US1764964A - Fire extinguisher - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1930 P. GJMCGREGOR FIRE EXTINGUISHER v 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed July 11, 1928 June 17, 1930. P. G. MaoGRr-GOR `FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed July 11, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l i u v Patented June 17, 1930 .Unirse sraras raraar onirica PETER GRAHAM MACGnneon, or PneUANocK, Nnw Jnnsnr, Assrenon 'ro rrnnnn MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F WARE NEW'ARK, NEW JERSEY, A CRPGRATEON OF DELA- FIBE EXTINGISHER Application filed July 11,

My present invention relates to fire extinguishers and it has 4for its object to provide certain improvements in connection therewith relating principally to a valve mechanism for 5 simultaneously controlling the passage of compressed air or gas from a pressure chamber to a fluid chamber and the escape of the fluid from-the latter when the fluid is subjected to such pressure.

rlhe invention has for its further object to provide a valve mechanism in which the valve heads may be controlledby a single actuator which serves toretract them simultaneously away fromy their valve seats and alsov serves when the heads yare in the closed position, to lock them against accidental disengagement.

To these and other ends the invention consist-s in further improvements and arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully described, the novel features being pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation oi a lire extinguisher embodying my invention; Figure 2 is a plan view thereof; Figure 3 is a vertical central sectional view taken on line x-BX of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a frag` mental sectional view taken on line lx-lx of Figure 2; Figure la is a detail sectional view showing in detail the lower kend of the pressure pump; Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 5X-5X of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a vertical sectional viewv taken on line 6*--6X of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7X-YX of Figure 5 showing the twin valves;and Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8X-8 of Figure 5, showing the filler opening and cap. Similar reference numerals in the several iigures indicate similar `parts.

The extinguisher, herein shown, includes an outer or liquid chamber 10, having its lower end connected to a suitable base 11 and itsV upper end connected to the outer peripheral flange of a head 12 which is also provided with aninnerdepending flange 13 to which 1928. Serial No. 291,872.

the upper end of a pressure chamber 14 is secured, the lower end of the pressure chamber being closed, as shown, and spaced an.

jecting through the head. 12 to which it is E suitably connected to form an airtight joint.

Within the pump cylinderA 16, is arranged a reciproca-ting piston 18, adapted to be operated by a piston rod 19, guided in a cap member 20, on the upper end of the lpump cylinder 16 and having an air inlet port 21 formed therein. The outer end of the piston rod 19`r carries a suitable handle 22. rlhe pump, herein shown, is of the single acting type, its piston 18 being such that it permits air to pass therearound on the outward stroke of the piston rod 19, and to be confined below the piston 18 upon eXpansion of the pistonl packing 23, when the piston is moved downwardly vwithin the pumpcylinder. A pressure tube 24 leads from the lower end of the pump cylinder 16 upwardly to the head 12,

where it communicates with an air vpocket such as a passage 25 leading from an air check valve 26, of ordinary construct-ion, the inner end of which opens into the pressure chamber 14. In order to permit the air valve 26 to be readily removed so that a new one may be easily substituted, the head 12 is provided with a screw threaded opening 27 disposed in alignment with the valve 26, and normally closed by a removable plug 28.

Upon the head 12 is mounted a valve mechanism 29 adapted to control the flow of pressure from the air chamber 14 to the liquid chamber 10 and also to control the escape of liquid from the latter through a nozzle tube'30, of the usual flexible type suitably connected to the head 12. A filler openingk 31, isalso formed in the head and provided with a removable screw-threaded plug 32. This opening is enlarged at its lower end to receive a short tube 33 which projects into the liquid chamber 10 so as to form an air pocket when tne desired level of the liquid is reached to prevent the liquid from rising too high in the fluid chamber during the filling operation.

