IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FACTORIES, MILLS, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS AGAINST FIRE
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Leonard, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America, now of 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Civil Engineer,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PROTECTION
OF FACTORIES, MILLS, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS AGAINST FIRE."
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Leonard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th September 1881.
EDWARD LEONARD, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
now of 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FACTORIES, MILLS, WAREHOUSES, AND
OTHER BUILDINGS AGAINST FIRE."
My Invention relates to fire-extinguishing apparatus of that class in which pipes
arranged within a building are connected with a water main or supply, and
provided with valves arranged in connection with devices, which when the
temperature inside the building rises to a certain degree cause or allow the said
valves to open and distribute the water from the said pipes.
The said Invention consists in various improvements in the construction and
arrangement of the parts of such apparatus, as hereinafter specified, whereby the
same is rendered more efficient and reliable for the protection of the building in
which the same is placed, and more simple and convenient with regard to tho
manipulation of the valves and other parts of the said apparatus.
The aforesaid pipes are provided at intervals with cross pieces fitted with valves
which are held up to their seats by means of solder so applied to a hollow or tubular
portion onthe valve stem as to secure the said tubular portion to an inverted cup
or socket through which it extends, the said socket having been hitherto formed
on the plug which closes the bottom of the cross-piece.
One part of the said Invention comprises an improved manner of constructing
this soldered part of the apparatus to facilitate the automatic release of the said

page_text: compressed air until a fire occurs and the temperature rises, the increased heat then
causes the opening of the automatic valve of one or more of the sections, the com-
pressed air escapes, the check valves lose their support, and the water rushes to
where the fire lins opened a section or sections.
According to another part of my Invention I substitute a cross piece or fitting
for the tee-fitting on the main supply where the automatic valve is attached. I
extend the nipple which joins the said valve to the main so as to form another
valve-seat inside the under outlet of the said cross fitting, and I place a valve in the
upper outlet to be screwed or levered down against the said seat for preventing
the flow of water through the section whilst the automatic valve is being resoldered,
whilst it will allow the flow of water to the other sections (wherever situated)
that are fed from the samo source.
In an automatic fire extinguisher I provide in combination with perforated
sprinkling pipes arranged in detached (sections or in other distributors) an auto-
matic valve joined to the main water supply; the said valve may have any number
of outlets below the valve seat; the said sent is covered by a valve kept in its placo
by gravity or by the pressure of the water; the said valvo is formed to act upon a
hinge or fulcrum situated between its extreme end and the valve-seat. At this
extreme end I arrange a cam which does not touch the valve until the latter is
required to open. The shaft of this cam extends outside the body of the valvo,
and to it is attached a long weighted lever supported by a plug of fusible solder
at any desired angle to a vertical line. When a fire occurs this fusible plug of
solder melts, the lever then losing its support falls upon a fixed rest whilo acting
upon the aforesaid interior cam which presses upon the elongated end of the valve,
causing the valve to rise and liberato the water to the distributors where it is
discharged upon the fire. The water may be again shut off by raising the lever
to its original position and inserting another fusible plug, or it may be made to
close automatically in the following manner :-
In any convenient position below the seat of the valve is introduced a small
pipe which is provided with a suitable valve or cock, the said pipe terminating in
a tube of larger diameter and of any desired length closed at both ends. This tubo
encloses a cylinder fitted with a piston carrying a rod which projects outside the
said tube; when pressure is applied to the face of the piston it is advisable
although not necessary that this piston and rod should work in a horizontal
position, in which case the rest to which the aforesaid lever falls as above described
should be an iron bar kept in place by a notched vertical rod. The piston rod is
opposite to and in the same plane as but does not touch the said bar. A small
cock is placed on the large tube for emptying the same. The said lever in falling
is caught upon the aforesaid bar or rest.
The valve is then open and the water is discharged upon the fire.
The full
pressure of water being now upon the small pipe (the valve on which has been set
to suit the head of water so that the percolation through it may fill the large
chamber enclosing the piston gradually so as to afford time sufficient for the fire
to be extinguished), the pressure is multiplied upon the face of the said piston.
The piston rod is thereby projected, striking the bar which supports the lever and
moving it from under the said lever, which then falls, so that the extremity of the
aforesaid cam passes down below the valve and allows it to fall back on its seat,
the flow of water being thus at once stopped.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Leonard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th March
1882.
EDWARD LEONARD, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
now of 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Civil Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FACTORIES, MILLS, WAREHOUSES, AND
OTHER BUILDINGS AGAINST FILE”
My Invention relates to fire-extinguishing apparatus of that class in which pipes
arranged within a building are connected with a water main or supply, and
provided with valves arranged in connection with devices, which when the
temperature inside the building rises to certain degree cause or allow the said
valves to open and the water to be distributed from the said pipes.
