US554166A

US554166A - atkinson

Info

Publication number: US554166A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1913-02-04

Description

(No Model.) 2 She ets-Sheet 1.

H. C. ATKINSON 8: S. M. WEST. HYDRANI.

No. 554,166. "Patented Feb. 4, 1896.,

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(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 11.0. ATKINSON & S. M. WEST.

HYDRANT'. 1 No. 554,166. Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

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lJNrTEn STATES PATENT @FFICE.

HERBERT C. ATKINSON AND SYLVESTER M. VEST, OF AUBURN, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNORS TO AARON F. GOGHILL, OF SAME PLACE.

HYDRANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,166, dated February 4, 1896. Application filed May '7, 1895. serial No. 548,482. (No modelJ To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HERBERT C. ATKIN- SON and SYLvEsrER M. WEST, citizens of the United States, residing at Auburn, in the county of Logan and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hydrants, of which the following is a speci fication.

This inven tion relates to hydrants, and has for its object to provide improved valve-operating mechanism therefor, to provide improved means for shutting off the hydrant from the water-supply and simultaneously opening a drain-outlet, to provide improved means for coupling hose to the hydrant securely against accidental displacement and leakage and with great rapidity, and to pr0- duce a hydrant of few and simple parts and that may be easily and readily repaired without disturbing many of the parts.

To these ends our invention consists in the novel features and in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims following the description, due reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a Vertical central section of our improved hydrant. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, the l1ose-coupling being shown separated. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View illustrating the inclined cam and groove for raising and lowering the valve. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section illustrating the valve controlling the drain-outlet and the means for actuating the same. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the means for locking the hosecoupling and illustrating the spanner in operative position. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5, the spanner being omitted. Fig. '7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a modification wherein the hydrant-valve closes downwardly against its seat.

In order that those skilled in the art pertaining to our invention may make and use the same, we will now describe it in detail, reference being had to the said drawings, wherein- The numeral 1 indicates the barrel or casing of the hydrant, which is adapted to be connected with a water-main, as shown, and is provided at its lower end with a valve-seat 2. Arranged in the lower end of the barrel 1, and preferably cast integral therewith, is a spider 3, adapted to form a guide for the stem of the hydrant-valve, and an internal collar 4 is also cast in the upper end of said barrel for the same purpose. Arranged in said spider and collar, and adapted to be reciprocated therein, is a valve-stem 5, which at its lower end is provided with a valve 6, which is adapted to close upwardly against the valveseat 2 and out off the supply of water to the hydrant. The upper end of the barrel 1 is screw-threaded internally, and fitted in said screw-threaded end is a stuffing-box 7, that fits said barrel and valve-stem water-tight. The-upper end of said stuffing-box is preferably squared to enable the same to be grasped by a wrench to facilitate the insertion and removal of the stuffing-box.

The upper exterior portion of the barrel 1 is provided with a spiral circumferential groove 8, while its extreme upper edge is camshaped, as at 9, and conforms in contour to the spiral form of said groove 8. Fitted over the upper end of the barrel 1 is an inverted cup-shaped cap 10, provided near its lower edge with an internal laterally-projecting stud 11, adapted to travel in the spiral groove 8 when the said cap is rotated. For the purpose of rotating said cap the latter is provided on its upper side with a squared or angularshaped projection 12, over which a wrench is adapted to be fitted, as more clearly seen in Fig. 2, and the upper inner side of said cap is provided with a similarly-shaped socket 13, adapted to fit over the squared upper end of the valve-stem 5 and cause said stem to turn with the cap.

Secured to the upper end of the valve-stem 5 is a laterally-projecting lug 14, which is inclined on its under side to conform to the illclination of the cam 9 formed on the upper end of the barrel 1, with which it engages, and said lug may be conveniently secured to the valve-stem by bifurcating or forking its end, as at 15, (see Fig. 1,) and seating said forked ends in corresponding mortises cut in the valve-stem. "When thus constructed the lug 14 may very readily be attached to and detached from the valve-stein, and when attached to the stem, and the cap 10 is fitted over the barrel, the lug is held against radial movement on the valve-stem by said cap, and inasmuch as the lug is incapable of movement in any other direction it will be held in its engagement with the valve-stem as long as the cap is in place on the hydrant.

In the lower portion of the barrel 1 is arranged a drain-outlet 16, which is adapted to be closed by a valve 17 that is secured to the free end of a leaf-spring 18, the other end of said spring being secured to the barrel 1. Said spring operates to normally maintain the valve away from the outlet 16. On the lower end of the valve-stem 5 is arranged a spiral cam 19, which gradually increases in thickness radially from its lower end, 20, to its upper end, 21, and in engagement with which the valve 17 is held by the spring 18.