rllhe valve mechanism 29 includes a housing 34 having a flange portion 34oadapted to be suitably secured to the head l2, to form an air and liquid-tight union therewith. rihe housing 34 also includes a depending portion 35 which projects through an opening 36 in the head l2 and contains adjacently disposed parallel valve chambers which are internally screw threaded as indicated at 37 and 38. lVithin the chamber 37 is arranged a pressure valve head 39 and within the chamber 38 is arranged a liquid valve head 40, the former being provided with a pointed end adapted to engage a similarly shaped valve seat formed in an adjustable tubular plug 4l at the lower end of the chamber 37.V The lower end of the liquid valve is preferably flat and seats upon an annular rib 42 carried by a tubular screw threaded plug 43 adjustably fitted in the extremity ofthe chamber 38. The valve heads 39 and 40 slide within the tubular gland nuts 44 and 45 which confine suitable packing in the upper ends of the chambers 37 and 38 and spaced an appreciable distance from the gland nuts 44 and 45, so as to form air and liquid spaces 46 and 47. The air space 46 communicates through a passage 48 with the liquid chamber 10, and leadingfrom the liquid space 47 is an outlet or discharge pipe 49. This outlet pipe 49 passes around the flange 13 depending from the head 12, and terminates at its point of juncture with the outlet nozzle 30.

An important feature of the invention resides in the arrangement of the valve seats at the outer end of the valve chambers. These are made adjustable in the first instance to permit their being positioned properly in relation to the length of travel imparted to the valve heads by the actuating device. When once adjusted the valve seats are permanently secured in position. 'lo this end the valve seats are formed on the plugs 4l and 43 which are threaded into the lower ends of the valve chambers. lThese plugs'are preferably tubular to provide passages leading outwardly from the center of the seats and communicating with said passages are pipes 5l and 52 the former of which leads from the plug 4l and connects with the chamber 14 and is provided with `a reverse bend forming a trap therein. 'l`he tube 52 extending from the passage in the p-lrf 43 reaches downwardly to a point adjacent the bottom of the fluid chamber 10 and may generally be termed a pick-up tube.

The housing 34 also comprises a circular recess connecting the two valve chambers and contains the valve actuator. The outer portion of the wall of the recess is screw threaded and fitted therein is bearinfy pluO 7 C L 2D 55, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, in which .is j ournaled a cam shaft 5G projecting through a stuffing box 57 and carrying at its outer end a suitable hand wheel 58 for opening and closing the valves 39 and 40. The inner end of the cani shaft 56 carries a diskV 59 journaled in the recess of the housing and having an eccentric cam slot 60 formed therein. ln order that the valve heads 39 and 40 may be actuated simultaneously, they are connected together at their upper ends lby a yoke 62, which rests upon the upper ends of said heads and has an offset portion 63 extending between the heads having lateral extensions or fingers 64 which engage in notches 65 formed in the contiguous sides of the heads near their upper ends. The yoke (i2 is provided at one side with a projection such as a pin 66 which engages the cam slot 60 so that when the hand wheel 58 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 7 the valve heads are simultaneously lifted from their respective seats, and counter clockwise movement will project them again into closed position. Since it may often be necessary to seat the valve heads against pressure and it is desirable to hold'them locked in closed position lf provide the actuator with a second oamvl the operating surface of which engages directly upon the top of the yoke 62 atits center. This cam is segmental in shape and its outer end engages the inner circular wall of the cylindrical recess inthe casing to take the strain off tie inner end of the shaft 56. rThe cam 6l is also shaped with reference to its axis of rotation that when the valve heads are closed its point of engagement with vthe yoke lies off center77 and effectively serves as a lock against the retraction of the parts. f

ln order to compensate forany irregularities in manufacturing and thereby insure simultaneous seating of the valves 39 and 40, the seats for these valves may be properly adjusted at the time of assembling the valve mechanism ln making suchV adjustment, the'hand wheel 58 is set in closed position, and then the screw threaded plugs 4l and 43 are screwed into their respective openings 37 and 38 until their valve seats engage the heads 39 and 40. This adjustment may be easily made and when completed, the threadist ed plugs 4l and 43 are peiananentlyV secured inV position, as by soldering. lf during'use, one of the valve seats, should become worn slightly more than the other, the effectiveness of the seals between the heads 39 and 4G and their respective seats is maintained due to the fact that the connection of the heads 39 and 40 with the yo te 62 is sufficiently flex ible to permit slight relative movement between the heads 39 and 40 so that they may be forced into intimate sealing engagement with their respective seats.V

