US1338147A - Alarm-actuating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

1. R. MEADOWCROFT.

ALARM AcTuATlNG APPARATUS.

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JOHN n. MEAnoWcRoFT, or MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

ALARM-ACTUATinG APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 192e.

Application filed September 17, 1917, Serial No. 191,809. Renewed vOctober 13, 1919. SerialV No. 330,526.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN ROBERT MEAD- owonorr, a subject ofthe King of JGrreat Britain, and resident ofthe Acity of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, v'Dominion of` water through the retarding apparatus for operatingt-he alarm; and my invention has for its object to prevent the operation of the alarm proper 1by small intermittent flows of water due to lother causes than fire and which do not require an yalarm to be given. To this end the invention may be said briefly to consist Iof 4a retarding Iapparatus` including retarding and accumulating chambers having `inlet and discharge ports andthe ports of the retardingchamber "having means for maintaining the inlet port closed and `adapted to close the outlet port when the inlet port is open and vice versa for the purpose of insuring an accumulation of water in thec'hamber When an alarm is sounded, and provided with a rapid discharge from the chamber of-any waiter admitted thereto intermittently from other causes than fire. Another feature ofthe invention is the particular construction ofthe inlet ports to lthe apparatus and from the reta-rding to the accumulating chamber, fthe former being, for the purpose of my invention, of the diminutive bore type, the object being in the case of thisport to increase the velocity of the water passing therethrough and convert the Iflowing body into a jet of suflicientforce to operateY Vthe controlling means; the portsV effecting communication between the chambers having a comparatively large bore solely forretarding the flow. l

For full comprehension, however, of my invention, reference must be 'had to the' accompanying drawings inwhich similar reference characters indicate the same parts, and wherein: 1

Figure 1 is a vertical Asectional view of a retarding chamber; and

Fig. 2 is a ytransverse sectional view-taken on line 2 2 Fig,1.

The lire extinguishing Vand alarm system to which this invention has particular reference'and the working of which is rendered more elicient by'this invention, is disclosed in vmy companion application for patent filed on the 17th day of September, 1917. The Iapplication of this retarding chamber is illustrated in the application just mentioned.

My present invention comprises a dual chamber' onenportion 2 of which has arretarding function and the other, 3, acts as an accumulator. A ysingle casting preferably embodies the accumulating and approximately 4half of the retarding chamber, the other half ofthe `latter consisting of a casting composed of a member 4; of the wall of the A'casting and an oblique partition 5 inclosing the chamber sub-divided by a wall 6 into inlet and outlet sub-chambers 7 and 8, respectively. The inlet -chamber 7 has the inlet pipe connected thereto by a tail-piece 12 clamped in place by a coupling 13 serving as a retaining-means for a strainer 14. The opposite end of the inlet `pipe is connected to the main Avalve chamber such as disclosed in my patent application ,abovementionedV in which the valve opens and water is allowed to'flow into the inlet chamber 7 when pressure within the main valve chamber becomes less than the pressure in the` supply pipe. The discharge from the `inlet chamber is of diminutive capacity presented by a plug 15 screwed into a tapped hole 16 in partition 5 and having a port 18 therethrough of diminutively small'bore, concavities 9`and 10 respectively, on opposite sides of the plug converging in the jet opening; the strainer Abeing for the purpose of prevent-` ingsediment in the water ofthe system from blocking this port 18. The outer side of this plug or bushing relatively to the inlet chambery 7 has an annular shoulder 19 encircling the port 18- and has a narrow top to facilitate the seating vof one of the alternating valves. Y The outlet from chamber 2 to the outlet sub-chamber 8 is through a relatively large port 20 and a correspondinglylarge i port 2l acts as a discharge from this subchamber 8 to a waste pipe or the like.

