Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 7th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 19th Apr., 1887.
I ALEXANDER MAC LAINE of No. 1 Queens Elms Belfast in the County of Antrim
Shipowner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I construct Pistons for Steam Engines with two three, four, or more grooves formed
in and around the outside of the piston heal or junk ring where close to the inner
surface of the cylinder, and I fit into cach of these grooves a metallic packing ring
cut through transversely in one place enabling the ring to be expanded over the piston
head or junk ring in getting it into its groove and I expand each packing ring
circumferentially outwards against the inner surface of the cylinder by means of a
main coil spring fitted at the ends of the ring where cut through and arranged to
press the ends apart and expand the packing ring circumferentially outwards as
aforesaid; and I by preference maintain said coil spring in position by passing through
it a loose small bar or rod with its ends inserted in and secured with pins or other
fastenings in jaws formed on the ends of the ring, or the main coil spring may be
maintained in position by studs attached to the rings and projecting into the main
coil spring.
The main coil springs may be either straight or curved and the ends thereof are by
preference made to bear against steel washers which are made of different thicknesses
in order to determine the force of the spring in expanding the packing ring
circumferentially against the inner surface of the cylinder after the packing rings and
main coil springs have been compressed therein; and I may construct the packing
rings weak at the back and strong at the jaws, and I may fit steam tight tongue pieces
across the cuts in the packing rings, and may cut the packing rings transversely
through in more than one place and fit a main coil spring to each cut; and, in
combination with arrangements substantially as aforesaid, I fit auxiliary spiral springs
between the packing ring and the piston head arranged to assist the main coil spring
in expanding the packing ring circumferentially outwards against the inner surface of
the cylinder as aforesaid; and I may use these auxiliary spiral springs for expanding
the packing ring as aforesaid without the aid of a main coil spring, and may conse
quently dispense with the use of the said main coil spring; and I declare that I do
not limit myself to a spiral form for the auxiliary springs as aforesaid, and may use
C or other suitable form of springs for the purpose aforesaid.
Dated this Twenty seventh day of Augusi 1886.

page_text: I ALEXANDER MAO LAINE of number one Queens Elms Belfast in County of Antrim,
Shipowner do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PISTONS
FOR STEAM ENGINES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
I construct Pistons for Steam Engines with two, three, four or more grooves
formed in and around the outside of the Piston-head or junk ring where close to the
inner surface of the cylinder, and I fit into each of these grooves a metallic packing
ring cut through transversely in one place (which together with its light construction
enables the ring to be expanded over the piston-head or junk ring in getting it into
its groove) and I make steam tight the cut in the packing ring by fitting across it
an ordinary separate tongue-piece of brass or other metal. I expand each packing
ring circumferentially outwards against the inner surface of the cylinder by means of
a main coil spring fitted at the ends of the packing ring where cut through and
arranged so as to press the ends apart and expand the packing ring circumferentially
outwards as aforesaid and in combination with the parts I have already described I
fit auxiliary spiral springs between the packing ring and the piston head or junk ring
arranged at intervals in recesses which I form in the piston head or junk ring to
receive them in order to assist the main coil spring in the expansion of the packing
ring circumferentially outward as aforesaid, and I may cut the packing rings
transversely through in more than one place and employ a corresponding number of
main coil springs arranged as above described: or I may increase the number and
force of the springs above described as auxiliary spiral springs according to
circumstances and may use such springs for expanding the packing rings as aforesaid
without the aid of any main coil springs: or I may employ only the main coil spring
or springs I have described and altogether dispense with the use of any spiral spring
or springs. I make the main coil springs either straight or curved and, by preference,
maintain them in position by passing through them loose small bars or rods with the
ends inserted and secured with pins or other fastenings in jaws formed on the ends or
jaws of the packing rings; or the coil springs may be maintained in position by studs
attached to the packing rings and projecting into the coil springs, the ends of which
may be made to bear against steel washers made of different thicknesses in order to
determine the force to be exerted by the main coil springs in expanding the packing
rings circumferentially outwards as aforesaid after the packing rings and springs have
been compressed in the cylinder. I may employ a steam tight tongue piece across
each cut in the packing rings and I make the tongue pieces, by preference, with a
check and fix them at one end with screw pins. I do not limit myself to the use of

