US546087A

US546087A - Automatic fire-sprinkler

Info

Publication number: US546087A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 1912-09-10

Description

(NoModel.)

A.F.CARPBNTBR.

AUTOMATIG FIRE 4SPRINKLIEZRl Nb. 546,087. Patented sept. 1o, 1895.

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ALBERT F. CARPENTER, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF TVO-TIIIRDS TO BENJAMIN KIMBALL, OF SAME PLACE, AND THE MANUFACTURERS AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-SPRINKLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 546,087', dated September 10, 1895. Application filed May 28, 1894:- Serial No. 512,668. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. CARPENTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and 1o 1useful improvements in automatic fire-sprinkers.

The object of my improvements is to provide a strong rigid strut for maintaining the nozzle capped till subjected to heat sufficient I 5 to melt the fusible joint in the strut, whereupon the water will be free to strike the deector, and to provide such a deflector as will distribute the water to a large ceiling area and iioor area at the same time.

The peculiarities of my improvements will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference-letters indicate corresponding 2 5 parts, Figure 1 represents a side view of my sprinkler :in its normal capped position; Fig. 2, a vertical central section on the line y y, Fig. l,looking to the right; Fig. 3, a side detail View of the combined strut; Fig. 4t, perspective views of the two members separated, and Fig. 5 a plan view of my form of deector.

In various forms of automatic sprinklers in which a fusible alloy key or plug combines the parts which maintain the nozzle capped it has heretofore been difficult to make a strong rigid strut or brace on account of the inherent weakness of the alloy and the direction in which the strains act thereon.

One of the features of my present invention 4o is to provide a strut of two members joined by a fusible alloy which is so placed between the members as to resist the strains by the shearing rather than the adhesive tensile strength of the alloy. Then, after the nozzle 4 5 is uncapped, I aim to` distribute the water to a large ceiling area directly overhead, as well as at a distance from the sprinkler, while at the same time an equally large iloor area is supplied.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A des;

ignates the nozzle-base of the sprinkler, having external screw-threads by which it is mounted on the supply-pipe, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. l. I will observe in explanation that these sprinklers are located at, say, ten-feet spaces on a pipe running near the ceiling of factories, stores, and other places where it is desired to guard against iire by automatic contrivances. It is usual to place such sprinklers from three to five inches from 6o the ceiling. The upper portion of the nozzle is also threaded to receive a yoke B in an elliptical loop above the nozzle and sharpened on its inner edge, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The cap C, having a lead pac-king D, with acopper washer E interposed between the packing and the tip of the nozzle, is firmly pressed upon the nozzle by means of a strut interposed between the top of the yoke and the cap C. This strut is composed of two mem- 7c bers, one part being a plate F, forming a brace proper and having a central `opening or slot-f, at the edge of which is a wing F at substantially right angles to the top of the plate portion. fits in a notch in the top of the cap C, and the upper portion lits under a notch or shoulder g upon the upper part of a rider, which forms the other member of the strut. This rider has a head G, on the under side of which is 8o a notch or shoulder g to receive the upper end of the plate-piece, while a similar groove g receives the upper part of the knife-edge on the yoke. To the body, below the head, is attached a wing H at right angles to the grooves g g and adapted to match with the said wing F of the plate portion by projecting through the opening or slotf. These two wing portions are thus substantially parallel and contacting with each other. A joint is 9o made between the two by means of a fusible alloy, thus binding the two members of the strut together as one piece, as shown in Fig.-

3. By referring to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that when the strut is placed in position between the yoke and the cap the notch or shoulder g is at one side of the central plane passing through g and the notch in the cap in which rests the bottom of the plate portion of the strut. When the yoke is screwed down roo The bottom of this plate-piece 75 upon the nozzle, the strut is compressed between the cap and the top of the yoke, forcing the mouth of the nozzle against the washer and lead packing, making a perfectly-tight joint. l This,-however, brings a strain upon the strut, and because of the eccentric location of the plate portion with regard to the head of the strut there is a lateral strain brought to bear tending to pull the wings apart. This pull is exerted, however, parallel to the surfaces joined by the fusible alloy, which is thus enabled to withstand a much larger strain than if the wings were being pulled apart directly transverse. In other words, the alloy resists the strain on the strut by means of its shearing strength instead of its tensile strength and its adhesiveness to the wing-surfaces joined.

