US341902A - Frank gray - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

F. GRAY.

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTING-UISHING SYSTEM.

PatentedMay 18, 1886.

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FRANK GRAY, or New YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATlC FIIREMEXTINGUISHING SYSTEM.

To all whom, it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, FRANK GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Impro vements in Automatic FirelExtinguishing Apparatus, which invention or improvements are fully described and` illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the dry-pipe systern for the automatic extinguishment of fire, for which Letters Patent No. 307,456 were issued to me on the L1th day of November, 188i.

The object of this invention is to provide a trustworthy closing and quick-acting opening device for excluding and admitting the extinguishing-water from the system or' distributing-pipes by means of a low pressure of con1- pressed air, regardless of the head or varia tion in head or pressure of the extinguishing liquid.

It is also its object to provide an automatic hydraulic-motor alarm, which shall start into action upon the occurrence of a iire and continue in operation until either the extinguishing-liquid is shut ol't or said alarm forcibly put out of operation.

It is further its object to provide a sensitive and efiicient sprinkler head or distributer for scattering or spraying the extinguishing-liquid upon an incipient fire.

The invention consists of the parts and coni-A binations of parts, as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in side elevation a general view of the complete apparatus, showing its distributingpipes and sprinkler-heads mounted under a section of the ceiling or rootl of a building. Fig. 2 shows in plan the automatic hydraulicmotor alarm shown in elevation in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged crosssection of the sprinkler-heads shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detached view inplan of the perforated scattering-plate, marked 5 in Fig. 8. Fig. 5 is a plan of the dished couplingnut, marked 6 on Fig. 3, which forms a bottoni for the scattering-plate, marked 5 in Fig. Fig. 6 shows in vertical cross-section [enlarged one of the nipples containing fusible metal, shown at d in Fie. 1.

rnGJFlGATION forming part o. Letters Patent No. 341,902, dated May 18, 1886.

Application filed August 24, 1885.

Serial No. 175,161.

(No model.)

In said figures the several parts are indicated by letters, as follows: A, the servicepipe from the water-supply; B, the waterstop valve within said pipe, which pipe is continued up within the building to be protected, to the ceiling of one ofthe floors, where it branches off under said ceiling into the pipe C, which is reduced to a smaller pipe, c, as may be desired. From the pipes C c depend the sprinklerfheads D D, (shown iu enlarged section in Fig. 3,) hereinafter more particularly described. the whole length of any building, and ofcourse located under the ceilings of every floor in one or more lines; and said pipes may be provided with sprinkler-heads at such intervals and in such numbersas lnay be desired. The pipe A is shown broken at a, whence it may lead to any elevation desired.. The valve B is an ordinary disk-valve, having an ordinary annular seatwithin a valve-chamber, E. Said valve is provided with a stem, F, secured to it by screw-thcreads c, rlhe vaive-stem F is prolonged upward and provided at top with a disk or wheel-handle, G, and said stem is guided in aframe, H, bolted to or forming part of the top or cover of the valvecliainber E. On top of said frame H is secured the aircompression chamber I, provided within it with a ilexible diaphragm, i', of rubber, mctal,or other suitable material, and under said diaphragm with a piston, 7L, whose rod 7a passes through guides downward and rests on a stop on the tripping lever or arm L, iivoted at m to the frame H. To the upper or outer end of arm L is 'fixed a ball or weight, K. Pivoted also in the frame H is the pawl or dog M, forming a two-ended lever, whose shorter and lower end engages the jog or notch a turned in the valvestem F. From the top of the air-conipression chamber I rises the air-pipef. Said pipe follows the same general course of the pipe or pipes (lo near thereto, and is provided at suitable intervals, preferably near the sprinkler-heads D, with nipples d d, having plugs or joints d', sealed with a solder fusible at a low temperature, similar to fusible joints likewise placed in the sprinkler-heads D. To the pipe fis connected apressure-gage, g, and an air-compression pump, N, operated bya connected, by a short pipe, p, a water-motor The pipes G may be prolonged.

IOO

handle, O. To the water-supply pipe A is within a easing -or box, Z, provided with an exit or exhaust pipe, p2. To the vertical spindie of said motor is secured the worm q, gearing with the wormwheel r, provided with a lug or stop, s, near its periphery. Over said gearing is suitably secured an ordinary gong, T, supplied with a hammer, t, having a bent handle, whose shorter end is turned to lie in the path of the revolving stop s on the wormwheel r.

Before explaining the complete operation of the parts as above detailed, the construction of the sprinkler-heads D, (shown in enlarged section in Fig. 3,) and also of the nipples cl, Fig. 6, will rst be described, substituting figures for letters in designating the several parts.4

In Fig. 3, l-indieates the valvechamber or metal casting forming the substance of the head proper. As part of said casting, depend two side rods, 3 4,*the lower ends of which are riveted to a radially barred or perforated scattering-plate, 5. U ponr the hub of said scattering-plate is screwed the dished coupling-nut b.y Said nut has aprolonged hub, 7, bored out and containing a tubular plug, S, soldered within and to said bore by any ofthe usual solders fusible at a low temperaturesay from 160O Fahrenheit upward. Above said tubular plug, and resting thereon, is a bored valve-stem, 9, forming part of an annular valve, 10,'provided with a renewable face, 1l, of soft metal-such as lead or other soft metal. Above said valve the stem is turned into a guide-head, '12, which Iitsneatly within the bore of the casting 1. The soft-metal valve-face 11 makes a close fit upon v the valve- 'seat bored in the bottom of the casting 1, as

` 4clearly shown in Fig. 3. rEhe bore of the valve-stem 9 is counterbored for some distance `up from its bottom, which counterbore is tted with a spiralspring, 13, whose base restsupon the tubular plug 8. Above said spring the valve-stem is perforated by .holes 14, which open through said stem into the surrounding atmosphere. It can now be readily seen that lif'the solder melts which holds the plug S within the hub `7 ofthe nut 6 thecompressed spring 13 will force said plug ont of'said hub, when the valve 10, with its stem 9, will immediately fall and open t-he interior of the 'sprinkler-head-for the exit of any water that "maybe within it orthe pipes, to which it is 'secured by the threads 15. The spring 13 will of course 'fall out disconnected; but the valve will rest within the base of the device upon either the scattering-plate 5 or the couplingnut 6, forming its base.

