High-pressure packing gland

Claim 2

A high-pressure packing gland adapted for surrounding a portion of an elongated core member having an external polymeric covering, said packing gland comprising gripping means adapted for applying a series of gripping forces against said polymeric covering in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said elongated core member, said gripping means including a plurality of layers of viscoelastic material disposed in a single stacked formation, said stacked formation of layers having means defining a bore formed therein, said polymeric covered core member being normally disposed within said bore and extending therethrough, compressing means for applying a compressive force to said stacked formation of layers in sufficient degree to distort said viscoelastic material and to effect its constriction around said polymeric covering to such an extent as to exert a restraining frictional force thereon, said packing gland being characterized by having distributing means for distributing said frictional force along said core member at spaced intervals for forming a series of annular indentations in said polymeric covering for increasing said restraining frictional force, said distributing means including a plurality of layers of incompressible material disposed in said stacked formation in such a manner that each of said layers of incompressible material is interposed between a respectively different pair of said layers of viscoelastic material whereby said annular indentations are spaced apart by distances corresponding to the thicknesses of the individual layers of said incompressible material, and impeding means for impeding extrusion of said polymeric covering through said bore, said impeding means including an additional layer of viscoelastic material disposed in said stacked formation for receiving said compressive force, and said additional layer of viscoelastic material having a different characteristic than each of the layers in said plurality of layers of viscoelastic material such that it is adapted to respond to said compressive force by constricting around said polymeric covering to a greater extent for forming therein a deeper annular indentation.

Claim 3

A high-pressure packing gland adapted for surrounding a portion of an elongated core member having an external covering of plastically deformable material, said packing glaNd comprising a plurality of layers of incompressible material disposed in a stacked formation, said stacked formation of layers having means defining a bore therein of such size as to receive snugly therein the circumference of said covered core member, said covered core member being normally disposed within said bore and extending therethrough, gripping means adapted for applying a series of gripping forces along a portion of the length of said core member in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said core member, said gripping means including a plurality of layers of compressible material disposed in said stacked formation in such a manner that each of said layers of compressible material is interlocated between a respectively different pair of said layers of incompressible material, compressing means for applying a compressive force to said stacked formation of interlocated layers in sufficient degree to compress and distort each of said layers of compressible material for effecting their constriction around said covered core member to such an extent as to form a series of annular indentations in said plastically deformable covering, said annular indentations being spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said core member by distances corresponding to the thicknesses of the individual layers of said incompressible material, and impeding means for impeding extrusion of said plastically deformable covering through said bore, said impeding means including means for rendering at least one of said gripping forces stronger than the other of said gripping forces for thereby forming a deeper annular indentation in said plastically deformable covering, and said last-mentioned means being constituted by one of said layers of compressible material having a different characteristic than the other of said layers of compressible material such that it responds to said compressive force by applying a greater degree of constriction to said plastically deformable covering.

Claim 4

A high-pressure packing gland adapted for surrounding a portion of an elongated core member having an external covering of plastically deformable material, said packing glaNd comprising a plurality of layers of incompressible material disposed in a stacked formation, said stacked formation of layers having means defining a bore therein of such size as to receive snugly therein the circumference of said covered core member, said covered core member being normally disposed within said bore and extending therethrough, gripping means adapted for applying a series of gripping forces along a portion of the length of said core member in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said core member, said gripping means including a plurality of layers of compressible material disposed in said stacked formation in such a manner that each of said layers of compressible material is interlocated between a respectively different pair of said layers of incompressible material, compressing means for applying a compressive force to said stacked formation of interlocated layers in sufficient degree to compress and distort each of said layers of compressible material for effecting their constriction around said covered core member to such an extent as to form a series of annular indentations in said plastically deformable covering, said annular indentations being spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said core member by distances corresponding to the thicknesses of the individual layers of said incompressible material, and impeding means for impeding extrusion of said plastically deformable covering through said bore, said impeding means including means for rendering at least one of said gripping forces stronger than the other of said gripping forces for thereby forming a deeper annular indentation in said plastically deformable covering, and said last-mentioned means being constituted by one of said layers of compressible material having a different characteristic than the other of said layers of compressible material such that it responds to said compressive force by applying a greater degree of constriction to said plastically deformable covering.

