US1326922A - Air-relief valve for sprinkler systems - Google Patents

Description

F. ECKS. AIR RELIEF VALVE FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. APPUCATION FILED MAY 21, 19|9.

1,326,922, Patented J an. 6, 1920.

FRED ECKS, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIR-RELIEF VALVE FOB, SPRINKLER SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed May 21, 1919. Serial No. 298,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED Eons, a citizen of the United States, and residing at New York, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Relief Valves for Sprinkler Systems, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to relief valves, and particularly to valves of this class designed to be used in connection with sprinkler systems employing compressed air as the seal or controlling medium, and the object of this invention is to provide a valve of the class specified which is designed to quickly release the air in the pipes of the system to permit of the quick passage of water into and through said pipes; a further object being to provide a valve of the class specified. with means whereby the passage of water out through such valve is automatically stopped; and with these and other objects in view the invention. consists in a device of the class and for the purpose specified, constructed and operating as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, said drawingbeing a diagrammatic sectional view of a sprinkler apparatus showing my improved valve in connection therewith, in which the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters.

In the drawing I have shown at 1 a dry pipe valve construction of what is known as the Grinnell type, and this valve is merely shown in outline sectional form to illus trate one use of my improved valve construction shown at 2 in the drawing.

The dry pipe valve 1 consists in the con struction shown of a base 3 having a conical head portion 4- connected therewith as shown at 5, and movably mounted in the base portion 8 is a valve member 6 adapted to beheld in a raised position by a spring-operated pawl 7 in the usual. manner, the base 3 of the valve 1 is provided with a flange 8 with which is connected a water supply pipe 9 having a gate valve 10 therein. The head 1 of the valve is provided with a flange 11 with which is connected ,a main sprinkler supply pipe 12 in which is mounted a plu rality of branch or distributer pipes 13,

any number of which may be employed, and which will extend into the separate flo is of a building in the usual manner, and the usual sprinkler heads and other branch pipes are connected therewith, in practice, but these pipes and sprinkler heads are not shown as they form no part of this invention. At the top of the pipe 12, or at the uppermost end thereof is a T-shaped coupling 14 with which is connected a supplemental pipe 15, which connects with the top portion of my improved relief valve 2 as shown at 16. a

My improved air relief valve 2 is shown in the accompanying drawing on a larger scale than that of the dry pipe valve 1, but, in practice, I preferably mount my improved valve 2 in juxtaposition to or at one side of the valve 1, as illustrated in the drawing, and the valve 2 comprises. in. the form of construction shown, a cylindrical base 17, and a cylindrical head 18 connected with the base 17 as shown at 19. Mounted at one side of the cylindrical base 1'? of the valve and connected therewith by a pipe coupling 20 is an elongated float chamber 21 provided at the bottom with a detachablev semi-circular cap 22, and at the top thereof with an outlet or drain pipe 23 which may be connected with. or placed in communi cation with a drain of any kind or class not shown.

The top portion of the cylindrical base 17 is provided with a valve seat 24 in connection with which a diskshaped valve member 25 is adapted to operate, said valve member being mounted on the upper end portion of a shaft 26, the upper end of which has a bearing in a web construction 27 in the bottom part of the cylindrical head 18 and a piston 28 is mounted on the lower end portion of the shaft 26 and operates in a sleeve bushing 29 in the lower end portion of the cylindrical base 17. It will be un derstood that the sleeve 29 is secured in connection with the cylindrical base 17 in the position shown in the drawing in any desired. manner, and the top of said sleeve is bent inwardly to form an annular flange 30 which. limits the upward movement of the piston 28 and forms a seat therefor.

The bottom of the cylindrical base 17 is open and adapted to be closed by a cap or cover 31, and connected. with one side of the cylindrical base is a pipe 32 which also connects with the base 3 of the dry pipe valve as shown at 33. Mounted in the float chamber 21 is a hollow spherical float valve member 3 1, which is adapted to operate in connection with an annular seat 35 in the top ortion of the float chamber 21 as in dicated in dotted lines in the drawing.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improved relief valve 2 will be readily understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the following statement. In practice, air under a predetermined pressure is admitted into the conical head portion 1 of the valve 1 and into the supply pipe 12 and branch pipes 13 as well as into the pipe 15 and into the cylindrical head 18 of the relief valve2, it being understood that in this operation the gate valve 10 is closed, and after the pipes 12, 13 and 15 and the head portion 4 of the valve 1 and cylindrical head 18 of the valve 2 are filled with air at the desired pressure, the gate valve 10 is opened to admit water to pass up into engagement with the bottom face of the valve member 6, but the pressure of this water will not be suflicient to raise said valve member against the air pressure in the top or head portion a of the valve 1.

With the apparatus in the position or condition above set out, and in the event of the opening of one of the sprinkler heads, which are not shown, by reason of the pres ence of a fire adjacent to said head, or in the room within which the sprinkler head or heads are located. the air in the system consisting of the pipes '12, 13 and 15 will be discharged through said sprinkler heads, and when this discharge of air reduces the pressure in the head portion at of the valve 1, the valve member 6 will be raised by the water pressure and water will be discharged into and through the pipes 12 and 13, and this water will also pass through the pipe 32 into the cylindrical base 17 of the relief valve 2, and will raise the piston 28, which operation opens the valve member 25 to permit of the passage or discharge of air from the pipes 12 and 13 through the pipe 15 out through the relief valve 2, or the outlet or drain pipe 23 thereof. It will be understood that the piston 28 striking the flange 30 on the sleeve 29 will limit the upward movement of the piston and also prevent the passage of water into the float chamber 21.

