US1717392A - Fire hydrant - Google Patents

Description

' June 1s, 1929. H, M, um@ 1.717.392

FIRE HYDRANT Filed June'18. 1926` l 2 SheetsSheet rl June 1s, 1929.v H, MLTN l 1.717.392-

FIRE HYDRANT Filed June 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l. j 14e UM i ll!) diffe/"nef i 2Q balancing j Paarse. June l1e, 1929. n

UNIT-en,.sTATEs.

HERBERT mvLorToN, orcHTTANooGA, TENNESSEE.

irma HYDBANT. j

1 Y Application 'med :eine 1s,

r v Themain object of my invention is to so Construct a fire hydrant that the main valve visto alarge extent counter-balanced inits j opening and preferably in its closing move- 5, ments in respect tothe pressure of the water fromA the lstreety main.` Wherejno means is provided for -cou-nterbalancing the water pressure, a great dealof-force is required to A depress or open the valve, and`th1s- 1s par- 10 ticularly sodwhere .very high pressures are whereby .the usual fibrouspackin may be' 25 omitted and a special cupped leat er packing employed. v

With the above and other objects in view,

- n the nature of which will be ,more fully understood from the description hereinafter, the invention consists in the novel'construcv j tion of fire hydrant, as hereinafter more fully described and defined in the claims.

Referring to the'drawings: Fig. 1 'is `a vertical section through the lower part of the l hydrant, and more particularly illustrating the main' valve together with the counterbalancing and drainage features; Fi 2 is va cross-section taken on line 2 2 of ig. 1; Fig. Sis a. vertical section of the upper part .4,0 of the hydrant and showing, vmore'particu- 1 `larly, the means 'for operating the valve; Fig. 4,. is a cross section taken on line 4-4 ofFig. -1; and Fig. 5 isa crosssection taken onl line 5-5 of F1g.,3.'

' 2 represents'the shoe or elbow shaped base of the hydrant having the-inlet''for connecting with `the water main and carrying atits'upper part a valve seat 4. Bolted to the upper portion of the s hoe is the'barrel or stock 5 which extends upwardly above the street level and is provided'with the; nozzle opening 6. 7 is the main valve formed., with the conical seating portion 8 which seats upon .the conical seat 9 of'theannular bushing 4 constituting the valve seat ring.; The conical seating portion 8is clamped between the 1926. Serial No. 116,851. l

upper collar 10 and the lowerV collar 11 of the valve piece, said parts being clamped together through the medium `of the valve stem 12 and tubular stem 13 which are lunited. by the screw threaded portion 13a and the nuts 14.' The upper head 10 is provided with g the vupwardly extending guide wings 15 which fit into grooves 16 in the upper portion of the valve seatI ring 4, whereby` the valve 7 and ,the lvalve stem 12 are held against rotation while, r atl the same time, free to reciprocate vertically. v l

. Ordinarily, seat rings for firehydrants are provided Withpmetal gaskets for insuring a tight joint between the ring and the shoe, but

1n my improvement herein, gaskets are dis'-` I pensed with. In the present construction,

the perimeter ofthe seat ringhas its upper vportion cylindrical and screw threaded, as at 17, whereas its lower portion is made conical as at 18, and preferably with a plurality of annular grooves 19 to increase the tight. i

ness ofthe joint. vThe uppergpart of the opening in theshoe'is formed 1with an internal cylindrical screw thread 20 into which the' screw thread 17 of the seat -ring is r screwed, and the lower part-ofits opening is made coni-cal as at 21 so as to receive and act as a seat for the conical portion 18 of the seat ring, all of which is clearly shown in Fig. 1. It will be underst'ood that when the seat ring is screwedl down its conical portion 18 tightly seats upon the conical portion 21 of the shoe, Aand invthat manner makes avery strong and tight joint, and by making lthe conical angle relatively small,

the seat ring will be held rmly tothe 'shoe and resistant to rotation when the stern is being acted upon bythe operating bushing at the top of the hydrant.

