JP5118224B2 - Sprinkler head - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sprinkler head that extinguishes a fire.

The sprinkler head includes a valve body that closes the water outlet and a thermal decomposition unit that supports the valve body. The thermal decomposition part is a mechanism that decomposes by heat at the time of a fire, and solder is used as a heat sensitive body in the thermal decomposition part. When this solder receives heat and melts, the thermal decomposition portion is decomposed.

The solder having a low melting point is an alloy of Sn, Pb, In, Cd, etc., and a predetermined melting temperature, for example, 72 degrees or 104 degrees is obtained by the blending ratio thereof.

JP-A-5-176207

In recent years, environmental protection has been screamed, but solders used in sprinkler heads use materials that are not very suitable for the environment, such as Pb, In, and Cd. Further, since the sprinkler head using solder is not good in corrosion resistance, a sprinkler head using a glass bulb as a heat sensitive body is installed in a corrosive atmosphere such as a parking lot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to obtain a sprinkler head that is suitable for the environment, has good corrosion resistance, and does not limit the mounting location.

In a sprinkler head comprising a valve body that closes a water discharge port, a thermal decomposition part that includes a cylinder and a piston that supports the valve body, and a thermal body that is housed in the cylinder and is pressed by the piston, An organic compound having a melting point is provided in the temperature range of 60 to 150 ° C., and the organic compound is hardly soluble in water, and the amount of change over time with respect to the assembly load applied by being pressed against the piston The organic compound has a value within 30% in comparison , and the organic compound is dicyclohexyl phthalate, palmitic acid, butyl P-hydroxybenzoate, β-methoxynaphthalene, isobutyl P-hydroxybenzoate, anilide acetoacetate, Propyl P-hydroxybenzoate, acetanilide, ethyl P-hydroxybenzoate, succinic anhydride, P It is characterized in that the selected hydroxybenzoate, from.

In the present invention, since an organic compound is used as a heat sensitive material instead of solder, the following effects are obtained.
(1) Since metals such as Pb and Cd are not used, a sprinkler head in consideration of the environment can be obtained.
(2) Since it has excellent corrosion resistance, it can be installed in places where corrosive gas can be generated, such as parking lots, chemical laboratories, and kitchens.
(3) Since the shape can be freely changed, even if the shape of the cylinder is different, it is easy to cope with it.

In addition, if effects are listed, they are as shown in the following a to f.

a. Environmentally Friendly Materials As shown in Table 2, benzoic acid organic compounds are generally used as preservatives for foods and the like. In other words, it is used by being mixed in foods, and even if it is taken into consideration, it is regarded as a substance with a low risk factor, and even if it is disposed as general waste, it can reduce the impact on the environment.

b. The operating temperature of the conventional solder having a high melting point accuracy is within ± 3% of the indicated temperature of the melting point, whereas the benzoic acid organic compound operates within 0.7% (see Table 2).

c. The material cost is generally low. In general, the material cost of an organic compound such as benzoic acid is very low compared with a metal material, for example, about 10 yen per gram. The benzoic acid-based heat sensitive material configured in the second embodiment is approximately 0.1 g, and the material cost is about 1 yen at most, and the material cost occupied by the heat sensitive material (pellet) is significantly less than the total material cost. It can be analogized.

d. Since organic compounds such as benzoic acid compounds with little secular change are single substances, there are few physical and chemical structural changes (see [Table 2]).

e. Corrosion resistance It does not corrode unlike conventional solders alloyed with Sn, Pb, In, Cd, etc., and almost no corrosion phenomenon is observed even in an environment of corrosive gas.

f. The shape can be changed freely. In addition to replacing the conventional solder used as the heat sensitive body with an organic compound such as benzoic acid, the sprinkler head itself can be made of an organic compound. Therefore, there is no complicated link mechanism such as a conventional thermal decomposition portion made of a plurality of metals, and a sprinkler head that does not require an assembly load can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sprinkler head of the present invention. 2A is a front view of the frame, and FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the frame. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the thermal decomposition unit. 5 is a graph showing strength characteristics of the second embodiment.

