US2051287A - Positive drive slow motion sprinkler - Google Patents

Description

5- w. A. BUCKNER POSITIVE DRIVE SLOW MOTION SPRINKLER Filed Deg 2. 24', 1934 WinABuc/cner @h .JLJAaL ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES POSITIVE DRIVE SLOW MOTION SPRINKLER William- A. Buckner, Fresno, Calif.

Application December 24, 1934, Serial No. 759,079

1 Claim. (01. 299 -67) This invention relates to water sprinklers and is directed particularly to slow motion rotary water sprinklers.

In this type of rotary sprinklers, the sprinkler heads-rotating due to the reactionary force of the water flowing from the nozzles-are often subject to sticking, and become inoperative, especially when the water pressure isv low and wear has developed with long use. It therefore is necessary to provide an auxiliary drive mechanism in order to assure rotation of the sprinkler head at all times. This problem has heretofore been dealt with by various mechanisms such as those disclosed in my United States Patents-Nos. 1,815,395, 1,815,880, and 1,970,126.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide a slow motion rotary sprinkler having a simplified water actuated and pressure responsive mechanism which: will intermittently and positively impart rotation to the sprinkler head.

It is also my object to provide means whereby the speed of the positive drive mechanism may be selectively controlled, thereby controlling the number of positive impulses imparted to the sprinkler head.

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

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

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

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of my improved sprinkler.

Figure 2 is a top plan view partly in section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the water distributing disc.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical housing formed with a tapped bottom passage 2 adapted to be secured to a Water supply pipe. In watertight engagement with the housing I is a cap 3 formed with an upstanding bearing sleeve 4. Rotatable in the bearing sleeve 4 is the tubular spindle 5 formed on its inner end with a flange 6. A thrust collar 1 is disposed on the sleeve 5 between the flange 6 and a recessed bearing shoulder in the cap 3. The thrust collar 1 also compresses against a packing gasket 8 in its recess in the sleeve 4, which prevents Water leakage between the spindle 5 and the bearing sleeve 4. The usual grease cup 9 affords lubrication to the bearing surface of the sleeve 4.

Threaded on the upper end of the spindle is o I and corresponding on the outer side to the 1 5- curvature of the side wall. The trailing edge of the finger I4 is formed at an angle as at I5 while the remainder of the finger on the inner side tapers toward the leading edge as shown. I

Threaded into the bottom of the housing I di- 20 rectly over the incoming. water passage and depending into a chamber I 6 is a water distributing disc I'I having a central orifice I8 and a plurality of tangential passages l9 out about its rim on a vertical diagonal. The disc I! is provided on its lower face with downwardly tapering nubs 20 which surround the central orifice as well as engage the housing at the bottom of the chamber It to form a strainer for the water entering the chamber Hi from the passage 2.

On the upper face of the water distributing disc is an upstanding bearing and water passage 2| concentric with the central orifice l8 and of less diameter than the disc. Adapted for selective threaded engagement in the central orifice I8 is a flow reducing core I811. having an orifice of reduced diameter therein.

A substantially rectangular driving member 22 having a bearing slot 23 formed therein and adapted for cooperative engagement with the hearing 2| rests on the upper face of the Water distributing disc 11 and is both rotatable and transversely movable on the bearing. The driving member 22 has a contact head 24 on one end thereof, the outer end of the head being, when in normal operative position, immediately adjacent as well as conforming to the curvature of the housing. The contact head 24 has an angular face 25 on its leading edge, the angle of the face corresponding to the angle of the face IS on the finger l4.

Spaced about the sides and inner end of the driving member and extending out therefrom are vanes 26 and 26a respectively, which are in the path of the streams of water thrown out of the This causes the driving member to rotate and to also be thrown centrifugally to itslimit of out while the remainder. flows betweenthe strainer nubs into the chamber Hi from whence it flows through the tangential passages 19 and strikes the vanes l6 and I Ea on the driving member 22.

ward movement, or to positionfrelative to'the bearing 2| ,as is shown in Figure 2 in full lines.

Then, as the driving member, rotates, the face 25 of the contact head 24 strikes the face l5 'of the finger M which results in the finger and consequently the sprinkler head being rotated'a shortdistance. The force of the blow when the angular faces'come into contact then'causes thedriving' member to move inwardly, or so that it assumes the position indicated in' dottediinesin V Figure 2. This'allows the con'tact head to slide pastthe finger and again assume a normal rotative'position with the pressure ofwater against thevanes' g Y The above described function prevents the 1'0- tatable sprinklerhead from sticking and becoming inoperative because if at any time the reac-' tionary forcegof 'the'fiqw from the split nozzle .[Zis not'suflicientto rotate the sprinkler head, ,the intermittent contact of. the, contact head and the finger will drive the sprinkler head, around a certain distance and also prevent anytendency for the parts to stick,- 1

= Thespeed with which the driving member rotates Within the housing maybe controlled by the selective insertion of a core l6 having a larger or smaller'orifice. The greater the volume of water that is forced through the passages l 9, the great-V 7 claim as new and useful er the speed of the driving member. The tapered nubs 20 serve as a strainer and substantially all foreign matter in the water is prevented from flowing into the chamber IS with.

possible jamming of the driving member as it flows out of the passages l9. All such foreign matter will be fice l8. I 7

From the foregoing description it-will be readforced through the central oriily seen that Ihave produced'such av device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do notform a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

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

A sprinkler comprising head having'a vertical passage spindle projecting into and turnablymounted in the top of the hous ingQ a water intake passage member formed with a housing, a sprinkler V the housing and dependingtherefrom a tubular element projecting upwardly 'into the housing from thebottom thereof in axial alinement with the spindle and communicating with the intake passage, there being openings outwardly of said 7 element and also providing communication between the housing andintake passage, means ac- V tuated by water flowing under pressure .through said openings to intermittently rotate the spindle,

and a removable flow restricting plug'mounted in said tubular element'whereby said plugmay be interchanged with onehaving a different sized flow restricting passageso as to alter the pressure of the water flowing through said openings.

7 WILLIAM A. BUCKNER.

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