The said Invention consists in various improvements in the construction and
arrangement of the parts of such apparatus, as hereinafter specified, whereby the
same is rendered very efficient and reliable for the protection of the building
wherein it is placed, and very simple and convenient with regard to the manipu-
lation of the valves and other parts of the said apparatus. The aforesaid pipes are
provided at intervals with cross-pieces or T-pieces, to which are connected valve-
--boxes-the-valves-therein-being-held-up-to-their-seats by means of solder so applied*
to a hollow or tubular portion of the valve-stem_as_to_secure_tho-said-tubular-
portion to an outer tube or inverted cup or socket, through which it extends, the
said socket being attached to a plug which is fitted into the bottom of the
valve-box.
My said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view shewing one method in which the supply pipes
and the sprinklers connected therewith may be arranged in a building.
Figure 2 is a perspective view, and
Figure 3 a vertical central section of my improved automatic valve hereinafter
described.
Figure 4 is an exterior view representing a hand-lever attachment and auto-
matic valve combined as hereinafter described.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation representing an automatic valve adapted to be
opened on the melting of a fusible plug and the fall of a lever, as hereinafter
described.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
a represents the water main or supply pipe, and b, b, the main branch pipes
connected with the same; c, c, represent the sprinklers, and d, d, the cross-pieces
having the two outlets d', d; e represents the valvo enclosed in each of the said
cross pieces; e represents the hollow tubular portion on the valve-stem e', and ƒ
is the hollow tubular socket in which the said hollow portion e³ is situated.
One part of the said Invention comprises an improved manner of constructing
the soldered part of the apparatus to facilitate the automatic release of the valve c.
This valve has a face c' of non-adhesive composition, and will drop from its seat g
by its own weight if the solder be melted. The lower end e³ of the stem is hollow,
as shewn in Figure 3, to facilitate the action of heat upon the same, and with the
outer tube or socket j' forms the solder chamber. This outer tube or socket is
attached to the plug h by means of screw-threads instead of being formed solidly
thereon, as heretofore. The solder, which is intended to melt when a fire occurs,
is run between the parts and f, so that they are fastened solidly together; the
outer tube is then screwed into the bottom piece or plug h, which in its turn is
screwed up into the valve-box d, so as to force the composition face c' tightly

page_text: against the seat g. The valve e will then bear any desired pressure to the square
inch without leaking. After the valve has been thus closed a bell-shaped cup or
guard is screwed on around the solder-chamber to protect it from the influence of
the cold water from the adjacent section or sections of pipes.
According to another part of my Invention, which is illustrated in Figure 4 of
the accompanying Drawing, I provide a hand-lever-attachment A and automatic
valve B combined. The valve-box in this case has a third outlet on a lovel
with those for supplying the sprinklers c, and below the seat of the automatic
plunger or valve e and projecting in the direction of the main branch pipe b. A
pipe connected at one end with the underside of the said pipe b is introduced at
its other end into this third outlet d³, as shown. This pipe is furnished with a
straightway cock or valvo k, whereon is mounted a lever 1, which reinains in a
horizontal position, as shewn in the Drawing, until a fire occurs, when, if there is
any person present, it may be pulled down to a vertical position, so that the full
shower of water from the section to which this lever is applied will be obtained,
and the said section may be again shut off by pushing the lever back to its original
position. At night, however, when there is no ono present, the solder will be
melted by the heat of the fire and the automatic valve will drop from its seat, as
hereinbefore described. This combination obviates the necessity for water-casks,
buckets, or hosc.
Each section of sprinklers is entirely independent of the others, and is usually
made in the form of the letter H, as shown in Figure 1. The pipes forming the
sides of this H-shaped part constitute the sprinklers; they are perforated with a
ber of holes for the purpose of directing jets of water obliquely and vertically
upwards. Any suitable number of these sections of sprinklers can be provided in
every floor of a building in connection with one vertical supply pipe a. This
vertical pipe is provided with a shut-off valve at the tank, which will only require
to be closed when alterations or additions are being made to the said apparatus.
It has also an open-way check-valve, which allows a full flow of water from the
tank into the main or supply pipes, whilst it will not allow water to flow through
it into the tank. The said vertical pipe a may be attached at its lower end to the
water-mains or to a rotary or other pump, or it may terminate in a hose attach-
ment projecting outside the building. It will also be furnished with another check-
valve in the first story of the building, or below the last floor supplied with the
system. This valve being arranged reversely to the one at the tank will retain
the water from the said tank in the mains of the sprinkler system; the said two
check-valves will therefore force the water into the said system, whether it be
supplied from above or below, without allowing it to escape under any other
condition.
The large pipes alone contain water. These may be protected from the frost by
a paper covering, by a light wood casing packed with sawdust, or by cotton duck
lined with hair, or by other suitable means. I prefer however to exclude the water
from the mains, leaving nothing to freeze, by the aid of the aforesaid two frictionless
check-valves on the vertical pipe joining the two sources of water supply. These
check-valves open in opposite directions, as above described. Having shut off the
supply, the water is allowed to run out of all the main pipes through a plug hole
provided for that purpose. A pressure-gauge is arranged in connection with the
vertical pipe, and a small air-pump is attached to it by means of two small tubes.
This air-pump may be worked by hand, or by a belt from any convenient pulley.
