COMPRESSIBLE PACKING LIVE LOADING APPARATUS

摘要

A live-loading assembly for exerting a sealing force on a compressible packing structure of a fluid handling device, such as a valve or pump, includes a pair of gland bolts each movably extending through opposite end lids of a tubular cartridge and through a Belleville spring stack disposed within the cartridge and bearing on a tubular piston rod having an end portion extending outwardly through one of the lids and having a spring force indicating scale disposed thereon. When packing force adjustment nuts are tightened onto the bolts, to increase the compression force exerted on the packing structures, one of the lids on each cartridge moves along the associated exposed piston rod scale to thereby provide a visual indication of the amount of spring force being created by each tightened nut.

主权项

1. A dynamically-loaded packing system for installation on gland follower bolts to exert thrust through a gland follower to a fluid sealing packing structure, said dynamically-loaded packing system comprising:
a spring cartridge having a cylindrical body with a top lid secured to a top end thereof and having a central aperture for receiving a first gland follower bolt, and a bottom lid secured to a bottom end of said cylindrical body and having a central aperture; a stack of Belleville springs disposed within said cylindrical body; and a calibrated piston rod movably received in said central aperture of said bottom lid and having an end portion projecting outwardly through said central aperture of said bottom lid, said piston rod having an aperture extending therethrough for movably receiving the first gland follower bolt, said end portion of said calibrated piston rod having a visible scale disposed thereon,
wherein, with the first gland follower bolt movably extended through said piston rod, said stack of Belleville springs, and said central aperture of said top lid, and with a nut tightened onto the first gland follower bolt to compress said stack of Belleville springs, said scale provides a visual indication of the magnitude of spring compression.