US1264166A - Automatic closing device for fire-doors. - Google Patents

Description

A. G. ELVIN & F. W. MARTIN. AUTOMATTC CLOSING DEVICE FOR FIRE'DOORS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26. 1914.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

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' nmmmW" A. G. ELVIN & F. W. MARTIN.

AUTOMATIC CLOSING DEVICE FOR FIRE DOORS.

. APPLICATION FILED 00126, 1914.

1,264,166. Patented Apr. 80, 1918.

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W' I 5% ATTOR rs the United States, and residents, respechis foot on the pedal.

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ALBERT e. ELVIN, or SOMERVILLE, NEW J RSEY, AND FREDERICK w. MARTIN or NEW YORK, N. Y.; SAID MARTIN ASSIGNOR T0 SAID ELvIN.

AUTOMATIC CLOSING nnvicn ron FIRE-DOORS.-

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

' Application filed October 26, 1914. Serial No. 868,611.

To all eohom it may ooncern."

Be 1t known that we, ALBERT 3r. .EL V1N and FREDERICK IV. MARTIN, both citizens of tively, of Somerville, in the county of Somerset and State of New Jersey, and of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, an d State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Closing Devices for Fire-Doors, of which improvement the following is a specification. This invention relates to fire door 'appara tus operated by fluid pressure and has for its principal object to provide neans for au-. tomatically effecting a positive closing of' the fire door within a-predetermined interval after the=same has been opened, and

thereby prevent the fireman fromholding I When the; arm, 23, is raised bythe fireman for the purpose of opening the furnace the door open for a longer period.

In this fire door apparatus as used on locomotives, the fluid pressure motor for actuating. the doors is usually controlled by a valve operated by a pedal device, and it has which tends to cool the fire and chill the water heating surfaces. With our improvement this is positively prevented, as the door will be promptly closed after a predetermined time even though the fireman retains In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of fire ,door

-' apparatus embodying our improvement;

Fig. 2, an end elevation of the same;'Fig. 3, a vertical section of the motor; Fig. 4, a ver-. tical section illustrating a modification;

Figs. 5 and 6, similar views showing other modifications in which the doors close by gravity; and Fig. 7, a vertical section s'imi-V lar'to Fig. 3, and showing. a further modifibeing connected to the piston, 9, movable in the horizontal cylinder, 10, of the motor;

Fluid under pressure, such as compressed air, is supplied from pipe, 11, to thevalve casing, 12, containing valves, 13 and 1 1, sup-' ply port, 15, and exhaust port, 16 Port, 17, leads from valve, 14:, to the opposite end of the cylinder. The arm, 23, adapted to be connected with a pedal device (not shown) operated by the foot of the fireman, engages the end of the stem, 13*, of the valve, 13, for actuating the same. This stem, 13% also has a small groove, 18, adapted to register with the exhaust port, 16, in the open position of the valve. The stem, 14, of valve, 14, is provided'with grooves, 19 and 20, and is operated by a rod, 21, having an inclined face at one end,-and a head at the opposite end located in a recess in the piston, 9, and adapted'to engagethe plate, 22, on the'piston head when near the outer .end of its stroke.

door, the valve, 13, is 'opened to admit fluid through port, 15, and around groove, 19, in

stem, 14*,into the cylinder, thereby moving I the piston, 9, through its outward traverse, and opening the door. In this position of the valve stem, 13 the small groove, 18,

communicates 'with the exhaust port, 16,.

which is,-however, closed by the stem, 14, thereby preventing escape of fluid. As the piston, 9, approaches the end-of. its traverse, the rod, 21, is actuated to raise the valve, 1 1, and stem, 14, to the position in which port, 17, is open to the supply,.port, 15, is closed, and groove, 20, communicates with the port, 16. Fluid is thus admitted through port, 17 to the opposite end ofthe cylinder to return the piston to the closed position, but the capacity of the exhaust port, 16, is restricted by the small groove, 18, in stem, 13*,whereby the fluid first admitted to the front end of the cylinder 'es capes very slowly, thereby retarding the closing movement of the piston. In this manner the, piston will be automatically returned to its inner position, and the door closed in a predetermined time even-though the fireman retains his foot on the pedal with the valve,-13, open If he should at anytime release the pedal and drop valve, 13, to'its closed position, the exhaust port, 16, would be fully opened, and the piston and door would immediately be returned to to the closed position. When the piston is returned to its inner position, the rod, 2 actuated to permit the stem, 14, to dr' close the valve, 14. This again closes the port, 17, and the exhaust port, 16, and opens the supply port, 15. There is no further movement, however, as the supply port remains closed by valve, 13, until the pedal arm, 23, is again operated. The period of time required for the automatic closing of the door depends upon the capacity of the restricted groove, 18, in valve stem, 13 and this may be readily fixed to suit different conditions.