Embodiment 1
1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sprinkler head according to the present invention, FIG. 2 (a) is a front view of the frame, FIG. 2 (b) is a bottom view of the frame, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a thermal decomposition portion. In the figure, 1 is a main body, a screw part 4 is provided on the outer periphery, and a water outlet 5 is provided in the center. And the valve seat 7 is provided in the lower end periphery of the water discharge port 5, and the water discharge port 5 is block | closed by the valve body 20 which the upper part was covered with the packing 22 which consists of metal materials, such as copper.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a bottomed cylindrical frame. A female screw 11 is provided at the upper part of the inner wall to be screwed into the screw part 4 of the main body 1, and a flange part 12 is formed below the female screw 11. Reference numeral 15 denotes a water spout, which is formed between the flange portion 12 and the bottom portion 14 radially and at equal intervals, and opens to the peripheral wall 13 and the peripheral edge portion of the bottom portion 14. Reference numeral 16 denotes an opening provided on the bottom surface of the frame 10.

Reference numeral 30 denotes an arm guide, which has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is joined integrally with the valve body 20 by caulking the lower part of the valve body 20. A plate-shaped balancer 35 applies a predetermined assembly load applied to the valve body 20 evenly to the arms 41a and 41b of the thermal decomposition unit 40 when the sprinkler head is assembled.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a thermal decomposition unit including a pair of arms 41a and 41b, an arm support plate 46, a link presser slope 55, and the like, and supports the valve body 20. Reference numeral 61 denotes a protective cover that also serves as a heat sensitive plate. Next, the thermal decomposition unit 40 will be described in some detail with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 3, the arms 41 a and 41 b are formed in a substantially inverted J shape, and are provided with a first locking hole 44 and a second locking hole 45. The arm support plate 46 is formed in a substantially quadrangular shape, and includes a main body 47 having a through hole 48 in the center and locking pieces 49a and 49b. The arm supporting plate 46 is disposed between the arms 41a and 41b and is locked. , 49b are locked in the first locking holes 44 of the arms 41a, 41b.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a metal cylinder, and a collar portion 51 is provided on the outer wall. The cylinder 50 is inserted into the through hole 48 of the arm support plate 46 and is placed on the arm support plate 46 by the collar portion 51. Reference numeral 53 denotes a heat sensitive member accommodated in the cylinder 50. The heat sensitive body 53 is made of a non-metallic material such as a synthetic resin or a solid wax.

The heat sensitive member 53 will be described in more detail. The heat sensitive member 53 is preferably a resin that melts or softens at a low melting point lower than the melting point of a general thermoplastic resin. For example, the melting point is about 60 to 110 degrees. used. As specific examples, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resins, styrene copolymer resins, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resins, and the like can be used.

Further, when molding a synthetic resin, a colorant having a different color depending on the melting point may be added, so that the heat-sensitive body 53 having a melting point of 72 degrees may be molded blue, for example, and the heat-sensitive body 53 having a melting point of 104 degrees may be molded green. Good. Thus, if the heat sensitive body 53 is colored in different colors depending on the melting point, that is, the operating temperature of the sprinkler head, the difference in operating temperature of the sprinkler head can be confirmed at a glance. Management and handling of the heat sensitive body 53 are facilitated.

A first piston 54 is slidably accommodated in the cylinder 50 and presses the heat sensitive body 53. Reference numeral 55 denotes a link retainer plate, which includes a main body 56 having a screw hole 57 in the center and fitting pieces 58a and 58b projecting on both sides thereof. The fitting piece 58a is disposed between the arms 41a and 41b. , 58b are loosely fitted into the second locking holes 45 of the arms 41a, 41b. Reference numeral 59 denotes a second piston in which a screw portion 60 provided at one end is screwed into a screw hole 57 of the link pressing plate 55 and the other end abuts on the first piston 54.

Returning to FIG. 1, the distal ends of the arms 41 a and 41 b of the thermal decomposition unit 40 are locked to the flange 12 provided on the inner wall of the frame 10, and the head is pressed down by the balancer 35 when the frame 10 is screwed. ing. At this time, the arms 41a and 41b are subjected to a rotational force in the direction of opening outward (in a direction away from the cylinder 50) with the locking portion to the flange portion 12 as a fulcrum, and this rotational force is locked to the arms 41a and 41b. The arm support plate 46 is restricted.

Next, the operation of this sprinkler head will be described. Now, when a fire occurs and the heat sensitive plate / protective cover 61 is heated, and the heat sensitive body 53 is heated by the heat and the thermal airflow from the surroundings, the heat sensitive body 53 is softened, so that the first piston 54 is heat sensitive. The body 53 is crushed and lowered. Further, when the heat sensitive body 53 starts to melt, a part of the melted heat sensitive body 53 enters between the cylinder 50 and the first piston 54, and the cylinder 50 and the arm support plate 46 fixed to the cylinder 50 are raised. The arms 41a and 41b rotate outward with the engaging portion of the frame 10 with the flange portion 12 as a fulcrum. As a result, the engagement between the locking holes 44 of the arms 41a and 41b and the locking pieces 49a and 49b of the arm support plate 46 is released, and the thermal decomposition unit 40 is disassembled. As a result, the thermal decomposition unit 40 and the balancer 35 including the protective cover 61 fall outside from the opening 16 provided in the bottom 14 of the frame 10.