The operation of the above-described portion of the invention is as follows: Let it be assumed that the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, in which position the hydrant-valve is closed, cutting off the supply of water from the main. To open the valve and admit the water to the hydrant, the wrench 22 is applied to the projection 12 on the top of the cap 10, as shown in Fig. 2, and the cap rotated. As the cap is turned thestud 11 rides down the spiral groove 8 on the barrel 1, drawing said cap down over the barrel and forcing down the valve-stem 5 and with it the valve 6, lowering the latter from its valve-seat 2 and affording an unobstructed communication between the hydrant and the main. As the cap 10 is rotated to force down the valve-stem and valve, it also, by means of the socket 13, rotates said valve-stem and with it the cam 19. As the cam 19 is rotated its inclined face acts against the valve 17 and forces said valve against the drain-outlet 16 and closes the latter. By making the cam 19 spiral, as shown, it is caused to press directly against the valve 17 throughout the entire time the valve-stem is rotated and forced downward. It will thus be seen that simultaneously with the opening of the hydrantvalve the drain-outlet is closed. To close the hydrant-valve the above-described operation is reversed, and as the cap 10 is rotated the lug 14 rides up the spiral-shaped cam 9, raising the valve-stem and valve, and with it the said cap, until the highest point of the cam 9 has been reached, when the valve 6 will be closed tightly against its seat. During this operation the valve-stem was rotated as it was raised, in the manner before described, and with it the cam 19, the latter gradually receding from behind the valve 17 and the spring 18 operating at the same time 'to throw the valve away from the drain-outlet 16, and by the time the hydrant-valve 6 has been fully closed the said outlet will have been fully opened, permitting all the water in the hydrant above the valve to drain off.

It will be noted that when the hydrant-valve is opened an unobstructed passage for the water is afforded from the main to the discharge of the hydrant, and that by means of the stuffing-box 7 no water can gain access to any of the operative parts of the valve-operating mechanism. Moreover, the said mechanism is at all times protected by the cap 10 against the effects of dust, moisture or the weather, whereby the working parts will at all times work smoothly and with little friction, and, in connection with the drain-outlet 16, will effectually prevent any portion of the hydrant from freezing.

In order that a hose may be rapidly and tightly connected to the hydrant, we provide the novel coupling which we will now describe.

In the threaded discharge orifice 23 is screwed a short tube 24, the outer end of which is preferably slightly enlarged in diameter and is provided with two spirally-arranged circumferential grooves 25 of corresponding pitch and terminating at their outer ends in longitudinal grooves 26, that are continued to the extreme end of said tube 24; The hose is secured in the usual manner upon one end of a nipple 27, which at its other end is provided with a disk-shaped head 28, and over said nipple and head is rotatably journaled a coupling-sleeve 29 provided with internal radially-projecting studs 30, that are adapted to take into the grooves 25 in the operation of coupling, said studs and grooves forming a bayonet-joint. In order that the coupling-sleeve 29 may lit the nipple 27 water-tight, we prefer to interpose between the head 28 and the end of the tube 24 a flexible gasket.

Upon the periphery of the tube 24 is formed a series of ratchet-teeth 31, and in a circumferential slot 32 formed in the coupling-sleeve 29 is pivoted a pawl 33, one end of which is provided with a beveled detent 34, and under the other end thereof is arranged a coiled spring 35, said spring operating to normally maintain the detent 34 in engagement with the ratchet-teeth 31.

The operation of our improved coupling is as follows To couple the hose to the dischargetube 24, the coupling-sleeve 29 is slipped over said tube in such manner that the studs 30 will enter the longitudinal grooves 26 and pass into the ends of the spiral grooves 25. Then by rotating said coupling-sleeve in the proper direction the studs 30 will be caused to travel in said spiral grooves, which will draw the head 28 of the nipple 27 into contact with the end of the tube 24, the detent 34, during the latter part of the rotation of the coupling-sleeve 29, engaging the ratchetteeth 31 and preventing the coupling-sleeve from being accidentally turned back or permitting the pressure of the water to force the parts apart sufficiently to form a leak.

To couple the parts together to form a perfectly-tight joint, the coupling-sleeve 29 cannot be turned by hand with sufficient force,

and in order that said sleeve may be turned up tightly to its seat, and in order, also, that the said sleeve may be unlocked and turned off from the discharge-tube,we provide a spanner having a curved end adapted to partially embrace said sleeve, the extreme end of said spanner being provided with an aperture 36, adapted to fit over a pin 37, formed on the sleeve, and having a shoulder 38 adapted to bear against the free end of the pawl 33 and raise the detent from out of engagement with the ratchet 31 and release the couplingsleeve. For the sake of economy and convenience the spanner is formed in one with the wrench 22, as shown.