The partition between the ports 1S and 20 has a post 22 upon which a lever is fulcrumed between its ends as at 23 such ends f being of different lengths, the short end eXf `tending over port 20 and carrying a valve 24 and the long arm extending over port 18 and being counter-weighted as at 25 and carrying a valver26. This casting is detachably fastened in place upon the main casting by bolts 27A and nuts 28. Thefaccumulating chamber is preferably located above the retarding chamberand communication is effected between them through a bushing 32 screwed into an opening 33 in an upwardlyconcaved partition 34 separating this chamber fromthe retarding chamber. This bushing has a relatively small Vcentral port35 and concavities 30 and 3l in its opposite sides and converging in the port 35 thus Aimparting 'a jetproducing function to the bushing; and a seriesV of fingers 36V supporting a downwardly concave@ baille-plate 3T the purposeyof which is to check the water flowing from the accumulating chamber and prevent it from being projected from port Y 35 through the outlet port 38 in the top of this accumulating chamber.

i Operation.

InV the operation of apparatus of this type, the sole aim is to givealarm lwhen fire occurs in a building protected by a ire-extinguishing system of the type to which this invention relates. These alarms are given when the sprinkler system or any portion of it is set in operation, and it is most desirable that no alarm be given unless the sprinkler system is actually put into operation, which, with proper installation, in-

variably takes place in the event of fire.

These alarms are actuated by apparatus operated in turn by the flow of water toward the sprinkler.

It is important to prevent the operation of the alarm apparatus` when the alarm valve is only intermittently momentarily opened without cause necessitating an alarm, or in other words, until -there is a steady continuous flow to the sprinklers, in which event the water discharged into the alarm pipe from the v other part of the system enters and floods intake chamber 7 through port 18 thus raising valve 26 and closing valve 24, flooding chambers 2 and 3 and reaching port 3S which results in actuating the alarm. Y

.Should water hammer occur the successive impulses will causev comparatively small spurts of water to be conducted to chamber 7 and ,each impulse will intermittently lift valve 26 from its seat and the water will enter chamber 2, but during the intermission between the impulses the counter weight 25 will shut valve 26 and lift up valve 241 thus'opening the `relatively of the port y2OV will drain oilfthis intermittently iowing water and prevent suflicient accumulation thereof to reach port 38. In this manner the operation of the alarm YVlarge port 20, and however rapid the iinpulses may be the relatively greater capacity n sounding or indicating apparatus iseprevent ed when no vcause exists foran alarm. Y

The plug l'has a dual purpose in that it serves to concentrate the vflow and thereby increase the velocity sufliciently'to overcome" extinguishing and alarm systems Vconsisting v of a casing having a detachable portion,

said portion'having inletl and dischargey sub-chambers therein and inlet. and discharge ports respectively communicating with the inlet and dischargeA sub-chambers, f

a lever fulcrumed between its ends between y the said ports and coperating alternating check valves controlling said ports, said valves being carried by the opposite ends of saidv lever." e Y 2. A retarding chamber for automatic-fire extinguishing and alarm systems consisting of a casing having a detachable portion, said portion having inlet and discharge subchambers therein and inletrand discharge ports respectively communicating with the inlet and discharge sub-chambers, a lever fulcrumed between its ends betweenV the said ports and coperating alternating check valvescontrolling said'ports, said valves be* ingY carried by the opposite ends of Vsaid lever, one end of the saidlever beinglonger than the other end and counter-weighted.

3. In a retarding apparatus ofthe type described including a lcasing, av partition extending obliquely across and `dividing theone of said ports being of diminutive ,boreV and effecting communication between the inico let and accumulating chambers and the other Y of said ports being of comparatively large bore and effecting communication vbetween said accumulating and dischargerchambers and coperating alternating check Vvalves controlling said ports.

4. In a retarding 'apparatus of the typel described including a casing, a partition extending obliquely across and dividing the linterior of the casing into two chambers,

one of said chambers constituting an accumulating chamber'7 a second partition subdividing the other of said chambers into inlet and discharge sub-chambers, said first mentioned partition having inlet and discharge ports, one of said ports being of diminutive bore and eli'ecting communication between the inlet and accumulating chambers and the other of said ports being of comparatively large bore and effecting communication between said accumulating and discharge chambers and a -lever fulcrumed between its ends between said ports, one end of the said lever being longer than the other end and counter-weighted, and coperating alternating check valves controlling said ports, said valves being carried by the opposite ends of said lever and the valve controlling the inlet port having a concave and relatively wide impact surface.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

JOI-IN R. MEADOVVCROF T. Witnesses:

GORDON Gr. COOKE, WILLIAM J. C. HnWETsoN.

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