At the same time, the arm guide 30 integrated with the valve body 20 is lowered along both ends of the opening 16 of the frame 10 by its own weight and the pressure of the fire extinguishing water, and the flange portion of the valve body 20 is seated on the bottom 14 of the frame 10. Then, the opening 16 is closed. As a result, the water outlet 5 is opened, and the fire-extinguishing water is sprinkled from the water spray 15 through the frame 10.

In the present embodiment, the case where the heat sensitive body 53 is made of an ordinary synthetic resin has been described. However, the heat sensitive body 53 may be made of, for example, a two-layer synthetic resin made of a thermoplastic resin and a cured plastic. Then, the portion of the thermoplastic resin of the heat sensitive body 53 is located at the portion that contacts the inner surface of the cylinder 50, and the portion of the cured plastic of the heat sensitive body 53 is located at the portion where the first piston 54 abuts. If it does in this way, the part of the thermoplastic resin of the heat sensitive body 53 will be easy to soften and fuse | melt by the heat | fever transmitted from the cylinder 50. FIG. The cured plastic portion of the heat sensitive body 53 is always in contact with the first piston 54 and is loaded. However, since it has curability, it is difficult to deform and prevent malfunction of the sprinkler head. Can do. A heat-shrinkable resin whose volume is shrunk by heat may be used for the heat sensitive body. Further, the shape of the heat sensitive body may not be a flat cylinder but may be a tall cylinder.

Embodiment 2
Even after the filing of the previous invention by the inventor of the present application, continuous experiments and research on the present invention were promoted. As a result, an additional invention has been made by further developing the previous application. The technical contents of this additional invention will be described below as the second embodiment.

As described in the above description of the operation, the sprinkler head uses the phase change accompanying the physical transition of the heat-sensitive body 53 from solid to liquid when the indoor temperature shifts from low to high in the early stage of fire. Thus, the principle that the thermal decomposition unit 40 is decomposed and pressurized fire-extinguishing water is sprayed from the water spout 15 to apply the initial fire extinguishing is applied. When a non-metallic material such as an organic compound (synthetic resin) having a melting point in a corresponding temperature range is used as the heat sensitive body 53, various advantages can be obtained in terms of prevention of environmental pollution and corrosion associated with chemical properties. It is as described in the first embodiment. The substance names and the melting points of this type of organic compound are exemplified in Table 1 of the following table.

Table 1 shows the names of organic compounds having a low melting point suitable for the operating temperature of 24 types of sprinkler heads A to X, such as 60 to 300 ° C., preferably 60 to 150 ° C. The melting points (° C.) are displayed on the right end. Here, the inventor of the present application is mainly composed of benzoic acid composed of C, E, G,..., Which are arranged at almost equal intervals along the increasing direction of the melting point among the 24 kinds of organic compounds shown in Table 1. We focused on benzoic acid substances. Specifically, C in the third row of Table 1 is butyl P-hydroxybenzoate having a melting point of 69, E in the fifth row is isobutyl P-hydroxybenzoate having a melting point of 76, and G in the seventh row. Is propyl P-hydroxybenzoate with a melting point of 97. In the following, I in the ninth row is a benzoic acid-based substance arranged in the order of “ethyl” having a melting point 117, K in the eleventh row is “methyl” having a melting point 121, and so on.

Accordingly, only benzoic acid substances C, E, G... Are extracted from Table 1, and Table 2 is created to list physical properties such as melting points and physical properties. From Table 2, the melting point of benzoic acid organic compounds can be changed by changing the alkyl group such as “butyl” and “isobutyl”, and the temperature range of the melting point almost covers the operating temperature of the sprinkler head. It was confirmed that it was possible. As a result, if a benzoic acid organic compound is applied to the heat-sensitive body of the sprinkler head, the melting point can be freely set, and the effects such as the ease of manufacture described in the first embodiment can be further enhanced. Will do. That is, in the case of solder, since it is an alloy such as Sb, Pb, In, and Cd, it must be set so that it can be melted at a desired melting point by changing the mixing ratio thereof. On the other hand, the benzoic acid-based substance is a single substance, so the fine powder, which is a commercially available material, is directly pelletized, that is, the fine powder is compressed, and solidified into a granular shape to match the cylinder shape. Then just mold it.