. Referring now to the balancing feat-ure whereby the large main valve 7 may be opened downwardly lagainst th'e great pressure of the water in the street mains, the following construction is employed.. 22 is a tubular barrel which is fitted into an upper cylindrical'flan-ge 23 and a lower cylindrical iiange 24 of the shoe in which -it is secured by eX- panding the upper and lower edges, as at 25.

Surround/ing the'cylinder 22 and between the" upper flange-23 and lower flange 24 is' an annular space 26 which has'outletsv :27 downwardly throughl the bottom of the shoe. 28 are drainage apertures through thectubular cylinder 22 about ymidway of its length and opening into the drainage passage. `26. 29

is a balancing' piston and comprises a down'- wardly extending tubular portion 30 flanged at 31 and forming a continuation of the tubuluar. stem 13 of the main valve. Sleeved upon the tubular stem. 3() is the central piston portion 32, the two cupped leather packings 33 and 34 and a clamping collar 35, all held y between the flange 31 and the nuts 36 screwed upon the lower portion of the tubular stem 30. f The balancing piston 29 may be made in any other suitable manner, but since it is to operate in connection with water, the construction shown has been found well suited to the purpose. It will be seen that this 'pist0n is subjected to the pressure of the water upon itsupper side while its lower side is subjected only to the atmospheric pressure which exerts its influence through the drainage passages 26, 27 and 28, into the interior lower part of the cylinder 22. As the area of the balancing piston 29 approximates,

f though preferably 1s somewhat less than the area of the opening of the main valve seat, it is manifest that thehydraulic pressure of the water will' be somewhat greater upon the main valve than upon the balancing piston, and this is desirable to insure some seating pressure; but the vdierence in area may be made as small as possible, so that the extent of the balancing of the main valve may be` carried out to as great an extent as possible consistent with good operation of the device.

For the purpose of draining the hydrant barrel or stock 5 when -the main valve is closed, I. provide a drainage port 37 through the valve operating stem 12 whereby it provides at-the top a communication with the interior of the barrel or stock 5 above the main valve, and at itsbottom a communication with the interior of the tubular stem 30 which opens downward into the cylinder 22 below the balancing valve 29. As shown in Fig. 1, the water which might bein the barrel 5 when the valve is just closed 4would drain through the passage 37, thence through the tubular stem 30 into the cylinder 22, and thence through the apertures 28, 26 and 27 to the ground outside of the hydrant. It will also be seen that when thepistonis descending together with the main valve in the act of opening the latter, the lower cupped leather portion 34 of the piston will close the drainage ports 28 so that the pressure of the water exerted above thejmain valve will not be able to forcefthe water through the drain-y` age ports 26, 27 and 28, but instead will exert a pressure commensurate with the pressure of the street main upon the underside' of the balancing piston 29 as well as upon its upper side, and with the result that after the initial opening of the valve assisted by the water pressure upon the upper side of the Vbalancing piston 29, the balancing requirement will no longer be necessary and, therefore, the balancing piston is in effect but out of action and merely moves with the main valve as a controlling means for the drainage.' On account of the large movement of the main valve,'the counter-balancing piston must have a vertical height which will maintain the drainage ports 28 closed throughout `the main opening and closing movements of the'm'ain valve, being operative for controlling the drainage port with the first initial 'movement given to the valve stem and valve piece in opening the valve, and the nal movement of said parts when closing the valve. While the cylinder 22 is shown as made of a piece of tubing expanded in tight position within the flanges 24 and-33 of the shoe, thesaid cylindrical portion may be integral with the shoe structure itself. However, it is advantageous to' employ the construction as shown, because the tubing constituting the cylinder may be of brass, bronze or other non-rusting metal.

Referring tothe means for impar-ting reciprocation to the valve stem 12 and as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 39 is the operating stem nut internally screw threaded andrcooperating with the threaded portion 40. of the valve stem 12. The stem nut '39 is provided with an annular flange 41 and an externally arranged usual polygonal shapel head 43 for the application of a wrench to rotate the nut.` 42 is a hold-down nut which is ,screwed into the top of the bonnet 38 and provides an annular bearing for the .flange of the stem nut. vBelow theflange 4l, there is arranged a cupped leather packing, the radial portion 45 of which is clamped down upon the annular shoulder 46 of the bonnet by the screwbushing 44 and upon which the flange 41 of the stem nut rests, while the cylindrical portion 48 of the cupped leather snugly fits the outer circumference of the stem nut and is normally spring pressed against thel same by the circular spring formed ofspringsheet metal at 47.. In' this manner,- the vertical thrust, whether upward or downward, due to the rotationof the stem sleeve is taken up by the metal portions 42 and 44, whereas the packing is securelyclamped. in position and is yieldingly pressedagainst lthe circumference of the sleeve, the latter being tirned to a true cylinder. The clamping spring 47 holds the cupped leather at all times snugly against the stem nut, even when there is no pressure within the hydrant stock or barrel,

sure was controlled or where. the main valve.

-' was relatively small, a threaded connection with the operating stem nut was usually made with 'six t reads tothe inch, whereas by my improvement, I am enabled to use a greater pitch amounting to three threads to the inch', thusdoubling the-speed of opening and closing the hydrant and operatinga greater pressure and moving a-larger valve piece with?v out the application of any greater power.

While I have provided draining means whereby the stock or barrel of the hydrant may bel drained through the valve stem and thence through the .balancing cylinder 22, I

fdo not restrict myself in this respect, as the draining of the barrel or stock may be accomplished in any other suitable manner such Y as heretofore practiced, though I prefer the construction shown.

. amount of resistance to opening of the valve would be proportional, to the difference in areas, and consequently as this difference in area is relatlvely small compared to the full area of the main valve,.a relatively smaller power exerted on the stein nut 39 is alone necessary to insure the opening of the main Valve. As soon as this opening of themain valve takes place, the drainage ports 28 are closed and water under pressure passes through the drainage port.37 and into the lower part of theA cylinder 22, so that it exerts an upward pressure on the underside of the balancing piston 29 equal to or approximately equal to the downward pressure upon the upper side of the piston, and thereafter, the main valve ismoved up or down freely since the pressure is equalized upon its upper and lower portion, .just as the pressure is equalized upon the upper and lower portions of the balancing piston. 29. Iteversely, in closing the maln valve, the' stem nut is rotated ina right hand directionand this lifts the valve `stem and valve piece as well as the balancing piston without material resistance and just before the main valve seats the drainage ports 28 open to relieve the pressure under the balancing piston and thereupon the differential action of the balancing piston 'and main valve once more becomes edective vso that the main valve closes gently and without jar, nomatter how greatly the water pressure in the main may be. Thereafter, the stock or barrel drains automatically through the ports 37, cylinder- 22,' 1ports 28, 26 and 2.7 to the groundoutside .of the hydrant, and, at the same time, maintaining the cylinder 22 below the piston alent is:

most full of water and in 'condition to' bev quickly responsive iup'on again 'j opening ,the l valve. ,n v It will now be apparent thathave de'- vised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumeratedfas desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and` l described the preferred embodiment thereoffwhich has been found in practice to give satisfactory andl reliable results,it is to be understood that I do not restrictmyself to the details, as the same are susceptible' of modification in various particulars without .departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to .secure-by. Letters Pat-v 1. In a valve device of tlre characterstated, a valve piece and an operating' steinffor recontrolling a fluid under pressure, combined v'with an inlet chamber in which the valve piece ciprocating it toward and'from a seat 'forl is moved in opening the valve, and means for largely. counter-balancing the pressure ofthe fluid upon the valve pieceagainst openingwhich comprises a cylinderin alinement with vthe-valve piece and stern and opening into the chamber and of an internal diameter approaching the diametercfthe valveseat open.- ing, a piston movable inthe cylinder so as to be affected by the luid'pressureofthe fluid both within the cylinder and chamber when the valve is opened, .said piston connected to and movable with the valve lpiece and the interior of said c linder below thepistonhav-v ling communicatlon with the space above the valve piece when the valvepiece is open and with the atmosphere 'prior to fand during lthe initial opening movement yon'ly: of: the Vvalve piece in opening. l

2. In a valve device of .thecharac'ter stated, a valve piece and an operating stern for reciprocating it towardandfrom' a seat for' controlling va fluid under pressure, combined `Iwith an inlet chamber in which the valve piece is moved in opening the-valve, and means for largely counter-balancing the pressure of the fluid upon' the valve piece to ,reduce its t resistance .to opening, ccmp.risinga cylinder in alinement with the valve piece and stem' and opening into they inlet-chamber, anda piston'movable in the cylinder soas to be affected -by the pressure ofthe fiuid within the f inlet chamber, said' piston connected to and movable-with the' valve piece, and whereinfurther, a communicatingvdrainage passagevv 'is provided from the deliver side of the valve piece to the interior o l the cylinder below' the piston, whereby fluid on the de.

livery sideofv the valve piece Amay ,drain through the cylinder prior-tothe initial openingmov'ement of the valvepiece the cylinder being Vprovided with a drainage outlet through its side lwall immediately, beneath the piston therein when raised to itshighest position, Whereb said drainage .aperture is sealed by the piston when lowered within the cylinder.'v f

3. The invention' according'v to claim l,V

wherein further, .the piston operates as a drainage valve'forlcontrolling the escape of Water from the valve device through the means of communication from the interior 'of the cylinder to the atmosphere, 'said piston having a depth or'thickness in sliding Contact with the interior ofthe cylinder which is greater than the total travel of the valve piece l in fully opening or closingv the valvedevice.

4. The invention .according to claim 1, wherein further, the communication between vthe interior of the cylinder and the atmosphere comprises a port through the wall of the cylinder close to the piston when the'valve per portion provided with an annular radial seat, a leather c surrounding the stem nut andhaving a ra ial flange resting upon the annular radial scat, a clamping bushingy screwed into the recess in the bonnet and tightly clamping the radial flanged portion of the leather cup, said bushing acting also as a bearing for the annular flange of the stem, and a retaininl nut screwedrinto the upper portion of the onnet and providing an annular under bearing surface for the upper side othe annular flange of the stem nut.

6. .The invention according to claim 5, in which further, the cylindrical portion of the leather cup is arranged in a recess of considerable greater-diameter, and a'split clamping ring surrounds the leather and clamps it to the cylindrical outer surface of the stem nut. v l

7. In a device of the character stated, a reciprocating valve piece, and stem, a rotating stem nut foroperating said parts, means for supporting the stem nut against longitudinal movement while permitting rotary movement, and a water tight packing about the stem nut comprising a cupped leather packing `having a cylindrical portion tting the cuppedleather for yieldinglyclamping it to the cylindrical surface of the stem nut.

8. In a valve device of the character stated, a valve piece and an operating stem for reciprocat-ing-it toward and from a seat' for con-v tightly about the stem nut and an annular 'trolling a Huid under pressure, combinedwith f an inlet chamber in which the valvepiece is moved 'in opening the valve and means for largely counterbalancing the pressureof the uid upon the valve piece to reduce its -resistance to opening, comprising a. cylinder in alinement`with the valve piece and stem and opening into the inlet chamber, a piston. mov-l able in the cylinder so as to beafected by the pressure of the fluid within theinlet chamber, said `-piston connected to and movable with the valve piece, means for providing at all times'a communication between the space on thedelivery side of the va'lvepiece and the cylinder space below the counter-balancing piston, and means for draining the; valve device when the valve piece is closed` upon its 1 seat.

lng concentric withthe axis of the valve piece and thestem and comprising upperand lower annular portions separated-bya drainage space, and wherein the cylinder isormed 9. The invention according to claim 1,

of a piece of tubular metal snugly fitting the annular portions of the cylindrical openmg so as to bridge over the drainage space an held in place by being outwardly flanged or upset in relation to one of the annular portions and providing a curved rim to insure easy entrance of the piston vand 'at the same ltime hold the tubular cylinder 4against lon-v gitudinal movement when the valve vis being opened or closed, said cylinderprovided with drainage openings extending through the wall thereof into the drainage space.

In testimony of which invention,

I hereunto set my hand.

HERBERT M; LoF'roN.

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