Asshown in Fig. 4, the improvement is applied in connection with a motor of the vertical type having a cylinder, 10, .con-

taining piston, 9 connected to the arms of a pair of doors, 6 pivoted to swing laterally and vertically. A valve, 24, operated by a plunger, 25, and spring, 26, is provided for controlling the admission port, 27, leading from a supply pipe, 11, into the cylinder. A port, 28, admits fluid from the cylinder into the plunger chamber when the piston is moved downward to the end of its stroke, and the piston is provided with a groove, 29, for establishing communication from the port, 28, to the exhaust port, 30, when in its upper or closed position.

When the fireman actuates the manual device for opening the door, fluid is admitted through pipe, l1,and port, 27, into the cylinder where it'acts upon the upper face cf'the' piston, 9 forcing the same downward and swinging the doors to the open position. When the piston reachesthe lower end of its traverse, the port, 28, is u'ncovered, thereby admitting fluid into the chamber beneath the plunger, 25, which then; moves the valve. '24, to close the port, 27.

With the supply cut ofl', the fluid under pres sure in the cylinder begins to leak away around the'packing rings and through the small escape port, 30, if the same is open, so that the'pressure continues to diminish gradually until it is overcome by the weight of the doors, whereupon said doorsdescend slowly by gravity and the piston rises in the cylinder. At the end of a predetermined period of time, the door is thus auto matically closed and the piston returned When the piston.

to its upper position.

' reaches its upper position the pressure is released from the chamber beneath the plunger, 25, and the spring, 26, moves the to that ofFig. 3, is provided for controlling the admission of fluid from the sup ply, 11, to port, 15, leading into the cylin- A release port, 35, is also provided for the opposite end of the cylinder, and is open when the valve, 34, is closed.

When the valve, 13, is raised by the pedal device, ports, 16 and 37, are closed and fluid is admitted through port, l5, into the cylinder where it acts upon the piston, 9", moving the same to the opposite end of the cylinder and opening the doors. At the same time fluid begins feeding through the restricted port, 38, and passage, 33, into the expansion chamber, 31. If the pedal device he released at this time, the door will promptly closeas the fluid is then instantly exhausted through ports, 16 and 37, and the doors will swing downward by gravity; but

'it the pedal is retained in its open position with the valve, 13, raised, the fluid pressure in the chamber, 31, acting on the diaphragm,

.32, rises, in a-short predetermined period -of.time, to a point suflicient to open the valve, 34, and'close exhaust port, 35. Fluid is then admitted through port, 36, to theopposite end of the cylinder, and as the piston is thus balanced as to fluid pressure, the doors descend by gravity to closed position, thereby also returning the piston to its former position from which it will not again be moved until the valve, 13, is first closed and then reopened. Upon closing the valve,

l3, t-he fluid is immediately released from the chamber, 31, through passage, 33,'and exhaust port, 37. .Thevalve, 34, then closes and the exhaust port, 35, "opens so that the fluid is promptly released from both ends of the cylinder, and there will be no movement of the piston.

A simpler construction is shown in Fig. 6,,wherein the valves, 14 and 34, are dispensed with, and the cylinder, 10, is provided with by-pass ports, 40 and 41, the

.. former" being normally closed by the piston,

9 but adapted to open after the piston makes a prelimlnary movement toward open position, and the latter. port, 41, being'closed by the piston in all positions except the normal closed position, as shown in Fig. 6, in which communication is established around the piston. The pedal device 23 and valve 13" for controlling the admission of fluid from pipe, 11, through port, 15, into the cylinder and the exhaust of the same there from, may be located at a distance from the,

the piston, 9 moves outward tooperate the gears 8", and open the doors. The port, 41, is su ciently small to prevent the pressure accumulating at the rear of the piston as rapidly as the same is admitted through port, 15; this insures a prompt movement of the piston which closes the port, 41, and shortly thereafter opens the by-passport, 40, leading to the extreme rearend of the cylinder. The port, 40, is also of smallcapacity and does not prevent the complete traverse of the piston to its open position, but it permits the fluid to pass slowly to the opposite side of the piston, thereby cushioning its movement, and then after a short interval allowing the pressures to equalize.

The doors will then descend by gravity to the closed position, and return the piston to the otherend of the cylinder in which position the port, 40, is closed while the bypass,

41, is open around the piston to permit the prompt release of pressure from the rear end of the cylinder as soon as the pedal device is released and the fluid exhausted from the front end of the cylinder. The apparatus is then in condition for the next opensing operation whenever the pedal is actuated phere, but in such location as'to be covered.

for that purpose.

from the rear of the'piston to the atmosbythe piston when it first starts to move outward. This insures the prompt release of the fluid in the rearof the piston, and

"may be employed either with or without the by-pass port, 41'.