In order to o erate the extinguisher after iilling the cham er 10 with a suitable lire extinguishing liquid pressure is supplied to the pressure cham er 14 by the pump herein shown, or it may be supplied from a suitable source, not shown, by removing the plug 28 and connecting such source with the valve 26. Inasmuch as the valve 26 functions as a check valve, insofar as the pressure chamber 14 is concerned, such pressure as is built up within the pressure chamber to the desired number of pounds, indicated by a suitable pressure gauge 68 carried by the head 12 and communicating with the pressure chamber 14, is effectively retained within the pressure chamber by the closed pressure valve 89 until it is desired tooperate the extinguisher. By rotating the hand wheel 58 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 7, the valve heads 39 and 40 are lifted from their respective seats. Upon opening them communication between the pressure chamber 14 and the liquid chamber 10 is established by way of the pressure tube 51, tubular plug 41, airspace 46 and the port 48. At the same time the pressure chamber 14 is opened tothe liquid chamber 10, the latter is opened to the nozzle tube 30 by way of the pick-up tube 52, the tubular plug 43, the liquid space 47 and the discharge pipe 49, whereupon, the pressure supplied to the liquid forces it o-ut of the nozzle tube 30 by way of the pick-up tube 52 and discharge pipe 49 as just described. In order to close the valve heads 39 and 40, the hand wheelA 58 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 7,. with the result that the cam 61, engages and cooperates with the yoke 62 to vforce the valve heads 39 and 40 downwardly into Contact with their respective seats at or about the time the cam 61 assumes its position shown in Figure 7. Upon seating of the valve heads they may be urged into intimate engagement with their respective seats by moving the hand wheel'S slightly further in a counter clockwise direction, as

viewed in Figure 7 in which seated or closed positions they are locked by the cam due to its particular contour and its relation to the center of rotation thereof as will be readily understood.

While only one form of the invention is herein shown and described, itwill be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention and the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is: y

1.` In av fire extinguisher of the type including pressure and liquid chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of pressure from the pressure chamber' to the liquid chamber and for controlling the flow of liquid from the liquid chamberY and comprising a housing containing a pair of connected valve chambers, a pair ofjreciprocating valve heads, a yoke plate connecting them, a rotatable cam cooperating with said yoke plate to move said heads Vto closed positions and an auxiliary cam cooperating with said yoke plate to move said heads to open positions.

2. In a re extinguisher of the type including pressure and liquid chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of pressure from the pressure chamber to the liquid chamber and for controlling the flow of liquid from the liquid-chamber and comprising a housing containing a pair of connected valve chambers, a pair of reciprocating valve heads, a yoke plate connecting them, a rotatable cam cooperating with said yoke plate to move said heads lto closed positions, a pin carried by said yoke, and a disk having a cam slot therein adapted to receive one end of said pin and cooperating therewith to move said heads to open positions.

3. In a tire extinguisher of the type including pressure and liquid chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling the iow of pressure from the pressure chamber to the liquid chamber and for controlling the How of liquid from the liquid chamber and comprising a housing containing a pair of connected valve chambers, valve heads therein connected for simultaneous movement, a rotatable cam operating to move the valve heads to closed positions, adjustable tubular members disposed in alinement with said heads `and provided with valve seats for said heads, a

pressure pipe leading from said pressure.

chamber to one of said adjustable tubular members, and a pick-up tube leading from the interior of said liquid chamber to the other of said adjustable tubular members.

4. In a lire extinguisher of the type including pressure and liquid chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of pressure from the pressure chamber to the liquid chamber andfor cont-rolling the flow of liquid from the liquid chamber and comprising a housing having a pair of valve chambers serving as air and liquid spaces respectively,

a pair of connected valve heads arranged for simultaneous movement within said chambers, a rotatable cam cooperating with said heads to move them to closed positions, tubular members disposed in alinement therewith forming valve seats, a pressure pipe for establishing communication between said pressure chamber and said air space through one of said tubular members, a pick-up tubeV for establishing communication between said liquid chamber and said liquid space t-hrough the other of said tubular members, and a discharge pipe leading from said liquid space to the exterior of said liquid chamber.

