US1849411A

US1849411A - Method of extinguishing grass and similar fires

Info

Publication number: US1849411A
Application number: US417848A
Authority: US
Inventors: Antone J Silva; John J Silva
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1930-01-02
Filing date: 1930-01-02
Publication date: 1932-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 1949-03-15

Description

foR 1,849,411

March l5, 1932- A. J. SILVA ET AL METHOD oF EXTINGUISHING GRASS AND SIMILAR FIRES Filed Jan. 2. 1950 2 VShea'elzs-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 'NS n".

March 15, 1932. A, J, S|| VA ET AL 1,849,411

METHOD 0F EXTINGUISHING GRASS AND SIMILAR FIRES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 2, 1930 INVENTORS /LcLSl'LUa "faq, cl. Silva E" Q .um

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES .PATENT QFFICE .ANTONE J'. SILVA AND JOHN J'. SILVA, OF MILTON, CALIFORNIA METHOD 0F EXTINGUISI-IING GRASS AND SIMILAR FIRES Application filed January 2, 1930. Serial No. 417,848.

This invention relates to a method of fighting fires and particularly for controlling and extinguishing grass, grain and similar fires which if unchecked are of course apt to do considerable damage. Such fires almost always occur in dry seasons when there is usually no available water to fight them or the amount is very limited, and operations such as back-firing, digging fire breaking trenches, beating out the fire with damp sacks, or similar operations must be resorted to. rlhese are arduous and time consuming operations of sometimes no edectiveness.

The principal object of our invention is to devise a method of fighting fires of this character which consists in utilizing air as the means for extinguishing the fire, the air being directed and controlled in such a manner as to force the fire in the direction from which it has aproached, so that it is not only halted in its advance but beingthrown back onto the burnt-over area soon dies from lack of fresh material on which to feed. The universally available substance-air-is therefore the only element necessary and the presence or absence of water adjacent the burning territory is a matter of no moment.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whereby the necessary air blasts may be readily provided and rendered convenient to the lire fighters.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly e'ective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a persual of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our improved fire lighting apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View in diagrammatic form of the driving means of the air blast mechanisms. j

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the front end of the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section of the universal joint of the blower-unit.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the

numeral 1 denotes in general a motor driven 55 truck of suitable design. Mounted on the rear end of this truck is a gas engine 2 separate from the truck engine, and driving an air compressor 3. A hand controlled clutch 4 in the driving connections between the en- 60 gine and compressor enables the operation of the latter to be discontinued without stopping the engine. This compressor feeds into one or more reservoirs 5 mounted on the truck and one or more lengths of fire resisting hose 6 of considerable extent connected at one end to the reservoir. The outer end of each hose carries a nozzle 7 preferably of a flaring mouth form; the hose being normally wound on and supported by a reel or drum 8 70 mounted on one side of the truck.

Mounted on an extension frame 9 projecting in front of the truck proper is a vertically disposed blower 10 which vanes 10a are preferably driven from the engine. 2 by suitable 75 connections as at 11; a hand controlled clutch 112 being interposed at a suitable point in such connections so that the operation of the blower may be discontinued when desired without stopping the engine or interfering with the SO operation of the compressor. The intake 13 for the blower is at the back end of the same and preferably faces toone side of the truck so as not to draw air from immediately adjacent the truck engine, which as usual is diS- posed at the front end of the truck.

rlhe outlet 14 from the blower projects upwardly a short distance and terminates in a male ball element 15 which is universally turnable in the corresponding female element ter of the joint and universally turnable in a socket 20 mounted on the member 15. The outer end of this bolt is adjustably secured by nuts 2l to a spider 22 secured to the conduit 17 adjacent the member 16.

The conduit 17 a short distance above the 1.00

ball joint turns outwardly and at a downward angle toward the ground, terminating at its outer end in a wide fiaring mouth 23, disposed a considerable distance above the ground at all times. Owing to the universal joint mounting of the conduit it may obviously be swung up or down and from side to side as may be desired.

To control the up and down movement of the conduit a cable 24 supports the same toward its outer end, this cable being supported from a derrick 25 upstanding from the frame 9. rI`his cable extends rearwardly of the derrick to and is wound about a hand controlled drum 26 mounted in a convenient position on the truck. The rotation of the conduit is controlled by another cable 27 wrapped about the neck of the conduit adjacent the ball joint, the ends of this cable being wound from opposite directions about another hand controlled drum 28. This drum is preferably positioned adjacent the drum 26 so that the two may be readily controlled by the same operator. The drums being some distance rearwardly of the blower and its dis charge conduit they can be manipulated and the setting of the conduit controlled as necessary without danger of the operator being burnt.

In operation the truck is driven in front of the fire as close as possible, the air compressor being operated .en route to provide a supply of compressed air at high pressure in the reservoir 5. If the fire is of a low nature not having high reaching flames it is only necessary to use the high pressure air. In doing this the operator unreels the hose and manipulates the nozzle 7 so that a blast of air will be directed toward the fire at its base and at the point of foremost advance so that the fire is blown backward or onto the area already burnt over. Since this area of course offers no fuel for the fire and the latter cannot advance toward the unburnt area it almost immediately dies out.

If the flames are too high to permit of the effective use of the relatively small high pressure blast alone the blower is operated and the conduit I7 is turned so that the nozzle 23 is positioned above the llames and in a direction such that the blast of air therefrom will blow downwardly and toward the burnt area. The large blast of air from the blower therefore has the effect of blanketing and beating down the flames, as well as forcing them back. This enables the operator of the high pressure nozzle, while the blower is still thus functioning to approach within close range of the fire, to direct his high pressure air stream against the sam-e in the manner as first described and with the same results.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in de tail the presentand preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as dened by the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The method of extinguishing grass and similar fires consisting in directing an air blast downwardly onto the flames from above and in the direction from which the lire is approaching,l to beat down the flames; and while holding the flames thus beaten, directing air under pressure against the base of the fire at its point of furthest advancement in a direction to force the lire. back onto the burnt-over area.

In testimony whereof we ailiX our signatures.

ANTONE J. SILVA. JOHN J. SILVA.