After the coupling-sleeve 29 has been slipped over the tube 24:, as before described, the spanner is applied thereto in a position reverse to that shown in Fig. 5, and the coupling-sleeve turned tightly up to its seat, the detent 34. engaging the ratchet-teeth 31 and locking said sleeve on the tube 25. To detach the hose the spanner is applied to the coupling-sleeve in the position shown in Fig. 5, and upon sufficient pressure being applied thereto to turn the sleeve the shoulder 38 will bear against the free end of the pawl 33 and raise the detent out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth 31, releasing the couplingsleeve, when it may be turned off the tube 2i.

We have described our invention as relating to a hydrant; .but it will be evident that it is particularly applicable to that class of hydrants conventionally termed fire-plugs, though it may in practice be applied to hydrants of any known description.

We have shown and described the valve 6 as closing upwardly against the valve-seat, but it will be evident that said valve may be reversed to close with a downward motion, and such an arrangement we have illustrated in Fig. '7. As shown in said figure the valve 6 closes against the upper side of the valveseat 2, and with such an arrangement the drain-outlet must be closed when the valve is lifted, and hence the inclined spiral cam 19 is arranged in the reverse direction to that before described, whereby it operates to close the valve 17 as the valve-stem is raised and permits the same to open as said stem is lowered.

When the hydrant is not in use we close the discharge-outlet by means of a cap 40. Said cap is provided with internal projections 41 that engage the grooves 25, before described, and cause the cap to fit said outlet water-tight, and arranged within said cap is a follower 42, against which presses a spring 43, and when the cap is rotated in the proper direction to disengage said grooves the spring operates to automatically throw the cap from off the nozzle. Vith a view to preventing the loss of the cap we prefer to secure the same to the hydrant by a chain 44.

I-Iaving described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In a hydrant, the combination of a barrel provided at its lower end with a valve-seat and near its upper end with a circumferential spiral groove and having an inclined camshaped upper edge corresponding in contour to said spiral groove, avalve-stem movably fitted in bearings in said barrel and provided at its lower end with a valve adapted to close against said valve-seat, a laterally-projecting lug secured to the upper end of said valvestem and engaging said inclined cam, a rotatable cap fitted over the upper end of the barrel and engaging the valve-stem to cause the latter to rotate therewith, and a stud. carried by said cap and engaging said spiral groove, substantially as described.

2. In a hydrant, the combination of a barrel having a valve-seat at its lower end and provided near its upper end with a circumferential spiral groove and having an inclined camshaped upper edge corresponding in contour to said spiral groove, a valve-stem movably fitted in bearings in said barrel and carrying a valve adapted to close against said valveseat, a laterally-projecting lug secured to the upper end of said valve-stem and engaging said inclined cam, a rotatable cap fitted on the upper end of the barreland provided with a socket for engaging the angular upper end of the valve-stem to cause the latter to rotate with said cap, a stud carried by said cap and engaging-said spiral groove, and means for rotating the cap, substantially as described.

3. In a hydrant, the combination of a barrel having a valve-seat at its lower end and provided near its upper end with a circumferential spiral groove and having an inclined camshaped upper edge corresponding in contour to said spiral groove, a valve-stem movably fitted in bearings in said barrel and carrying a valve adapted to close against said valveseat, a laterally-projecting lug secured to the upper end of said valve-stem and having a beveled under side engaging said inclined cam, a rotatable cap fitted over the upper end of the barrel and provided with a socket for engaging the angular upper end of the valvestem to cause the latter to rotate with said cap, a stud carried by the cap and engaging said spiral groove, and means for rotating the cap, substantially as described.

4. In a hydrant, the combination of a barrel having a valve-seat at its lower end and a drain-outlet arranged above said seat, a valvestem movably fitted in bearings in said barrel and carrying a valve adapted to close against said valve-seat, means for simultaneously rotating and reciprocating said valve-stem, a valve for controlling said drain outlet, a spring for maintaining said valve normally open, and an inclined spiral cam arranged on said valve-stem and operating to open and close said valve, substantially as described.

5. In a hydrant, the combination of abarrcl having a valve-seat at its lower end and provided near its upper end with a circumferential spiral groove and having an inclined camshaped upper edge corresponding in contour to said spiral groove a valve-stem niovably fitted in bearings in said barrel and carrying a valve adapted to close against said valve seat, a laterally-projeating lug detachably sccured to the upper end of said valve-stein and engaging said inclined cam, a rotatable cap fitted over the upper end of the barrel and provided with a socket for engaging the angular upper end of the valve-stem to cause the latter to rotate with said cap, a stud carried by the cap and engaging said spiral groove, means for rotating the cap, a drainoutlet arranged above the valve-seat, a valve for controlling said drain-outlet, a spring for maintaining said valve normally open, and an inclined spiral cain arranged on the valve-