On the other hand, the conventional solder (soluble alloy) 53 constituting a part of the thermal decomposition part 40 is formed in a disk shape and has a narrow cylindrical gap around the cylinder 50 (not shown in FIG. 1). ). As shown in FIG. 3, the solder 53 in the cylinder 50 is pressed against the first piston 54 and the second piston 59 from above and an assembly load is applied. Normally, this type of assembly load is set to about 50 to 60 kgf in order to improve the response characteristics of the sprinkler head to the occurrence of fire. For this reason, when a long period of time elapses, the solder is crushed and flows into the gap between the cylinder 50 and the first piston 54. Such a change in the shape of the solder is referred to as creep, and the following creep test is performed in order to check whether or not the heat sensitive body causes the creep before actually incorporating the heat sensitive body into the sprinkler head. An experimental creep test for measuring the strength when a load was applied was performed on the heat-sensitive body using the two types of organic compounds in the second embodiment of the present application.

When a load of about 50 kgf is applied to the soluble test sample arranged on the inner bottom surface of the cylindrical cylinder 50 as described above, the thickness of the central portion of the test sample is reduced like the liquid, and the peripheral portion is a cylinder. It is known that it is pushed up into the gap between 50 and the first piston 54. In the creep test, a constant load W of about 1/13 of the actual assembly load is applied by such an experimental equipment and the initial state is taken when a certain time has elapsed, and the height of the subsequent sample is measured. The change over time in the height h of the crushed or reduced portion is measured. Two experimental benzoic acid samples S1 and S2 with melting point nominal operating temperatures of 69-72 and 75-77 were used as experimental test samples by the inventor, and compared with conventional solders. .

The above experimental results are shown in the graph of FIG. The vertical axis indicates the displacement h corresponding to the reduction in the height of the original heat sensitive body, and the horizontal axis indicates “day”. Here, the initial height of the heat sensitive body is about 2 mm. The broken line S3 representing the change of the conventional solder plotted on the graph of FIG. 4 has an unstable tangent gradient even after 9 days from the start of measurement, and asymptotically toward t = 0.35 mm where the displacement is large. It is a line. On the other hand, the broken lines S1 and S2 indicating the cumulative displacement amount of the benzoic acid type sample used in the second embodiment of the present invention are t = 0. 0 after 5 days and 7 days after the start of the experiment. It is converged on the horizontal axis indicating an approximate value of 1 mm. As shown in the graph of FIG. 4, according to the present invention using a benzoic acid-based substance, the amount of change over time (aging) with respect to the load is 30% or less as compared with the conventional solder, and the elapsed time It has been experimentally confirmed that the stability against is fast and the fluctuation is much less.

Next, Table 3 shows the measurement results for the sensitivity of the heat sensitive body. In this measurement, the samples S2 and S3 in FIG. 4 are used, each sample is set in the sprinkler head, the sprinkler head is placed in a hot air atmosphere, and the sensitivity of how long it operates is determined. Compared. When a heat sensitive body is set on the sprinkler head and installed in a hot air atmosphere, the temperature of the heat sensitive body gradually rises with time. At this time, when the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is the temperature of the heat sensitive body, the relationship between the time and temperature can be expressed by an exponential function determined by a certain time constant. This time constant is smaller as the sensitivity is higher, and as shown in Table 3, the time constant of the benzoic acid-based heat sensitive body is smaller than the time constant of the solder, and it was found that the time constant is excellent. . The time required for the operation of the sprinkler head was 14.6 seconds for the organic compound and 18.4 seconds for the solder. Thus, from the results shown in FIG. 4 and Table 3, the heat-sensitive body containing hydroxybenzoic acid ester as a component has higher sensitivity to temperature and higher hardness than those using solder as the heat-sensitive body, and deforms with respect to the load. I found it difficult to do. The high hardness is considered to be because the powder of the organic compound having crystallinity was compression molded into a pellet.

Embodiment 3
In general, organic compounds have physical properties that they are hardly soluble in water. However, there is a possibility that it can be dissolved under very hot water. Therefore, the pellet may be coated by applying a waterproof coating agent to the pellet made of an organic compound, or wrapping the pellet with a vinyl bag or capsule. If it does in this way, waterproofness and water resistance can be improved and the heat sensitive body suitable for the sprinkler head installed in a bad environment place can be created.