page_text: the spiral springs above described but I may use coach, waved or other springs
suitable for the purposes aforesaid.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood I shall now
proceed to refer to the drawings upon the sheets hereunto annexed the same letters
of reference indicating the same or corresponding parts of my apparatus throughout
all the figures.
Fig. I is a sectional elevation of a steam piston head fitted with a junk ring in which
grooves are formed to contain the packing rings.
Fig. II is a half plan of a packing ring showing the main coil spring and steel
washers fitted on a bar at the transverse cut in the packing ring and arranged with a
tongue piece formed of a separate piece of metal and fitted across the cut and some
spiral springs fitted inside of the packing ring.
Fig. III is an enlargement of a section through the packing ring, coil spring and
tongue piece on the line A, A.
Fig. IV is an enlargement of a section through the packing ring on the line B, B
showing the ends or jaws of the ring and the pin for securing the end of the main coil
spring bar.
Fig. V is an enlargement of a section through the packing ring on the line C, C
showing a spiral spring fitted inside of the packing ring.
Fig. VI is an enlargement of an elevation of the main coil spring and bar, looking
from the inside, and shows the main coil spring bar, steel washers, ends or jaws of the
ring and the pins and also the cut in the
ring.
Fig. VII is an elevation of a piston partly in section in which grooves are formed
in the body of the piston to contain the packing rings which are partly shown.
Fig. VIII is a half plan of a packing ring showing a tongue piece formed of a
separate piece of metal and fitted across the cut in the ring with spiral springs placed
at intervals inside the packing ring without any main coil spring.
Fig. LX is an enlargement of a section of the packing ring and tongue piece on the
line B, D.
Fig. X is an enlargement of an elevation of the packing ring and tongue piece
externally showing the cut in the packing ring and screw pins fastening one end of
the tongue piece and
Fig. XI is an enlargement of a section through the packing ring and coil spring on
the line E, E.
" is the piston body-b is the junk ring-c, c, e ure grooves round the body of the
piston or of the junk ring each containing a packing ring-d, d are the packing
rings is the main coil spring is the main coil spring bar-y is the pin for
securing the main coil spring bar fin position-i, are the steel washers for
determining the force of the main coil springs-h, hare jaws or shoulders on the
packing rings to stay the washer-k is an ordinary separate tongue piece of brass or
other metal made in any convenient shape-m, m are pins for securing one end of the
tongue pieces is the transverse cut in the ring-o, o are spiral springs fitted inside
the ring in recesses made in the piston head or junk ring and p is the check in the
tongue piece.
-n
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 is.
1st. The use in Steam pistons of junk rings or piston-heals grooved and combined
with packing rings and main coil springs constructed and employed substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein before described and shown in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
2ndly. The use in Steam pistons of junk rings or piston-heads grooved and
combined with packing rings and recessed spiral springs constructed and employed
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and shown in
the drawings hereunto annexed.
Brdly. The use in Steam pistons of junk rings or piston heads grooved and
combined with packing rings and spiral, coach, waved or other springs constructed

page_text: and employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described
and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
4thly. The use in steam pistons of junk rings or piston heads grooved and
combined with packing rings and main coil and spiral, coach, waved or other springs
constructed and employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and shown in the drawings hereunto annexed.
5thly. The use in steam pistons of junk rings or piston-heads springs and packing
rings aforesaid combined with the use of separate metallic tongue pieces in the packing
rings constructed and employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein before described and shown in the drawings hereunto annexed and
6thly. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the automatic steam
tight piston and elastic packing above mentioned constructed and applied substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and referred to and
illustrated by the several drawings hereunto annexed.
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