of packing of the kind hereinbefore described a practically fluid tight
joint can be obtained, and the wear of the rods packed thereby will be rendered
more uniform and with less scoring than heretofore usual with other packing
arrangements. Also under most conditions, the rebushing of glands and the
replacing of neck pieces will be rendered practically unnecessary, or much less
frequent, with my packing than usual, as the rods or the like, especially when
working horizontally, are kept true to position, rendering wear on the bushes and
neck pieces almost it. Furthermore by not cutting the outer rings 2 completely
through as at 9, the packing can be made floating, that is to say, the said rings can
be made smaller in diameter than the stuffing box whereby the packing will be
enabled to more laterally in the stufling box should there be any vibration on the
rod, plunger or the like whilst it is working.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
1 claim is
1. In packing for the stuffing box of a piston rod or other rod requiring to be
packed, a ring of soft ductile metal such as set forth recessed on one side and
extended on the other so that when compressed end ways it will be readily caused.
to bear closely against the rod to be packed and against the stuffing box and form
a fluid tight joint with both, substantially as described.
2. A stuffing box packing comprising one or more inner rings each having a
conical periphery and cut completely through at one or more points and partly
through at other points, one or more outer rings each recessed on one side to
partly receive the conical end of an adjacent inner ring, and one or more soft metal
compressible rings each recessed on one side and extended on the other, the
arrangement being such that when the rings are compressed endways, the inner
rings will be caused to close on the rod or the like to be packed, and the
compressible ring or rings will be caused to bear closely against both the rod or
the like and the stuffing box, substantially as herein described for the purpose
specified.
3. Stuffing box packing constructed arranged and operating substantially as
described and shown.