Metallic packing

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS HAVING A RECIPROCATING MEMBER HAVING AN OUTSIDE CYLINDRICAL CIRCUMFERENCE MOVING IN A CYLINDER AND SUBJECT TO A PREDETERMINED FLUID PRESSURE OF 10,000 P.S.I. OR HIGHER, A SEALING DEVICE COMPRISING: A PACKING BODY INCLUDING A BORE SLIDABLY RECEIVING SAID RECIPROCATING MEMBER AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY SPACED ANNULAR GROOVES FORMED ON THE INTERIOR OF SAID BORE; A PLURALITY OF ANNULAR RINGS MOUNTED AROUND SAID RECIPROCATING MEMBER WITH EACH RING BEING MOVABLY MOUNTED IN A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID GROOVES IN SAID PACKING BODY; EACH ANNULAR RING HAVING A CIRCULAR BORE OF PREDETERMINED DIAMETER TO RECEIVE SAID RECIPROCATING MEMBER WITH A PREDETERMINED INITIAL CLEARANCE THEREBETWEEN, WHEN SAID FLUID PRESSURE IS ABSENT, AND FURTHER HAVING AN OUTER CIRCULAR CIRCUMFERENCE OF PREDETERMINED DIAMETER THEREBY PROVIDING SAID RING WITH A PREDETERMINED RADIAL THICKNESS, AND A CONSTANT RADIAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AROUND ITS ENTIRE CIRCIRCUMFERENCE; SAID PLURALITY OF RINGS BEING MOUNTED AROUND SAID RECIPROCATING MEMBER TO WITHSTAND A DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THEM WITH A FIRST RING BEING LOCATED CLOSEST TO SAID PREDETERMINED FLUID PRESSURE AND BEING ARRANGED WITH ITS OUTSIDE CIRCUMFERENCE AND ONE END FACE SUBJECT TO SAID PREDETERMINED FLUID PRESSURE; EACH RING BEING FORMED OF A METALLIC IMPREVIOUS MATERIAL HAVING A PREDETERMINED MODULUS OF ELASTICITY OF AT LEAST 65X106 AND HAVING SUBSTANTIAL STRENGTH TO RESIST STRESSES; SAID PREDETERMINED RADIAL THICKNESS AND PREDETERMINED MODULUS OF ELASTICITY BEING SELECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID PREDETERMINED FLUID PRESSURE TO ALLOW SAID FLUID PRESSURE TO PLACE EACH RING IN COMPRESSION AND, AS A RESULT, TO ELASTICALLY REDUCE THE SIZE OF SAID CIRCULAR BORE TO A SMALLER CIRCULAR BORE SURROUNDING SAID RECIPROCATING MEMBER WITH ALMOST ZERO CLEARANCE THEREBETWEEN WITHOUT PERMANENTLY DEFORMING SAID RING AND WITHOUT CREATING FRICTIONAL DRAG BE TWEEN SAID RING AND SAID RECIPROCATING MEMBER; AND SAID PREDETERMINED INITIAL CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST RING AND SAID ROD BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE PREDETERMINED INITIAL CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE REMAINDER OF SAID RINGS AND SAID ROD.