Claim 5

A high-pressure packing gland adapted for surrounding a portion of an electrical conductor having an external covering and extending out of a pressure vessel having a hollow interior which is at a different pressure than the exterior of said vessel, said pressure vessel having means defining a port formed therein, said packing gland comprising a body member having means defining a cavity formed therein with a hole extending through the bottom thereof, means for fixedly attaching said body member to said pressure vessel with said hole aligned with said port, both said port and said hole being of sufficient size for receiving therein said covered conductor, gripping means adapted for applying a series of gripping forces against said external covering of said conductor in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said conductor, said gripping means including a plurality of layers of viscoelastic material disposed in a stacked formation inside said cavity and on the bottom thereof, said stacked formation of layers having means defining a bore therein adapted for receiving said conductor, said conductor being normally disposed in said bore and also in said hole and said port, compressing means mounted over the top of said cavity and adapted for applying a compressive force to said stacked formation of layers in sufficient degree to distort said viscoelastic material and to effect its constriction around said external covering of said conductor to such an extent as to exert a restraining frictional force thereon, distributing means for distributing said frictional gripping force at spaced intervals along said conductor for forming a series of annular indentations in said external covering for enhancing said restraining frictional force, said distributing means including a plurality of layers of incompressible material positioned inside said cavity and disposed in said stacked formation in such a manner that each of said layers of incompressible material is interlocated between a respectively different pair of said layers of viscoelastic material whereby said annular indentations are spaced apart by distances corresponding to the thicknesses of said incompressible layers, and impeding means for impeding extrusion of said external covering through said bore, said impeding means including an additional layer of viscoelastic material disposed in said stacked formation for receiving said compressive force, and said additional layer of viscoelastic material having a different characteristic than each of the layers in said plurality of layers of viscoelastic material such that it is adapted to respond to said compressive force by constricting around said external covering to a greater extent for forming therein a deeper annular indentation.

Claim 6

A high-pressure packing gland adapted for surrounding a portion of an electrical conductor having an external covering and extending out of a pressure vessel having a hollow interior which is at a different pressure than the exterior of said vessel, said pressure vessel having means defining a port formed therein, said packing gland comprising a body member having means defining a cavity formed therein with a hole extending through the bottom thereof, means for fixedly attaching said body member to said pressure vessel with said hole aligned with said port, both said port and said hole being of sufficient size for receiving therein said covered conductor, gripping means adapted for applying a series of gripping forces against said external covering of said conductor in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said conductor, said gripping means including a plurality of layers of viscoelastic material disposed in a stacked formation inside said cavity and on the bottom thereof, said stacked formation of layers having means defining a bore therein adapted for receiving said conductor, said conductor being normally disposed in said bore and also in said hole and said port, compressing means mounted over the top of said cavity and adapted for applying a compressive force to said stacked formation of layers in sufficient degree to distort said viscoelastic material and to effect its constriction around said external covering of said conductor to such an extent as to exert a restraining frictional force thereon, distributing means for distributing said frictional gripping force at spaced intervals along said conductor for forming a series of annular indentations in said external covering for enhancing said restraining frictional force, said distributing means including a plurality of layers of incompressible material positioned inside said cavity and disposed in said stacked formation in such a manner that each of said layers of incompressible material is interlocated between a respectively different pair of said layers of viscoelastic material whereby said annular indentations are spaced apart by distances corresponding to the thicknesses of said incompressible layers, and impeding means for impeding extrusion of said external covering through said bore, said impeding means including an additional layer of viscoelastic material disposed in said stacked formation for receiving said compressive force, and said additional layer of viscoelastic material having a different characteristic than each of the layers in said plurality of layers of viscoelastic material such that it is adapted to respond to said compressive force by constricting around said external covering to a greater extent for forming therein a deeper annular indentation.