US1367460A - Tank - Google Patents

Description

R. CAUDRON.

TANK.

APPLlcMloN men Auw. 191B.

1,367,460. Patented Feb. 1,1921.

UllillTED STATES REN CAUDRON, OF SSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, FRANCE.

TANK.

Application led August 9, 1918.

To @ZZ 107mm t may concern.:

lle it known that l, REN Cannnommanufacturer, citizen of the .French Republic, residinp at lssy-les-Moulineaux, Bepartment oit Seine, F rance, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Tanks, oit which the following is a specification.

ilhis invention relates to tanks or resetM voirs, particularly tor use on aeroplanes and airships, in which air or other tluid under pressure is employed to exercise pressure on the contents oitI the reservoir, tie object beinp; to provide means whereby in the event ot the tank becoming pierced it can still continue in use.

According to this invention the reservoir is divided into several closed compartments, each provided with an inlet conduit for pressure iiud and an outlet conduit 'for the contents oit the reservoir, say petrol, with suitable means for preventingr automatically, when one of the compartments is pierced, the pressure fluid from continuing to exercise its action in that compartment.

The invention further includes certain other arrangements which will be more par ticularly referred to in the following description.

An embodiment ot the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is given merely by way ot example.

liigure l shows a sectional. view ot an arrangement according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is section, on an enlarged scale, olf the compressed air distributor to the compartmented reservoir.

The reservoir, in this case, constitutes the petrol tank for an aeroplane engine, trom which petrol is fed under pressure to the en gine.

llhe reservoir is divided into a number, tor example, three closed compartments al, a, a3, each ot which, on the one hand, is connected by a conduit b1, b2 or if respectively,

with a common distributer c, the conduits b1, b2, 3 communicating with the upper parts ot the compartments ai, e2, a3. The distributor c is, in turn, in communication with a source ot fluid under pressure, for instance, by a pipe l with a pump. From the lower parts of the compartments al, a2, a3 extend pipes el, e2, e3 respectively, which enter the lower part ot a common collector Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

serial No. 249,214. r

.with its carburetor.

The interior of the distributor c is providedwith suitable means for closing,` the conduits 61, Z22 orbs, corresponding respectively to the compartments all, a2, a3 as soon as the pressure in either of said confipart-` ments is reduced to a determined extent.

rlhese means, as shown, may-consist ot valves arranged in such manner that they only become seated and close the conduits b1, b2, b3 when the ditlerence between the pressures on their two faces is raised above a certain value. Preferably the conduits 1, b2, b3 open into the distributer with their ends directed downward, these ends being formed into or provided with a kind of chamber it, the bottom or which is provided with a suitable hole it in which is arrangeda valve of such shape and weight that as long as the dilerence between the pressures existingin the distributer and inthe respective com pertinents al, a2, a3 does not exceed a given value, it will rise slightly, under the action or" the air entering,` under pressure into the distributer c and entering the orifice 71.0, leaving between itself and the wall o1 the chamber it an annular space by which the air under pressure can enter the corresponding-l conduit l, 62 or 3 and thus enter the corresponding compartment al, a2 or a3 but as soon as the dil'erence between the pres--I sure existing in the distributer c and in the corresponding compartment al, a2 or a3 eX- ceedsva given value, it will be forced by the air pressure, against the lower end of the corresponding' conduit b1, b2 or Z13 and thus close that conduit. i

On the other hand, inlrnown manner, in the interior of the collector f are arranged suitable means for closing the conduits el, e2 or e3 corresponding respectively to the compartments al, a2, 0,3 as soon as the pressure in the said compartments sinks to a certain degree, such means being more or less similar to those employed in the distributer c, with the difference that the pipes el, c2, c3 are arranged so that their free ends are directed upward in the collector f. The valves thus have a tendency, due to their weight, to seat themselves onv the ends of the. pipes and to maintain them closed as long. as the pressure in the compartment corre-f sponding to the pipe is lower than the pressure in the collector.

Hence assuming that the different compartments al, a2, @tare charged with petrol to the same level, leaving a sutcient air space in their upper parts, and have hcrmetically closed, and that the en e is started, the air forced by the pump into the distributor c, through the pipe d, will raise the valve i slightly, will pass around it and enter the compartments al, a2, d3 by way of the conduits b1, b2, 3 in approximately equal quantities. rllhe petrol will thus be toi-ced out, in substantially equal quantities, into the collector f, and thence to the carbureter.