The air is forced into the mains until the gauge indicates a much greater pressure
to the square inch than that indicated the water was in the main; the cocks upon
the sinall tubes are then closed, the check-valves have been forced into their seats,
and the water, being again turned on, is kept back by these check-valves, which
are retained in place by the compressed air until a fire occurs and the temperature
rises; the increased heat then causes the opening of the automatic valve e of one
or more of the sections, the compressed air escapes, the check-valves lose their

page_text: support, and the water rushes to the locality at which the heat of the fire has
caused the opening of a section or sections.
According to another part of my Invention I substitute a cross piece or fitting
for the tee-fitting on the main supply where the automatic valve is attached.
I extend the nipple which joins the said valve to the main, so as to form another
valve-seat inside the under outlet of the said cross fitting, and 1 place a valve in
the upper outlet to be screwed or otherwise brought down against the said seat for
the purpose of preventing the flow of water through the section whilst the automatic
valve is being re-soldered, whilst it will allow the flow of water to the other
sections (wherever situated) that are fed from the same source.
In Figure 5 of the Drawing, I have shewn the application to the said apparatus
of an automatic valve m to be arranged in combination with the perforated
sprinkling pipes formed in detached sections (or other distributors); this valve is
joined to the main water-supply-pipe, and may have any number of outlets below
the valve sent n'. The said seat is covered by the valve proper n kept in its place
by gravity, or by the pressure of the water; the said valve is adapted to turn
upon a hinge or fulcrum n² situated between its extreme end and the valve-seat n'.
Adjacent to this extreme end of the valve I arrange a cam o, which does not touch
the valve until the latter is required to be opened. The shaft o¹ of this cain
extends outside the body or case enclosing of the valve, and has attached to it a
long weighted lever which is supported by a plug g of fusible solder at any
desired angle to a vertical line, and is arranged to move within a double guide p¹.
When a fire occurs, this fusible plug g of solder melts, and the lever p then losing
its support falls upon a fixed rest r. As the said lever falls it turns the aforesaid
cam o which then presses upon the elongated end of the valve 2, causing the said
valve to rise and permit the passage-of-the-water-to-the-distributors-where-it-is-
-discharged-upon-the-fire. The_water_may_be_again shut off by raising the lever p
to its original position and inserting another fusible plug, or it may be made to
close automatically in the following manner, that is to say-In any convenient
position below the seat of the valve is introduced one end of a small pipe 8,
which is provided with a suitable valve or cock at 8¹; the other end of the said
pipe is connected to the tube or chamber t of larger diameter and of any desired
length, closed at both ends. This tube encloses at one end a cylinder t¹ fitted with
a piston u carrying a rod u', which is projected forward outside the said tube when
pressure is applied to the face of the said piston. It is advisable although not
essential that this piston u and rod u should work in a horizontal position, in
which case the rest r to which the aforesaid lever 2 falls, as above described, should
be an iron bar kept in place in a notch in the guide p¹, as shown. The piston
rod u' is opposite to and in the same plane as the said bar r, but does not touch
the same.
A small cock is placed on the large tube for emptying the same.
The lever pin falling is caught upon the aforesaid bar or rest 7, as above described,
and the valve is then open and the water discharged upon the fire. The full
pressure of water being now upon the small pipes (whose valve s' has been set to
suit the head of water, so that the percolation through it may fill the large chamber
enclosing the piston gradually so as to afford time sufficient for the fire to be
extinguished) the pressure upon the face of the piston u is increased, and the
pistou rod is thereby projected outward, striking the bar which supports the
lever and moving it from beneath the said lever p, which then falls so that the
extremity of the cam o passes down below the valve and allows it to fall back on
its seat and thus at once stop the flow of water.
Having thus fully described my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. The improvements relating to the construction of the automatic valve
consisting in the socket attached by screw-threads to the plug, and the hollow
lower end of the stem soldered within the said socket, and the bell-shaped cup or
guard, all constructed in the peculiar manner set forth for the purposes specified in

page_text: combination with the other parts of the said valve, substantially as shewn in
Figure 3 of the Drawing.
Second. The combination with the automatic valve of the cross-piece or fitting
provided with a seat for a valve to prevent the flow of water through a section
while the said automatic valve is being soldered, substantially as set forth.
Third. The combination with the automatic valve attached to the pipe b of the
pipe j, the cock or valve k, and the lever 1, substantially as above set forth with
reference to Figure 4 of the Drawing for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The combination with the distributing pipes of the hinged valve n
adapted to be opened by the cam o operated by the weighted lover p when the
latter is permitted to descend by the melting of the fusible plug 9 with or without
the devices for engaging with the bar so as to permit the said lever to full to
effect the automatic closing of the said valve n, all substantially as above set forth
with reference to Figure 5 of the Drawing.
Fifth. The improved apparatus provided with distributors composed of perforated
sprinkling pipes arranged in detached sections in combination with the apparatus
constituting the subject matter of the above claiming clausos or either of them,
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Leonard, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
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