In each embodiment of the present invention, the case where a flash-type sprinkler head is used has been described. However, the heat sensitive body of this embodiment can also be used for a multi-type or frame-type sprinkler head. In the first embodiment, it has been described that the color of the heat sensitive body may be different depending on the operating temperature of the sprinkler head. However, the same can be said for the second embodiment. Alternatively, an aromatic organic compound such as naphthalene may be used so that the odor of the heat sensitive body varies depending on the operating temperature of the sprinkler head. In this way, even a person with poor eyes can perform the assembly work of the sprinkler head and can also work in a dark place. In addition, even after the heat sensitive body is incorporated into the sprinkler head, it is possible to know how many times the heat sensitive element that is operated is incorporated by simply smelling the odor. In addition, by adding a fragrance to an odorless heat-sensitive body without using the odor of the organic compound itself, the heat-sensitive body may be a substance that generates a specific odor. can get.

In the present invention, the synthetic resin or the solid wax is used as the heat sensitive material instead of the solder, and the following effects are obtained.
(1) Since metals such as Pb and Cd are not used, a sprinkler head in consideration of the environment can be obtained.
(2) Since it has excellent corrosion resistance, it can be installed in places where corrosive gas can be generated, such as parking lots, chemical laboratories, and kitchens.
(3) Since the shape can be freely changed, even if the shape of the cylinder is different, it is easy to cope with it.

In addition, although partially overlapping with the effects of the first embodiment, if the effects of the second embodiment are listed, the following a to f are obtained.
a. Environmentally Friendly Materials As shown in Table 2, benzoic acid organic compounds are generally used as preservatives for foods and the like. In other words, it is used by being mixed in foods, and even if it is taken into consideration, it is regarded as a substance with a low risk factor, and even if it is disposed as general waste, it can reduce the impact on the environment.
b. The operating temperature of the conventional solder having a high melting point accuracy is within ± 3% of the indicated temperature of the melting point, whereas the benzoic acid organic compound operates within 0.7% (see Table 2).
c. The material cost is generally low. In general, the material cost of an organic compound such as benzoic acid is very low compared with a metal material, for example, about 10 yen per gram. The benzoic acid-based heat sensitive material configured in the second embodiment is approximately 0.1 g, and the material cost is about 1 yen at most, and the material cost occupied by the heat sensitive material (pellet) is significantly less than the total material cost. It can be analogized.
d. Since organic compounds such as benzoic acid compounds with little secular change are single substances, there are few physical and chemical structural changes (see [Table 2]).
e. Corrosion resistance It does not corrode unlike conventional solders alloyed with Sn, Pb, In, Cd, etc., and almost no corrosion phenomenon is observed even in an environment of corrosive gas.
f. The shape can be changed freely. In addition to replacing the conventional solder used as the heat sensitive body with an organic compound such as benzoic acid, the sprinkler head itself can be made of an organic compound. Therefore, there is no complicated link mechanism such as a conventional thermal decomposition portion made of a plurality of metals, and a sprinkler head that does not require an assembly load can be realized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body, 4 Thread part, 5 Water outlet, 7 Valve seat, 10 Frame, 11 Female thread, 12 Flange part, 13 Circumference, 14 Bottom part, 15 Water spout, 20 Valve body, 22 Packing, 30 Arm guide, 35 Balancer , 40 thermal decomposition part, 41a, 41b arm, 44 first locking hole, 45 second locking hole, 47 main body, 46 arm support plate, 48 through hole, 49a, 49b locking piece, 50 cylinder, 51 Brim part, 53 Heat sensitive body, 54 First piston, 55 Link presser plate, 56 Main body, 57 Screw hole, 61 Protective cover, 58a, 58b Fitting piece, 59 Second piston, 60 Thread part.

Claims (2)

In a sprinkler head comprising a valve body that closes a water discharge port, a thermal decomposition part that includes a cylinder and a piston that supports the valve body, and a thermal body that is accommodated in the cylinder and pressed by the piston.
An organic compound having a melting point is provided in the temperature range of 60 to 150 degrees, which is used as the heat sensitive body,
The organic compound is sparingly soluble in water, and the amount of change over time with respect to the assembly load applied by being pressed against the piston has a value within 30% compared to solder .
And the organic compound is dicyclohexyl phthalate, palmitic acid, butyl P-hydroxybenzoate, β-methoxynaphthalene, isobutyl P-hydroxybenzoate, acetoacetanilide, propyl P-hydroxybenzoate, acetanilide, P-hydroxybenzoate A sprinkler head selected from ethyl succinate, succinic anhydride, and methyl P-hydroxybenzoate. It said thermosensitive element is sprinkler head of claim 1, wherein Rukoto consists fine powder was molded by solidifying granulated pellets of the organic compound.