Patent ID: 7628380

Claim:
A valve assembly for use in valves, pumps, motors, and the like, said valve assembly comprising: a stem element; a body having a passageway for receiving said stem element, a diameter of a portion of said passageway being greater than a diameter of said stem element to form a stem space; a packing element received around said stem element in said stem space, said packing element having a longitudinal dimension along said passageway; a packing gland configured to attach to said body, said packing gland receiving said stem element therethrough, said packing gland applying a compressive force at said packing element and causing said packing element to radially expand and thus substantially seal said stem element relative to said body; wherein said packing gland flexes from an initial unflexed state to a flexed state when attached to said body, said packing gland being biased toward said initial unflexed state to provide a substantially consistent compressive force at said packing element as said packing element deteriorates over time; wherein said elastic material has a flexural modulus in a range of approximately 2.6×10 6 psi to approximately 3.4×10 6 psi; and wherein said packing gland comprises a fiberglass composite material.