The construction shown in Fig. 7 is similar to that of Fig. 3, except that the intermediate valve, 21*, is connected directly to ,the valve rod, 21, actuated by the striking plate, 22, on the piston, 9, while the valve, 144, for admitting fluid to'the opposite side of the differential piston is operated directly by the piston through the'engagement with the inclined surface, 9; The valve, 21', is

, provided with a groove, 19', for controlling the inlet port, 15, and a cavity, 20", for connecting the cylinder port to the restricted exhaust port, 16*, to the atmosphere when the piston reaches the open position. To

prevent the cylindrical valve, 21 from turning in its chamber, a spring actuated detent, 40, may be employed, engaging a groove in the valve. This also serves to hold .the valve in position and prevent the same from falling into the cylinder when the piston moves downward and the shoulder of the valveis not supported by the plate, 22, of the piston.

If desired, an additional escape port, 42, may be provided leading 1 When the valve, 13, is raised from its seat, the exhaust port, 16,16, is closed and fluid from the supply, 11, flows through the inlet port, 15, around groove, 19*, in valve, 21 and into the upper end of the cylinder where it acts upon the large face of difler ential piston, 9, to move the same downward and open the door or doors, as will be readily understood, there being any suitable form of connections, such as shown in Fig. a, for instance, between the piston and said doors. As the piston moves downward, the

inclined surface, 9, engages and opens the valve, 14, thereby admitting fluid-from the source of supply to the opposite or smallerv area of' the piston. As the piston. approaches'the lower end of its stroke, with the doors fully open, thehe'ad of the valve rodis engaged by the plate, 22, of the piston, and the valve, 21, is moved downward to its lower position in which the inlet port, 15,

is cut ofl' and the cylinder is put into communication with the small escape port, 16",.

through the cavity, 20 in the valve. The fluid from the upper end of the cylinder then escapes slowly, and the pressure reduces sufficiently in a predeterminedshort period of time, so as to be overcome by the pressure upon the opposite or smaller face of the piston. The piston then moves upward the upper endof its stroke, the plate, 22, en-

and the doors close. 5 As the. piston reaches gages the shoulder of the valve, 21*, and re-.

turns the same to its upper position, in which the escape port, is cut off and the groove, 19*, again registers with the inlet port, 15. The valve, 14 will also be closed when the piston is in this position. Ifthe admission valve, 13, is still heldopen, fluid will again pass into theupper end of the cylinder, and the operation will be repeated. When, however, the fireman operates the door device in the usual and proper manner by promptly releasing the pedal after the delivery of each shovelful of coal, the valve,

13,'immediately dro s to its seat, thereby short interval of time, even though the fireman retains' the pedal device open, thereby insuring single shovel firing, orthe delivery of but one shovel of fuel into the furnace at each opening and closing of the door. With the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, after the door has been automatically closed, the same will remain closed until the pedal device is again operated, but 'in the other modifications the door will again open and the operation will be repeated if the pedal device is held down.

Having now described our invention, What We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

In a'firedoor apparatus the combination of a door, a fluid pressure motor therefor, a valve for controlling the admission of fluid to said motor to open-the door and for controlling the exhaust therefrom to close the door, a manual device for actuing of the admission valve and While the.

ating said valve, and means operating automatlcally to provide for areturn movement of the motor and a closing of the door at a predetermined timeinterval after the openmanual device remains in its open-position.

2. Ina fire door apparatus, the combination of a door, a cylinder, a piston mechanically connected to the door, a manually o erated valve device for controlling the a mission 61 fluid to the cylinder to open the door and for controlling the exhaust from the cylinder to close the door, and means controlling the exhaust from said cylinder a the admission of fluid to the cylinder at one side of the piston to open the door, and for to close the door,, and means controlled by the movement of the plston' for admitting fluid to the opposite side of said piston to.

provide for. a return movement of the piston and a closing of the door at a predetermined time interval after the opening of the manual valve and While the same remains open.

4. In a fire door apparatus, the combination of a door, a cylinder, a piston therein mechanically connected to the door, a man ually operated valve device for controlling the admission of fluid to the cylinder at one side of the piston to open the door, and for controlling the exhaust from said cylinder to close the door, and a restricted by-pass port controlled by ton for admitting fluid from one side of the piston to the other to provide fora return movement of the same and a closing of the the movement of the pis-' door at a predetermined time interval after the opening of the manual valve.

5. In a fire door apparatus, the combination of a door, acylinder, a piston therein mechanically connected to the door, a manually operated valve device for controlling the admission of fluid to the cylinder at one side of the piston to open the door, and for controlling the exhaust from said cylinder to'close the door, a'restricted by-pass port controlled by the movement of the piston .for admitting fluid from one side of the piston to the other to provide for a return movement of the same and a closing of the door at a'predetermined time interval after the'opening of the manual valve, and an ex- F 'haust port also controlled by the piston for releasing fluid from the opposite end ofthe cylinder when the door is closed.

ALBERT G. ELVIN. FREDERICK 'MARTIN. Witnesses: i

C. L. Wnvns, EMILY L. MYERS.

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