US540264A - James g - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

4 J. G. LORRAIN. APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES. No. 540,264. Patented June 4, 1895.

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JAMES G. LORRAIN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 54:0,264, dated June 4, 1895.

Application filed September 28, 1898. Serial No. 486,7 3 (N mod l-l To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES G. LORRAIN, a subject of the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Norfolk House, Victoria Embankment, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have in- Vented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Extinguishing Fires, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will on able any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My present invention is based upon the same principle as is the former invention disclosed by me in my United States Letters Patent, No. 501,519, issued on the 18th day of July, 1893.

'Mypresent invention difiers from my above mentioned prior invention mainly in the method by which I utilize the thermal connection to sustain the valve in its normal position. It is obvious that if in the case of my said prior invention the pressure upon the valve be great and if the valve be retained in its normal position solely by the thermal connection, the said thermal connection must be very strong and when it consists of a fusible conductor the said fusible conductor must be of considerable sectional area and will require an electric current of considerable magnitude to fuse it. This is not always a drawback, but in some casesit maybe so: and in such cases it is desirable to so arrange or dispose the fusible conductor and other parts of the apparatus as to enable it to withstand the strain put upon it without undue augmentation of its sectional area. To effect this is the object of my present invention, and I do so by making the fusible connection of such form and arranging it in such manner that instead of a mere tensional strain being put upon it, the strain shall be a shearing or practically a shearing one. The most convenient way with which I am acquainted of obtaining such shearing or practically shearing action on a form of fusible connection which will withstand a high pressure without requiring too great a current to fuse it, is by arranging the said connection so that it will act as a key or wedge or the like placed between two parts of the apparatus: and I shall now proceed to describe by way of a type or example one form of myin vention the said form being one of the best which I have so far designed for actual use. In order that this description may be more readily understood I have annexed hereto a sheet of drawings illustrating the said form.

Of these drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of a sprinkler-valve, the latter figure showing the electric circuit, which includes the fusible material. Fig. 3 is a plan of the part D, showing the part E in section on the line so a: of Fig. 1,

the arms 0, hereinafter to be mentioned, being omitted.

In the figures, Ais a casting of brass, gun metal, or the like, the upper part of which, a, is threaded for the purpose of engagement in a water pipe. The said casting A is perforated at the part a for the passage of the water. The orifice of a is closed by the glass. ball or valve B bearing upon a seating formed in a thin brass disk 1).

Into the castingA is screwed at the part a the casting C which consists of an annular part 0 connected by three arms 0 withthe upper annular part 0 Upon the annular part c of casting O is affixed the annular insulating piece D.

E is a cylindrical brass piece bearing upon the ball B and serving to hold it in position in its seating. Near the top of the piece E is the spoon-shaped extension e which serves as a spreader or deflector as will be hereinafter described. The lower part or extension 6' of the piece E passes through an insulating sleeve F in which it is retained by the binding nuts 9, g, which also serve to receive one of the wires or leads from the source of electrical energy X. The insulating sleeve F and the annular insulating piece D each has a helical groove cut on the surface nearest the other so that when the parts are in their normal position the grooves in these two parts coincide and leave between them a helical channel of circular cross section. In this helical channel I place a wire of lead or other fusible conducting material as is shown at h, h. One end of this fusible wire is in connection ICO with the binding nut g and the other is attached to the binding screw J. The piece E \is provided with a tommy-hole 6 as shown.

From what has been said it will be seen that the strain caused by the water in a upon valve 13 is taken up by the fusible wire h and as there are several convolutions of said wire, and as the strain on the said wire is a shearing one extending over a long length of wire the latter is able to withstand a large pressure of water in a.

In Fig. 2 I show the sprinkler as itmay be used in connection with a source of elecrical energy X and a circuit-closing device Z which latter may be a hand-switch or a thermostat or other convenient operating device.

The parts are shown in their normal positions in the figures. To operate the valve a current of electricity is passed through the fusible wire either by means of a hand-switch or a thermostat, or the like, when, the current being sufficient, the wire is at once melted. This allows the pressure in a to force down the valve B, the piece E, and the sleeve F through the annular piece D, when the water passes freely from the orifice of a on to the deflector e,now resting on the insulating piece D, and is spread in all directions.

In order to replace the parts and supply a new fuse wire so that the apparatus will again be ready for action, the nuts g, g are unscrewed from the extension e, when the sleeve F is easily taken out. A piece of fuse wire is now wrapped in the helical groove of F, a short length being free at the upper extremity. The sleeve is now replaced on e by a screwing motion. The parts are then elevated into their normal position, the fusible wire now acting as a male thread to the helical groove or female thread in D. When F isthus in position the short end of the fusible wire hereinbefore mentioned as being left free at the upper extremity is turned over and secured under the head of the binding screw J as shown, while the other end of the wire is secured under the nut g. In thus placing the fusible wire in position the piece E and the ball B will have been pressed upward into position. If it be required to tighten up the valve this should preferably be done by means of a tommy in the tommy-hole of E. It is not advisable to tighten up by screwing the casting 0 into the casing A at the point a as a shearing strain is then put upon the fusible wire.

Although I prefer to use a fusible wire wound helically between sleeve F and annular piece D, a wedge, for example, or piece of fusible material of almost any shape would answer the purpose, the sleeve F and annular piece D being preferably recessed for the purpose ent, is-

1. In an apparatus for extinguishing fire and preventing it from spreading, the combination of a valve and a piece of fusible conducting material inserted as a key or wedge between two parts of the apparatus and serving to sustain the valve in normal position a source of electric energy, an electric circuit leading therefrom and including said fusible material and a circuit-closer for said circuit.

2. In an apparatus for extinguishing fire and preventing it from spreading, the combination of a movable part formed with a peripheral groove, a fixed part having a groove formed therein and registering or coinciding with the groove of said movable part when the parts are in normal position, and a piece of fusible wire inserted within said grooves for holding the parts together and sustaining them in normal position.

3. In an apparatus for extinguishing fire and preventing it from spreading, the combination of a movable part formed with a helical groove, a fixed annular part having a helical groove on the inner surface thereof which coincides or registers with the groove of said movable part when the parts are in normal position, and a fusible wire extending through the helical channel formed by the two said grooves when they coincide for holding the said parts in normal position.

4. In an apparatus for extinguishing fire and preventing it from spreading, the combination of a movable part formed with a helical groove, a fixed annular part formed upon the interior with a helical groove which coincides or registers with the groove of said movable part when the parts are in normal position, and a fusible wire extending through the helical channel formed by the two said grooves when they coincide for holding the said parts in normal position, a source of electric energy, an electric circuit including said fusible material, and a circuit-closer located in said circuit.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 25th day of September, 1893, in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

, JAMES G. LORRAIN.

Witnesses:

A. M. HAYES, WILLIS FOWLER.

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