US1900482A

US1900482A - Apparatus for producing fire extinguishing foam

Info

Publication number: US1900482A
Application number: US171989A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fisher L Boyd
Original assignee: National Foam System Inc
Current assignee: National Foam System Inc
Priority date: 1927-03-02
Filing date: 1927-03-02
Publication date: 1933-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 1950-03-07

Description

March 7, 1933. F, BOYD 1,900,482

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FIRE EXTINGUISHING FOAM Filed March 2, 1927 '26 30 Q lNVbNTOR fisher L. fi n d,

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, f

FISHER I. BOYD, 0F HAVERFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNQR, BY ASSJ IGN- MENTS, TO NATIONAL FOAM SYSTEM, INC., 0 PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE APPARATUS FOR PRODIUCiNG Application filed March 2,

My invention relates to apparatus for producingfoam for application to fires to extinguish the same. j

It has been proposed to mix together foam producing chemicals, such as aluminum sulphate and bicarbonate of soda, together with a stabilizing agent, and store the same in containers foruse as occasion may arise. If it were practical to maintain the massof mixed material so stored in a thoroughly dry state or conditionat all times such a practice would be desirable and satisfactory, but that is not practically possible, It has become necessary, therefore, to provide means of a practical nature the employment of which the foam producing materials'may be introduced either separately and at different points into a flowing stream of water, sep-' arate solutions being" thus successively formed and mixed together to produce a foam, or to introduce the-same from different containers at a commonpoint into such, flowing stream, as shown in my copending application, Serial Number 171,988, filed March 2, 1927, for apparatus for producing fire-extinguishing foam.

It is the general object :ofv my; invention to provide a novel means whereby the' foam producing materials are maintained in condition ready for use if occasion shouldarise and wherein the said materials are introduced separately from different containers into a flowing stream of water, the solutions of the said materials being formed successively and the chemicals therein reacting to produce foam which is "adapted to be applied to fires for extinguishing the same.

Another general object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of novel construc-. tion whereby the materials to be employed in andfor the production of a fire extinguishing foam may be-stored separately and in such relationto a flowing stream of water that should occasion arise they may vbe introduced into the said stream at K points spacedfrom each other in the direction of flow. v V p It also is an object of my invention to provide an apparatus of novel construction in which separate storagecontainers are in com FIRE nx'rmeursnme FOAM 1927,. Serial to. 171,989.. g I munication at different points with aflo'w mg stream of water, and also comprising means common to the said containers for controlllng the dlscharge of powdered ma-.

terials therefrom which whenxcombined in water at different points in the lengthofthe stream, and also" comprising means atsuoh points for accelerating thedischarge 'of the material from the said storage containers;

' I shall not at this point undertake to point out all-ofthe objects and advantagesap purtenant to the invention butothe'r and ad-y ditionalobjects and advantages thereof will be referred'to' in the detailed description v thereof which follows or will becomeappan ent from such description. j "T In order that the invention may be readily understood and "its manifold practical ad vantages appreciated reference may be had to thefaccompanyin'g drawing in which I have illustrated one form of apparatus embodying the invention. But it is to be 'dis-' tinctly understood that variouschangesmay be made inthe details of constructionthere- ,of without departing from the principle of the invention as defined in the, claims.

In the drawing: V i Fig.1 is a View in horizontal vertical section of means embodying the invention; and

Fig.2 is a transverse vertical sectiontaken I inthe plane of line 2'2 of Fig. 1; Q I have shown in the drawing a pipe 1 through which a stream'of water is adapted to flow, the flow thereof being controlled by a valve at 2. I have interposed in the'said v pipe a tubularsection 3 connected at its opposite ends by means of couplings 4 to the ad-v oining ends of the portions of "thepipe 11in alinement therewith. The section 3 is provided with lateral openings orports 5 and 6 surrounded by short tubular'projections '7 and 8 the outer ends of which are externally screw threaded, as indicated, for the reception of short tubular sections 9 and 10 into the upper ends of which the lower ends of

tapered containers

11 and 12 project. These containers 11 and12 are adapted for the separate storage of the materials consisting of chemicals which when dissolved in water react to produce a foam adapted for use in extinguishing fires. One of these storage containers may contain aluminum sulphate and the other bicarbonateof soda. One or the other of these containers also includes in admixture with the chemical therein a. stabilizing agent, such as extract of licorice root,'oak bark extract, bra-n, etc. The use of stabilize ers and the requisite quantities necessary to effect the object desired are known. to those skilled in this art and need not be mentioned here. It may be stated that the materials employed are introduced into the flowing stream of water, as it flows through the section 3 in-substantially equal portions;

The material within the storage containers 11 and Y12 is in dry powdered form and is adapted to be discharged therefrom through the lowerends thereof and through the lateral ports or openings 5 and 6 into the passageway through the section 3 in alinement with the passageway through the pipe or tube 1.

