CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PISTONS FOR TIGHTENING OR ADJUSTING THE PACKING OF THE SAME, AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OP SUCH PISTONS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Hinchliffe, junior, of Damside, near Halifax,
in the County of York, Cotton Spinner, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PISTONS FOR TIGHTENING OR ADJUSTING THE
PACKING OF THE SAME, AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OP
SUCH PISTONS."-A communication.
Sealed the 21st April 1854, and dated the 17th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Hinchliffe at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th February 1854.
I, JOSEPH HINCHLIFFE, junior, of Damside, near Halifax, in the County of
York, Cotton Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PISTONS FOR TIGHTENING OR ADJUSTING THE
PACKING OF THE SAME, AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH
PISTONS," (which has been communicated to me by a person residing abroad),
to be as follows:-
This Invention applies principally to tightening or adjusting the packing
of pistons of steam and other engines, pumps, &c., without the necessity of
removing the cover or top of the cylinders or pumps wherein the pistons are
employed, or of removing the pistons themselves from such cylinders, as
hitherto has been the case whenever they have required adjustment; and,
secondly, this Invention applies to the manner of constructing and arranging
the several parts of such pistons to be so operated upon.

page_text: In order to effect the above purpose, the piston rod is made hollow, and
contains a rod whose inner extremity is made fast to a "follower," which is
made so as to be moved between the two flanges of the piston, and by a suit-
able arrangement of the connecting parts the internal rod is adapted to slide
within the hollow piston rod, so that the packing of the piston may be tightened
or loosened as...required, and without taking off either of the cylinder covers
or ends.
The packing rings are arranged and combined between the two flanges of
the piston, so as to be operated upon by the "follower" (or its equivalents)
connected to the internal rod.
The packing rings consist of two or more outer and a corresponding number
of inner rings, and are sawn through obliquely on one side, leaving a small
opening so as to cause them to be elastic, having their opposing surfaces or
peripheries turned conical so that the outer and inner rings may be fitted
together, and these packing rings are to be acted upon by means of-the
adjustable or internal piston rod, so that they may be tightened or adjusted in
the manner required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Hinchliffe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
HINCHLIFFE, junior, of Damside, near Halifax, in the County of York, Cotton
Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Hinchliffe, Her especial license that I, the said Joseph Hinchliffe,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Hinchliffe, 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 Cannel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC
PISTONS FOR TIGHTENING OR ADJUSTING THE PACKING OF THE SAME, AND ALSO
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION. OF SUCH PISTONS" (which has been com-
municated to me by a. person residing abroad), upon the condition, amongst

page_text: others, that I, the said Joseph Hinchliffe, by an instrument in writing under
my band 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 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 Joseph Hinchliffe 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,
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
This Invention applies principally to tightening or adjusting the packing of
pistons of steam and other engines, pumps, &c., without the necessity of re-
moving the cover or top of the cylinders or pump wherein the pistons are
employed, or of removing the pistons themselves from such cylinders, as hitherto
has been the case whenever they have required adjustment; and, secondly,
this Invention applies to the manner of constructing and arranging the several
parts of such pistons to be so operated upon. In order to effect the above
purpose the piston rod is made hollow, and contains a rod whose inner ex-
tremity is made fast to a follower, which is made so as to be moved between
the two flanges of the piston, and by a suitable arrangement of the connecting
parts the internal rod is adapted to slide within the hollow piston rod, so that
the packing of the piston may be tightened or loosened as required, and with-
out taking off either of the cylinder covers or ends. The packing rings are
arranged and combined between the two flanges of the piston, so as to be
operated upon by the "follower" or its equivalents connected to the internal rod.
The packing rings consist of two or more outer and a corresponding number
of inner rings, and are sawn through obliquely on one side, having a small
opening. so as to cause them to be elastic, having their opposing surfaces or
peripheries turned conical so that the outer and inner rings may be fitted
together, and these packing rings are to be acted upon by means of the adjust-
able or internal piston rod, so that they may be tightened or adjusted in the
manner required.
But in order that this Invention may be better understood and explained
in detail, I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, having in the various
Figures the same letters of reference marked on similar parts. Fig. 1
represents this Invention in elevation applied to the cylinder of a pump;
Fig. 2 is a section of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan of the top rings in the
packing; and Fig. 4, a plan of the lower rings. The piston rod a is made
hollow, and contains a rod b, whose inner extremity is made fast to a follower d,
which is made so as to be moved between the two flanges of the piston, as will

page_text: be hereafter described. Near the outer end of this internal rod a "through"
mortice is made corresponding with a longer mortice made through the hollow
piston rod; near the place where it is made fast to the cross head within the
said mortice in the internal rod a key d is made to fit which projects a little at
each end on the outside of the piston rod. On the outside of the piston rod a
suitable screw thread is cut, extending an inch or two (more or less) on each
side of the mortice therein, and to this screw two nuts e and fare adapted.
Between these two screw nuts a suitable collar 9 is made, so as to slide freely
over the threads of the screw on the piston rod a. This collar has a groove or
slot cut in on one side, and into which slot the two projecting ends of the key
(which fits in the mortice in the internal rod aforesaid) fits flush, so that by
screwing either of the nuts up against the said collar combined with the key,
and continuing to operate the nut, the said internal rod 6 is caused to slide
within the piston rod a in either of the two directions of its length, and can
then be made fast by screwing up the other nut against the opposite side of the
said collar g. It will now be readily perceived that if this rod thus adapted
to slide within the hollow piston rod is so connected with the follower n be-
tween the two flanges i and j of the piston aforesaid, the packing of the piston
may be tightened or loosened without taking off either of the cylinder covers.
I proceed now to describe the manner in which I attach the follower to the
internal rod aforesaid, and construct and arrange the piston and packing so as
to be operated upon (tightened or adjusted) without taking off either of the
cylinder covers as aforesaid. The piston head or upper flange of the piston i
is permanently secured on the end of the piston rod in the usual way, but the
rod being hollow its end projects through the centre of the said piston head
or flange, and has a screw thread cut on the projecting end, to which a covered
nut k is adapted and screwed up against the flange steam tight so as to prevent
the steam escaping through the hollow piston rod. The other or opposite
flange j of the piston is made adjustable on the piston rod so as to be secured
firmly up against the packing rings (hereafter to be described) by means of a
screw nut 7, which works in a thread cut on the piston rod on the outside of
this flange, and is accurately faced to the flange so as to be steam-tight.
Between these two flanges the packing rings are arranged and combined so as
to be operated upon by the follower connected to the rod, which slides in the
piston rod aforesaid as follows:-The packing rings consist of two or more
outer and a corresponding number of inner rings; the outer rings m and n are.
made each of a like diameter, which is a little greater than the diameter of the
bore of the cylinder, and sawn through obliquely on one side, leaving a small
opening o, o, so that they can be sprung into the cylinder, and fit with their

page_text: peripheries or concentric surfaces steam tight against the cylinder, as has here-
tofore been the practice. The inner concentric surfaces of these rings are
made conical, and adapted to corresponding conical surfaces on the peripheries
of the internal rings p and q, and are also sawn through obliquely on one side.
These inner rings p and q are turned out sufficiently on the inner sides to
make them in some degree elastic or yielding like the outer rings m and n, and
the inner and outer rings fitted together on their conical surfaces, so that their
edges may be about flush with each other on both sides when put into the
cylinder, and the side of one inner ring being pressed against only by the adjacent
side of the next inner ring or the follower. These sets of double rings have
their adjacent edges turned so as to fit steam-tight with each other when in
the same plane, and also in like manner the edges adjacent to the inside edges
of the piston flanges i and j. The piston flanges are turned out or recessed
on their inner sides so as to leave a projection fitting steam tight against
the adjacent edges of the outer packing rings m and n, but not touching the
inner rings p and q. On the side of the inner ring p, next to the adjustable
piston flange, a recess is made, into which the follower r may fit flush, or with
its outer surface a little deeper than the outer surface of the ring. This
follower fits smoothly over the piston rod, and entirely through which piston
rod at this place a mortice is made somewhat longer than a corresponding
mortice which is also made through the inner rod (similar to the mortices
described as made through the other ends of these rods).
Fitting into the mortice in the inner rod is a key s, which projects at each
end over the outside of the piston rod. The double rings being now placed
with their corresponding edges together, and pressed against the projecting
edge of the piston head or stationary flange, the follower is placed in the recess
of its adjacent inner ring, and the key driven tightly into the mortice in the
internal rod b. The adjustable flange of the piston is now pressed up with its
projecting edge bearing against the edge of the outer ring, but not touching the
inner ring (the recess in said flange being adapted to clear the said inner ring.
follower, and its keys; the nut on the piston rod is now screwed up steam
tight against the said adjustable piston flange, and the arrangement is complete.
Suppose now the piston is within the cylinder of the engine, and the cylinder
covers applied, and the engine completed for action, it is obvious that if the
packing is too loose or too tight it can be readily adjusted to the proper state
without taking off either of the cylinder covers by forcing in or drawing out
the follower attached to the inner rod by simply turning or operating the two
nuts e and f, which are adapted to bear on either or both sides of the collar g,
which is combined with the key on the piston rod near the cross-head, as

page_text: before described.
It is also intended to use elliptical or semi-elliptical springs
whenever it may be desired (as in very large engines) by making the double
packing rings thinner, and fitting one within the other, with their inner
and outer concentric surfaces both parallel with each other and with the sides
of the cylinder, and the said springs (by means of bevel or conical segments
or pieces secured upon the springs) operated by a conical flange on the
follower projecting under the pieces or segments and adapted thereto, and
connected with the rod which slides within the hollow piston rod, as before
described. In the above description the piston head is made stationary on the
piston rod, and the opposite flange the adjustable one, but it is obvious that
these may be reversed so as to make the piston head adjustable and the oppo-
site flange stationary, as may be desired; in which latter case the follower would
be let into the inner ring next to the piston head, in short, the whole arrange-
ment of the piston would be simply reversed. In either case the oblique cuts
in the rings of each pair are placed so as to break joints, say, at an angle of
ninety degrees to each other, as is the usual practice.
Having thus particularly described this Invention (as communicated to me),
I wish it to be particularly understood that I claim,-
First, tightening or adjusting the packing of the piston by means of the rod
passed down through the hollow piston rod and attached to the follower, the
nuts, collar, and key, or their equivalents, combined with the piston rod, and
operating substantially as described in this Specification.
Second, I claim the peculiar construction and arrangement of those parts of
the piston (either with or without the elliptical or semi-elliptical springs)
whereby the elastic packing rings may be effectually tightened or adjusted in
the cylinder by means of a follower operating between the two flanges of the
piston upon the packing rings, so as to produce the effect as herein described,
the said follower being attached to the rod passing down through the hollow
piston rod, as before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Hinchliffe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
JOSEPH HINCHLIFFE, J". (L.S.)