However, it either ot the compartments starts leaking quickly, for example, it pierced by a bullet making a hole y' in its wall, the petrol will commence to escape fromthe compartment, and it this escape takes place lsutliciently vslowly so that the compressed air cannot escape through the hole j, the air pump will maintain the pressure in the other compartments which will continue to feed the collector and carbureter,

. and it will be only when the compressed air can escape through the hole j that, owing to the pressure falling sharply in the compartment al, such a difference ot pressure will be produced between the-two :taces of the .valve i that the valve will be seated, under the pressure of the air 1n the distributor c,

y longer exists.

against the end of the conduit 51, corre sponding to the compartment al, and the air under pressure will then only pass into the compartments a2v and a3.

This action is further assisted by the fact that the air under pressure in the uninjured compartments tends, at this moment, to eX- pand in the compartment where pressure no At the same time, in the collector f, the end of the conduit el corresponding to the compartment al will be closed by its valve, the pressure in the compartment al becoming` too weak to keep the valve raised, and only the intact compartments will continue to feed the carburetor.

If one or more ot the distributer valves close owing to a cause other than that of escape of fuel, the corresponding collector valves would act simultaneously, but the pressure ot air which would. leak in grad ually, owing to the fitting, oi" the valves never being completely tight, would, in due course, reestablish the equilibrium in the compartments and distributors.

T he walls oir the distributor and collector are preferably made ol' material suiiiciently strong so as not to be penetrated by shrapnel bullets or splinters.

Vilhile the apparatus will act satisfactorily ifconstructed as described, it is desirable to prevent the compressed air from entering the distributer c 1n yerks caused by each stroke of the pump, which might produce, in

been-V the distributer, such escape of compressed air as to produce a closing of the valves z'. To this end in the interior ot the distributor c, a chamber all is arranged provided with bali-les or passages whereby variations in pressure in air as it is forced in through the pipe Z will be neutralized or destroyed.

For example, the chamber Z1 may be pro-V Preferably, to assist the working` of the A valves e', a small aperture, or aaertures, 7i is made in the wall of the chamber 7L level with the top or@ the valve wnen the latter rests on the bottom et the chamber '71 this orilice being' such as to permit without ing the valve, the normal entry oit com presse-d air into the chamber, as long as the difference ot pressure on the two faces ot the valve is not sutiicient to eiliect the raising of the valve.

lt will be evident that the invention is not limited to the particular construction described, which may be varied in various manners.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare 'that what l claim is l. A tank or reservoir, particularly for use on aeroplanes and airships, divided into a number of closed compartments, each provided with an inlet conduit for iluid under pressure, and an outlet conduit for its liquid contents, and having` means *for automatically preventing, when one compartment is pierced, the compressed duid from continuing to exercise its action in said compartu ment.

2. A tank or reservoir as set -forth in claiming clause l having a distributer con nected, on the one hand, with each of the compartments by conduits opening into the upper part of their respective compartments, and on the other hand, with a source or supply o'f compressed lfluid, such as air, means being provided in the distributor for autoA matically closing any of the conduits when the pressure in its compartment sinks to a determined extent.

3. A tank or reservoir as set forth in claiming,- clause l, in which the conduits connect ing their respective compartments with thedistributer have their open ends in the latter directed downward, said ends being provided with valves so arranged that they only become seated when the difference ot' pressure on their two faces rises above a determined value.

4. A tank or reservoir particularly for use on airplanes and airships divided into a number of closed compartments each provided with an inlet conduit for fluid under pressure and an outlet conduit for its liquid contents, and a distributor connected with eacli oi said compartments by said inlet con duits7 said distributer being' also connected with a source of compressed fluid, said inlet conduits terminating in said distributor in a chamber having` an openingl in its bottom for a liift valve and an aperture through the side Wall of said chamber.

5. tanl or reservoir divided into a number of closed compartments each provided Wit-li an inlet conduit for fluid under pressure and an outlet conduit for its liquid contents and liavin means for automatically preventing, when one compartment is pierced, the compressed liuid from continuing` to exercise its action in said compartment, each of said compartments being connected by its respective outlet conduit With a collector, eacli outlet conduit being pro vided Within said collector with means for automatically closing` when tlie pressure in any of said conduits sinks to a determined extent.

6. A tank or reservoir divided into a num ber of closed compartments each provided with an inlet conduit for Huid under pressure and an outlet conduit for its liquid contents and having means for automatically preventing, 'when one compartment is pierced the compressed fluid from continuing to exercise its action in said compartment, each of said compartments being connected by its respective outlet conduit with a collector, eacli ot said outlet conduits being provided Within said collector with means for automatically closing when the pressure in any of said conduits sinks to determined extent, and a compressed fluid distributor provided Witli a baille or equalizingjT device for the incoming compressed iluid.

in testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

.RENE CAUDRON. Witnesses JOHN F. SIMoNs, PAUL BLUM.

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