It will be apparent-that by automatically opening, the valve member 25 in the relief valve 2 in the manner above set out, and by reason ofthe size or capacity of the pipe 15in relation to that of the discharge of a sprinkler head, or a plurality of sprinkler heads, the compressed air in the pipes 12 and 13 .is quickly relieved or more quickly discharged from the system and permits the water to flow to the desired outlet at a greater speed thus putting the sprinkler apparatus into quicker operation, and preventing unnecessary spreading of a fire due to the slowness in the operation of apparatus of this class, as now constructed. After all of the air between the valve 1 and the particular outlet in the system through a sprinkler head, or a plurality of sprinkler heads has been discharged either through said sprinkler heads or the relief valve 2, it will be apparent that the water from the pipe 9 will pass through the pipe 15 into and through the valve 2 to the float chamber 21 and as the water rises in said float chamber, the float valve member 3% will rise in said float chamber until it reaches the position indicated in dotted lines, in which position the passage of water out through the outlet or drain pipe 23 will be stopped, and this as will be seen will prevent the waste of water and keep a predetermined pressure in the system.

It will be apparent that while I have shown certain details of construction for carrying my invention into effect, I am not necessarily limited to these details, nor to any specific form of dry pipe valve, nor to any particular arrangement of pipes in the system, and various changes in and modifications of the construction herein shown and described, may be made, Within the scope of the appended claims, without de parting from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

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

1. A relief valve of the class described, comprising a cylinder having a cylinder head, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, a shaft connected with and movable with said piston, a valve mounted on said shaft and adapted to operate in connection with Said valve seat, a pipe com municating with the bottom portion of the cylinder below the piston therein, and a pipe communicating with the cylinder head.

2.. A relief valve of the class described comprising a cylinder having a cylinder head, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, a shaft connected with and movable with said piston, a valve mounted on said shaft and adapted to operate in connection with said valve seat, a pipe communicating with the bottom ortion of the cylinder belowthe piston therein, a pipe communicating with the c linder head, the top portion of the float chamber being provided with a valve seat, and: a float valve mounted in said chamber and adapted to operate in connection with said seat.

3. A relief valve of the class described comprising a cylinder having a cylinder head, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, a piston movably mountedin one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, a shaft connected with and movable with said piston, a valve mounted on said shaft and adapted to o erate in connection with said valve seat, a nine communicatmg with the bottom portion of the cylinder below the piston therein, a pipe communicating with the cylinder head, the top portion of the float chamber being provided with a valve seat, a float valve mounted in said chamber and adapted to operate in connection with said seat, and a pipe communicating with the top of the float chamber.

a. A relief valve of the class described comprising a cylinder, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, said float chamber being provided with a di charge, a float valve for controlling said discharge, a valve mounted in the cylinder, means mounted in the cylinder and in operative connection with and adapted to operate said valve, means whereby air and water under pressure may be admitted into one end portion of the cylinder to operate the valve operating means therein, and means whereby air and water may be admitted into the other end portion of the cylinder, the air admitted into said last named means being adapted to pass through the cylinder into and through the float chamber when the valve is open, and the water passed therethrough being adapted to raisethe float valve in the float chamber to close the discharge therein.

The combination with a sprinkler sy tom of the class described, comprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributer pipes, of a relief valve comprising a cylinder, means for placing one end portion of said cylinder in communication with said dry pipe valve, means for placing the other end portion of said cylinder in communication with said distributor pipes, and a valve in said cylinder for controlling the passage of air and water therethrough.

6. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class described, comprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributer pipes, of a relief valve comprising a cylinder, means for placing one end portion of said cylinder in communication with the atmospheric chamber of said dry pipe valve, means for placing the other end portion of said cylinder in communication with said distributer pipes, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, a float valve controlled discharge in said float chamber,

and an automatically operated valve mounted in said cylinder and adapted to control the passage of air in the distributor pipes through said cylinder and float chamber, and the passage of water through said cylinder being controlled by the float valve in the float chamber.

7. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class described comprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributor pipes, of a relief valve in communication with said dry pipe valve and said distributer pipes, said relief valve comprising a cylinder, a float chamber at one side of said cylinder and placed in communication therewith, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, and a valve member carried by and adapted to be operated by said piston and to operate in connection with said valve seat.

8. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class described comprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributer pipes, of a relief valve in communication with said dry pipe valve and said distributor pipes, said relief valve comprising a cylinder, a float chamber at one side of said cylinder and placed in communication therewith, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, a valve member carried by and adapted to be operated by said piston and to operate in connection with said valve seat, the top portion of the float chamber being provided with a valve seat, and a float valve mounted in the float chamber and adapted to operate in connection with said seat.

9. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class described comprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributor pipes, of a relief valve comprising a cylinder having a cylinder head, means for placing one end portion of the cylinder in communication with said dry pipe valve, and means for placing the cylinder head in communication. with the distributer pipes, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, a

shaft carried by said piston and a valve mounted on said shaft and adapted to operate in connection with said. seat.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 19th day of May, 1919.

FRED EOKS.

lVitnesses C. E. MULREANY, H. E. THOMPSON.

Images