GB2262459A

GB2262459A - Nozzle interlock assembly for fire-fighting apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2262459A
Application number: GB9126830A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Edmund Gavin
Original assignee: Fireater Ltd
Current assignee: Macron Safety Systems UK Ltd
Priority date: 1991-12-18
Filing date: 1991-12-18
Publication date: 1993-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 2011-12-18
Also published as: GB2262459B; GB9126830D0

Abstract

A nozzle lock for a fire hose comprises a body which defines an open sided space for receiving a fire hose, a bar mounted on said body for movement between a first position in which the space is closed to drop a hose and a second position in which the space is open sided, a member movable from a first position, in which it holds the bar in its first position, to a second position in which the bar is free to move, and means responsive to fluid pressure for moving the member against a bias from the first to the second position.

Description

NOZZLE INTERLOCK ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a nozzle lock for use with fire hose reels.

Fire hose reels are commonly found in large buildings and consist of a length of fire hose wound on a drum or reel and connected to a water supply through a valve. The hose reels are located about the building so that should a fire break out at least one hose can be used to fight the fire.

Two types of hose reels are in common use, the automatic and the manual. In the automatic hose reel the valve is built into the hub of the reel so that as the hose is pulled by an operator from the reel, causing the reel to rotate, the valve is opened so that water is available at the nozzle for immediate use by the operator when the nozzle is within range of the fire. These automatic hose reels however tend to be expensive and are prone to maintenance problems.The manual hose reel is provided with a simple gate valve in the pipe supplying water to the reel, and it is only necessary to turn on the valve before unwinding the reel The manual hose reel does have the disadvantage that in a fire situation an untrained operator will simply pull the hose off the reel up to the fire and then find that, having forgotten to turn on the valve, no water is available when the nozzle is turned on.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle locking device for a hose reel which obviates or mitigates the above disadvantages.

The present invention is a nozzle lock for a fire hose comprising a body which defines an open sided space for receiving a fire hose, a bar mounted on said body for movement between a first position in which the space is closed to drop a hose and a second position in which the space is open sided, a member movable from a first position, in which it holds the bar in its first position, to a second position in which the bar is free to move, and means responsive to fluid pressure for moving the member against a bias from the first to the second position An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a fire hose reel fitted with a nozzle lock according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fire hose reel of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the nozzle lock of Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of the nozzle lock.

Referring now to gs. !. and 2, a hose reel 10 is mounted for rotation about its axis on a wall 12.

A water inlet pipe 14 supplies water through a valve 16 to a seal unit 18 and thence to one end of a hose 20 wound on the reel, the other end of the hose being fitted with a nozzle 22. A guide bracket 24 is mounted on the wall adjacent the nozzle stowed position to ensure that the hose runs properly from the reel.

A nozzle lock 30 according to the present invention is connected to the inlet pipe 14 downstream of the valve 16 and engages the hose 20 immediately behind the nozzle 22.

As seen in Fig. 4 the nozzle lock comprises a body having a main portion 32 and to one side of the body a curved arm 34 which defines an open sided space 36 for receiving the hose 20. A retaining bar 38 is mounted on a pivotal pin 40 which is screwed into the main body of the lock, the bar being pivotable upwardly from the closed position shown in Fig. 4, in which a hose in the space 36 is gripped and secured, through 90 degrees to a position in which the hose is free to be removed from the space 36. In its closed position the bar engages a projection 42 at the free end of the curved arm 34 to limit the downward pivoting movement of the bar.

The main portion 32 of the lock body is bored out to provide a cylinder chamber 46 which is closed at one end by a plug t8 screwed into the main body portion.

From the other end of the chamber 46 a passage 50 extends from the chamber 46 through the body portion.

A piston 52 is provided in the chamber and is biased away from the plug 48 and towards the passage 50 by a spring 54 engaging the plug 48 and the end of the piston. A pin 56 extends from the piston 52 through the passage 50 to engage, in the closed position of the bar 38, a hole 60 in the bar 38. As can also be seen in Fig.

4 movement of the piston 52 under the influence of the bias spring 54 is limited by engagement of the end of the pin 36 with a washer 62 mounted on the pivot pin, the washer 62 also serving to conceal the hole 60. O-ring seals 64 are provided on the piston 52 and the pin 56. A passage 70 extends transversely from the cylinder chamber 46 to the outside of the body where it is surrounded by a threaded boss by means of which the nozzle lock is secured to the water pipe 14, the passage 70 communicating with the interior of the pipe.

When it is desired to use the hose the valve 16 is first opened to introduce water under pressure into the cylinder chamber 46 to force the piston towards the plug 48 against the bias of the spring 52, thus withdrawing the locking pin from the hole 60 in the bar 38. The bar can then be pivoted to its open position and the hose unwound from the reel. By ensuring that the hose cannot be removed from the nozzle lock until the valve 16 is opened, it is also ensured that when the operator reaches the fire water is available at the nozzle.

After use the valve 16 is closed, the hose is rewound on the reel and located in the space 36, the bar is pivoted to its closed position thus enabling the pin 56, when there is no residual pressure in the hose, to move under the bias of the spring 52 to engage the hole 60 and lock the bar in position.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A nozzle lock for a fire hose comprising a body which defines an open sided space for receiving a fire hose, a bar mounted on said body for movement between a first position in which the space is closed to drop a hose and a second position in which the space is open sided, a member movable from a first position, in which it holds the bar in its first position, to a second position in which the bar is free to move, and means responsive to fluid pressure for moving the member against a bias from the first to the second position.

2. A nozzle lock as claimed in claim 1, in which said bar is mounted for pivotal movement on the body and is provided with a hole, said member comprising a reciprocable pin which in its first position engages the hole.

3. A nozzle lock as claimed in any preceding claim in which said means responsive to fluid pressure comprises a piston from which said pin extends axially, said piston being movable in a cylinder, a spring engaging said piston to bias it and the member to the first position.

4. A nozzle lock as claimed in any preceding claim, including fluid access means communicating from the outside of the body to said cylinder.

5. A nozzle lock substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

6. A nozzle lock as claimed in any preceding claim in combination with a hose reel, a water inlet pipe connected to the hose reel and a valve in the water inlet pipe, the nozzle lock being connected to the inlet pipe between the valve and the hose reel to expose the means responsive to fluid pressure to the pressure in the pipe.