Valves

15 and 16 are provided for control ling the outflow of the powdered materials from the

respective containers

11 and 12. These valves are shown in closed position in j Fig. land are adapted tobeopened andclosed by means of a lever 17 common to both valves. The lower end of the said lever is pivotally connected to a bracket 18 mounted, in the construction shown, upon the rear end, of the section 3. The lever is connected at a point intermediate its ends to the rear end of a link 20 the forward end of which is pivotally connected to the valve 15 as indicated at 21.

A projection 22 extends upwardly from the forward end of the link 20 and to its upper end the rear end of a link 23 is pivotally connected the forward end of which is pivotally connected to the upper end of an arm 24 which is rigidly connected at its lower end to the rear end of the valve 16. It is apparent that if the lever 17 is moved toward the left, having reference to Fig. 1, both of the

valves

15 and 16 are moved into openposition to permit discharge of the powdered material from the

containers

11 and 12 which descendspartly as a result of gravity through the ports 5 and 6 into the passageway through the section 3. Movement of the lever 17 in the opposite direction causes movement of the

valves

15 and 16 into closing position, which is the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. 7 Mounted within the rear end of the section 3 is a nozzle 25 which is inalinement' with an intermediate combining tube 26 the open- 111g in the rear end of which is enlarged as indicated at 27 The opening through the nozzle 25 tapers toward its forward end, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The forward end of the nozzle 25 terminates in a plane which extends transverselyof the section 3 and which extends approximately midway of the port 5. The mixing of the material from the container 11 with the water begins in the space between the end of the nozzle 25 and the adjoining end of the combining tube 26 and continues in the latter. The combining tube 26- is in alinement with a combining tube 30 the opening in the rear end of which is somewhat enlarged, as indicated at 31. The forward end of the combining tube 26 terminates in a plane which extends transversely of the section 3 and which is located approximately midway of theport6. The forward end of the combining tube 26 is spaced sufficiently from the rear end of the combining tube 30 to facilitate the thorough mixing and intermingling of the powdered material which is discharged from the container 12 through the port 6 into the passageway through the section 3. The mixing is continued in the said combining tube 30. p

. The material from the containerll having been intermingled with and dissolved or partially dissolved in the combining tube 26, it is in condition to readily intermingle and mix with thepowdered material which is discharged from the container 12. The mixing or intermingling of the solution of aluminum sulphate (or other material) as it is dischargedfrom the combining tube 26 with the powdered bicarbonate of soda (or other material) from the container 12 has been found to effect theproduction of a foam in a most efiicient and satisfactory manner. It is understood that in all cases the requisite quantity of stabilizing agent is present in admixture with one or the other of the materials or with both, and it also is to be understood that the foam producing materials may be stored in reverse relation to each other from It may be found desirable to eifect adjustments axially of the combining tube 26. In order that such adjustments may be effected the said tube is adjustably mounted in bear ings, as shown, which are rendered watertight by means of packing 35. The means provided by me for effecting such adjustments consists of a lever 36, the lower end of which is in the form of a yoke, the opposite sides of which are pivotally connected as indicated at 37 to the opposite sides of the combining tube 26 and at their lower ends are pivotally connected as indicated at 38 to a flat section 39 by means of which the opposite end portions of the section 3 are connectedtogether. The upper end of the lever 36 is adapted to be held in adjusted position by means of a nut and bolt 41 adjustably mounted in an arcuate slot 42 in a yoke 43 supported atits opposite ends upon the inner ends of the opposite end portions of the section 3.

The pipe 1 is provided with a check valve 46 located in front of the'section 3 which 0perates to prevent a return flow of water therethrough. a

It will be seen that by my invention I have provided an apparatus of simple construction by means of which the chemicals which are employed for the production of a fire extinguishing foam are introduced separately and at different points into a stream of water. These chemicals dissolve'inthe water and when the solutions thereby formed come together they react to produce a foam which when a stabilizer is present is of a character satisfactory for use in extinguishing fires.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus for producing fire extinguishing foam, the combination of a pipe through which a stream of water may flow,

the said pipe having laterally and upwardly extending openings therein, containers supported above the said openings and being in communication therewith, the said containthe discharge of adjusting the said combining tube axially,

stationary containers the discharge ends of and the other another chemical substance,

either one or both of said containers being adapted to hold a stabilizing substance, which chemical substances when in the presence of each other in water react to produce fire extinguishing foam, and means for controlling substances from said con- I tainers through the said lateral openings into 1 the said pipe. 7 V

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereunto si ned my name this 28th day of February, 192 7.

FISHER L.-BOYD.

ers being adapted to hold separately chemical substances which when combined in the presence of water react to produce fire extinguishing foam, means for simultaneously opening and closing the passageways from said contamers 1nto the said openings, means including a comb ning tube within the said pipe for creating partial vacuums therein opposite the said lateral openings, and means or adjusting the said tube to diiferent posi- V tions.

extending openings therein, the said open-' ings being spaced a substantial distance from each other in the direction of the length of the said pipe, a combining tube extending between the said openings, a nozzle the dischar e end of which terminates opposite about the middle point of the first of the said openings, and the discharge end of the combining tube terminating in operative relation to the succeeding opening, means for I I in: