Stuffing box

In the bore for the piston rod in the bottom of the scavenge air box a stuffing box is
mounted to prevent lubricating oil from being drawn up the crankcase into the
scavengeing air space. The stuffing box also prevents scavenge air from leaking into
the crankcase.

The stuffing box is mounted on a ring which is bolted onto the underside of the
scavenge air box. The stuffing box is taken out together with the piston rod during
overhaul of the piston, but also can be disassembled for inspection in the crankcase
with the piston remaining in position.

The stuffing box housing is in two parts, assembled by a flanged joint. In the housing
five ring grooves have been machined out of which the two uppermost ones
accommodate sealing rings that prevent scavenge air from blowing down along the
piston rod. In the lowermost grooves scraper rings are fitted which scrape the
lubricating oil of the piston rod. The oil is led through bores in the housing and back
to the crankcase.

Between the two uppermost ring grooves, for the sealing rings, and the three
lowermost grooves, for the scraper rings, a cofferdam has been machined out which,
through a bore in the housing and a connecting pipe, communicates with a control
cock on the outside of the engine. It can be checked by opening this control cock
that the scraper and sealing rings are functioning correctly.

Sealing ring section

The two sealing rings each consist of a four piece brass ring
which accommodates eight brass sealing segments, two per
base, guided by four cylindrical pins. The parts are pressed onto
the piston rod by a helical garter spring.

Scrapper ring section

The three scraper rings are made up of three steel base parts
into which two lamellas are fitted into a grooves machined in
each part. A garter spring keeps the ring in contact with the
piston rod. Scraped off oil is led through ports in the base ring
back to the sump.
A clearance is given at the ends of the parts to ensure contact with the piston rod as
the rubbing face wears.

Author note:

Extremely high wear was noted on a class of vessels with B&W gfca engines. Balls of
wire wool where removed from between the segments at overhaul.

Repair was to send the piston rods for machining from their cloverleaf shape back to
circular. When fitting new lamellas emery paper was wrapped around the rod and the
lamellas 'bedded' in. This prevented the segments from canting and the ends of the
lamellas digging in.