I-n case of iire in the vicinity of the sprinkler the alloy will melt and the wings will slide past each other in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, under the pressure of the water beneath the cap, which acts eccentrically upon the rider through lthe plate portion. The dotted line in Fig. 2 indicates the manner in which the rider will be thrown outward and disrnembered from the plate portion of the strut. Thus astrut is formed which is well adapted to resist the 'strains incident to its use in capping the nozzle, but which will instantaneously free the cap under the action of heat. The water thus freed is projected upward by the internal pressure and strikes a delector I, mounted on the top of the yoke and acting in combination with the knife-edge below. rlhis deector is not adapted to rotate, but is intended to remain fixed on the l top of the yoke centrally over the nozzle. It

is concaved below in the form of an umbrella,

but attened toward the edge, as shown, and

provided with a series of slits more or less radial and arranged in two series, according to their distance from the edge or rim of the deflector. Fig. 5 shows a plan view,in which it will be observed that the deeper slits extend well in toward the center and that the outer slits divide up the rim into a series of teeth. Through these slits the water projected from the nozzle tinds its way above the deflector.

In striking the sides of the slits the water is I also spread out in every direction. The surface of the distributer between the slits defleets the water downward upon the floor. The knife-edge of the yoke assists in directing the stream against the sides of the slits, so that the stream is broken up into a perfect shower and distributed substantially the same proportion above as below. It is, however, more important to secure overhead distribution than Hoor, sprinkling, and practical tests of my sprinkler have established its superiority in this respect. I lay broad claim to this deflector and strut and do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described.

Referring to Fig. 1, the cap has alateral lug c to engage with the yoke and prevent the rotation of the cap and consequent twisting of the strut when the yoke is being screwed on the nozzle. The only strain that comes on the fusible joint in compression of the strut is the shearing stress due to the eccentricity or out of alignment of the two ends of the strut and the meeting end of the plate-piece engaged with the overhanging head. A great compression may thus be brought on the strut and be safely resisted by the large soldered surfaces at the joint.

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

l. A tire sprinkler comprising a dellector, a yoke, a capped nozzle and an interposed strut consisting of two pieces: a plate piece bearing on the nozzle cap in the plane of the yoke but tipped out of said plane at its upper end, having a vertical wing at right angles to said plane and yoke, and the other piece mounted on the first and bearing against the yoke, and having a plate wing fusibly joined to the matching wing of the plate piece.

2. A fire sprinkler comprising a capped nozzle, a yoke, a deflector thereon, and an interposed strut formed of two piecesz--the one being a double-legged piece standing on the nozzle cap and having a wing in a vertical central plane at right angles to the plane of said legs-the other being mounted on the first piece and bearing on the under side of the yoke and provided with a wing portion also at right angles to the plane of the yoke, with its matching surface in the same central vertical plane and fusibly joined to the wing portion of the first piece, substantially as described.

3. A tire sprinkler comprising a strut provided with wings fusibly joined, the matching surfaces thus joined lying in a perpendicular plane passing through the vertical axis of the sprinkler and at right angles to the vertical plane of the yoke, the base of the strut and the horizontal axis of engagement of the two pieces on which they rotate when said fusible wings are separated by the melting of the joining material under lire heat.

4. A fire sprinkler comprising a strut consisting of a supporting member and a rider therefor,-the latter composed of abody located on one side of said member and an overhanging hook-head and wing extension located on the other side of said member, with a fusible solder joint between said wing extension and a matching surface on the supporti ing member.

5. A strut consisting of two members, the one a plate adapted to receive compression at its ends, and having an intermediate veri tical slot and a wing at one edge of the slot at right angles to the plate; the other, a rider hooking over the end of said plate and forming a head projecting to the front of said plate, and having at the other end a wing ex- IOO IZO

the adjacent surfaces of said wings lying in substantially the same plane perpendicular to the said notch or shoulder and matching 15 end of the plate piece, anda fusible material joining said wings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT F. CARPENTER.

Witnesses:

C. H. TALMAGE, H. M. PLAIsTED.