In'Fig. 6 are shown the nipples d, provided with -fusible meta-l plugs or -joints d', which will melt like the solder between the tubular -plugs 8 in the hub'7, Fig. 3. Said joints are` all intended to fuse upon the breaking out of va re near enough thereto to raise the tem-v fperature of the surrounding air-to the meltis very simple, and is as follows: The water-stop valve B being seated, as seen in- Fig. 1, and the point of the dog M thrown into the notch or jog Vn in the valve-stem F, the valve may be conveniently securely closed by turning the handle G from left to right, which action presses the valve tight in its seat, for the threads e, being shown left-handed, will cause the valve-stem F to tend to screw out of the valve B; but the rise of said stem being opposed bythe dog M, the effect of so turning the handle G is to press the valve B tighter toits seat the more said handle is 8o turned to the right-that is, apparently downward, but in reality upward. Of course right-handed threads may be used, if desired, instead of the left-handed threads e,

in which case the handle G would be turned from right to left-the other parts remaining the same-in order to jam the valve B tight up to its seat. The valve B being secured to 'its seat, the air-pump N is operated by its handle O and air pumped into the chamber I through the small air-pipe f until the pressure gage g indicates a sufficient pressure to depress the diaphragm i within said chamber. The depression or distention of said diaphragm transfers the whole downward pressure of the air so compressed@ n the isto h, whose rod or stem 7c is thus $319111anently/settl;h` as a fixed point below suitable guides under the chamber I. The stem la is thus made to take the weight and leverage of the ball K, and forcibly holds the lever L depressed by forming a stop at the pointk upon an offset or jog in said lever. The weight K is thus held velevated and the lever L depressed so long as the piston-rod 7c is depressed. The parts above described are thus held in their respective positions shown in Fig. 1, and in said positions the apparatus is properly set for automatic operation should a ire occur. The pipe f is provided with the nipples d, as before eX- plained, and the solder iu said nipples prevents the air compressed in said pipe from escaping until saidsolder is melted.

The apparatus being thus set for action upon the breaking out of a iire,its automatic operation for the extinguishment of the fire is as follows: The temperature of the air surrounding any one or more of the nipples drising tothe melting point of the solder d', said solder melts, when the compressed air within the chamber I will escape out of said nipple or nipples. Immediately upon such occurrence the weight of the ball K forces up the pistonrod k, and as the ball falls under the effect of gravitation the end or toe of the'leverLrises, 125 strikes the dog M and trips its toe out ofthe IOO LIO

'jog n in the valve-stem F. 'Ihe'water-stop valve B is thus deprived of the holding or locking action of the dog M, and by the upward pressure of the head of water within the-pipe 13o A below the valve said valve is opened and the extinguishing-water rushes up the pipeA into the pipes C c, and is sprayed upon the re from any one or more of the sprinkler-heads D,

the solder in which will have melted at about the time of the melting of the solder in the nipples d. As soon as the water rushes up the pipe A it also escapes through the pipe p into the watermotor Z, and sets its gong rI in operation by the revolution of the worm-gearing q r, the stop s on the worm-wheelv 1' tapping the handle of the gonghammer t at every revolution of said wheel. Thestriking of the gong is thus rendered continuous and rapid either until it is disconnected or until the extinguishing-water ceases to flow into the pipe A. Not only, therefore, does the apparatus, when once in action, continue the operation of extinguishing the fire, but it continues sounding an alarm until attention has been called to the fire, and until the alarm attachment has been put out of operation by those whom it has aroused. I donot, however, herein claim such an alarm attachment to be new.

Having thus fully described .my said improvenients as of my invention, I claim- 1. In a dry-pipe system for the automatic extingnishment of fire, the combination of the following-named elements, namely: an aircompression pipe, asf, provided with orifices i sealed with solder, an air-compression chamber, as I, connected therewith and provided with a resilient diaphragm, and arod or stem,

as K, engaging and supporting a Weighted lever, as L,wlien said diaphragm is subjected to air-pressure in said chamber, a holding-dog, as M, and a water-stop valve, as B, held to its seat by said dog and connected to the extin- 3. An automatic sprinkler-head for a iireextinguishing apparatus,provided with a tubular valve-stem bored and perforated, as described, in combination with a coiled spring within said tube and a hollow plug or tube secured by solder,fusible at a low temperature, to a dished coupling-nut screwed to the base of the device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In an automatic sprinkler-head for a iirev extinguishing apparatus, the combination (f a fixed annular scattering-plate, as 5, and a dished coupling-nut, as 6, screwed thereon, forming abottom thereto,and provided wi th a tubular plug, as 8, secured within the hub of said nut by a soldered joint fusible at a low temperature, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

FRANK GRAY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE F. MCKNIG'HT, Jamas F. ,MCELMELL

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