5. ln a fire extinguisher of the type including pressure and liquid chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of pressure from the pressure chamber to the liquid chamber andlor controlling the flow et liquid from the liquid chamber and comprising a housing containing a pair of connected valve chambers, a pair ot reciprocating valve heads having notches formed therein, a yoke interlocking with said notches and a rotatable cam cooperating with said yoke for moving said valves longitudinally in the valve chambers. f

Y 6. In a tire extinguisher of the type including pressure and liquid'chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling the flow et pressure from the pressure chamber to the liquid chamber and for controlling the flow ot liquid from the liquid chamber and comprising a housing containing a pair of connected valve chambers, a pair oireciprocating valve heads having notches formed therein, a yoke interlocking with said notches, a rot-atable cam cooperating with said yoke for moving said valves longitudinally in the valve chambers, and an auxiliary cam cooperating with said yoke to lift said valves out of engagement with their respective seats.

7 In a lire extinguisher or" the type includ- V ing pressure and liquid chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling' the flow oit pressure from the pressure chamber to the liquid chamber and for controlling the ilow of liquid from the liquid chamber and comprising ahousing containing valve chambers a cam recess, a pair of valve heads in the valve chambers projecting into saidcam recess, packing material surrounding said valves atone end of the valve chambers, gland nuts confining said packing, adjustable tubular members Ydisposed in alinement with said heads and provided with valve seats, said tubular members forming with said gland nuts air and liquid spaces'in the valve cham-V bers respectively, the former of which is in communication with said liquid chamber and the latter in communication with the exterior of said liquid chamber, a pressure pipe leading from the pressure chamber to said air space through one of said tubular members, a pick-up tube for establishing communication between the liquid chamber and the liquid space through the other of said tubular members and a rotatable cam disposed within the camv recess and adapted to cooperate with the valve heads to move them into engagement with their respective seats.

8. In a fire extinguisher of the type iiicluding pressure and liquid chambers, a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of pressure from the pressure chamber to the liquid chamber and for controlling the flow of liquid from the liquid chamber and comprising a housing containing valve chambers and a cam recess, a pair oiC valve heads in the valve chambers projecting into said cam recess, packing material surrounding said valves at one end of the valve chambers, gland nuts conning said packing, adjustable tubular members disposed in alinement with said heads and provided with valve seats, said tubular members forming with said gland nuts air and liquid spaces in the valve chambers respectively, the former of which is in valve heads to move them into engagement with their respective seats, an outlet pipe leading from said liquid space to the exterior of said liquid chamber, and an auxiliary cam adapted to cooperate with said valve heads for lit-ting them out ot engagement with their respective seats.

9. In a valve mechanism for lire extin-` guishers, a housing comprising adjacent parallel chambers open at one end and having seats at the other end, valve heads cooperating with the seats and. extending out of the chambers, a yoke resting upon the valve heads attached thereto and provided with a laterally extending projection, an oscillatory 4 operating member comprising a cam coop-v erating Vwith the projection to move the valve heads relatively to their seats and a locking portion bearing against the yoke when the heads are in engagement with their seats.

l0. In a valve mechanism for tire extinguishers, a housing having a circular recess and parallel chambers leading outwardly therefrom and having valve seats at their out.- er ends, valve heads cooperating with the latter and extending into the recess, a -yoke resting upon the heads and connected thereto, and a disc journaled in the recess and cooperating with the yoke to move the valve heads toward and from their seats.

1l. In a valve mechanism for fire extinguishers, a housing having a circular recess tdnd parallel chambers leading outwardly therefrom and having valve seats at their outn er ends, valve heads cooperating with the latter and extending into the recess, and a yoke restinoupon the heads and connected there-Y to and provided with a lateral projection, of a disc journaled in the recess at one side of the yoke and provided-with a camslot cooperating with said projection. i'

l2. In a valve mechanism for fire extinguishers, a housing having a circular recess and parallel chambers leading outwardly therefrom and having valve seats at their outer ends, valve heads cooperating with the latter extending into' the recess and provided with notches in their Contiguous edges, a yoke in the recess extending over the ends of said PETER GRAHAM MAGGREGOR.

Images