Packaging ring with wear opening

A method for sealing a translationally oscillating piston rod of a piston compressor using at least one packing ring, which has a central cylindrical opening, through which the piston rod extends, wherein the packing ring has at least three ring segments each having a first segment end and a second segment end in a circumferential direction, wherein a first tangential contact surface of the first segment end of each ring segment abuts a second tangential contact surface of the second segment end of a ring segment adjoining in the circumferential direction for creating a radial seal, and wherein a first axial contact surface of the first segment end of each ring segment, which first axial contact surface faces towards a first axial ring end of the packing ring, abuts a second axial contact surface of the second segment end of a ring segment adjoining in the circumferential direction, which second axial contact surface faces towards a second axial ring end of the packing ring for creating an axial seal, wherein the packing ring is arranged in the piston compressor so that the first axial ring end faces toward a crankcase of the piston compressor, wherein

• on at least one ring segment of the at least three ring segments at least one wear opening is provided which extends from a radially outside outer circumferential surface or the second axial ring end of the ring segment in the direction of a radially inside inner circumferential surface of the ring segment;
• wherein a radially inside wear opening end of the at least one wear opening, which end faces towards the inner circumferential surface, is spaced apart from the radially inside inner circumferential surface of the ring segment in the radial direction of the ring segment at a distance which is at most 40% of a radial ring height, which height extends between the outside outer circumferential surface and the radially inside inner circumferential surface of the ring segment;
• wherein the wear opening end lies between the first and the second axial ring end and is spaced apart from the first and second axial ring end;
• and
• wherein the wear opening end is exposed on the radially inside inner circumferential surface at a certain wear state of the packing ring upon reaching a predefined radial wear of the packing ring for producing a pressure compensation.