Improvements in and relating to the Preventing or Extinguishing of Fire in Buildings and other Places and in Appliances therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 29th Apr., 1887.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Preventing or Extinguishing
of Fire in Buildings and other Places and in Appliances
therefor.
I, KENNETH MCLENNAN, of 118, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of
drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My invention comprises new or improved appliances, or nozzle devices and their
fittings, for being fitted in the apartments of buildings or other places, with the object
of automatically acting to distribute water or other fluid if the building took fire, or
the temperature of the apartments became dangerously high, so as to instantaneously
act on and extinguish the fire, or prevent the spreading of the conflagration.
In carrying my invention under one arrangement into practice as applied to the
apartments of a building I lead a main supply pipe from the service water pressure
main into the lower part and up through the different flats to the top of the building.
From this main supply pipe branch service pipes would be led along the horizontal
ceiling or vertical walls of the several apartments in the different flats of the building.
To these branch pipes or pipes led from these, my new or improved fire extinguishing
devices would be screwed or coupled to automatically distribute the water in the event
of the apartment becoming dangerously heated or taking fire.
And in order that the nature and novelty of my said invention, and the manner of
performing or carrying it into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have
hereunto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, in which the same reference
letters are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1 is a vertical elevation, half in section, of one arrangement of my new or
improved devices or nozzle appliance and its fittings for being coupled to the branch
service pipes by the screw spigot A¹ of the nozzle tube A, for automatically preventing
or extinguishing fire. And figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections of slightly modified

page_text: constructions of my new or improved automatic nozzle appliance and its fittings from
that shown in figure 1.
Referring to figures 1 and 2 my new or improved automatic fire extinguishing
nozzle apparatus or appliance consists all as follows :-Of a vertical nozzle tube Å
preferably of cast brass or other metal with a projecting flange A2, or it might be
snugs as seen in figure 2, to which is secured by two or more screwbolts 6 with
regulating screw nuts, a ring or circular collar or carrying disc B. To the under side
or the
upper side of the disc B is attached by a cupped flange and solder or otherwise,
a very thin metallic disc or diaphragm C, preferably of copper or brass, which may be
corrugated annularly to give increased freedom of elastic action downwards from the
end face of the nozzle A, against which a soft metal lid or cap a acts, secured to the
upper face and centre of this elastic diaphragm C by a screw nut or otherwise as
indicated at a¹.
Below this diaphragm C, is secured to the same annular ring B a thin inverted
hollow conical vessel D, also preferably of thin copper or other metal, with a small
orifice at its lower end, and preferably fitted with a small flange c¹ to which would be
soldered a disc of fusible metal c or an equivalent disc with leather face and metallic
straps c, c², soldered by fusible metal preferably an alloy of Bismith tin and lead or
other alloy which would melt at a low temperature. This conical cup, or vessel D is
filled with sand either before soldering the small hole at c at the apex or before
securing it to the ring B, tight enough to hold up the diaphragm C, with considerable
elastic. pressure ;
so that the diaphragm C, and valve lid a may be screwed
sufficiently up against the end-face of the nozzle A regulated by the screw bolts bas
to resist the pressure of water in the service pipe and nozzle A, and prevent the water
passing between the faces of this nozzle valve in the direction at 1--1; except when the
heat within the apartment was such as to melt the solder or disc at the lower end of
the conical vessel D; and the allowing of the sand to escape from within the vessel
would lower the diaphragm C and allow the water to escape with the full pressure
within the pipe in a disc jet in the direction indicated by the dotted line 1--1, in
figures 1 and 2. In some cases a bevelled or curved lip may be formed, as dotted in
at & on the top of the disc B, and on the outer edge of disc A² to direct the jet of
water in an upward direction as indicated at 2 -- 2.
Referring to figure 3 this construction is similar to figures 1 and 2, except that the
ring or collar B is screwed at B2 to the nozzle A instead of being secured by vertical
screw bolts as in the former arrangements; and the ring B formed with a ring of
ontwardly and upwardly angled orifices or passages b² for the escape of the water or
liquid upwards from the face of the valve a, which is distributed in the form of a spray
through the deflector plate at which may have a raised band 6³ over it.
A thin sheet metal or leather disc may be fitted and pressed between the face of the
nozzle A and valve a, and have the one end of a spring wire attached to it. The
other end of this wire would be attached to a valve or alarm bell, or other equivalent
device situated at a distance from the extinguisher and which would be automatically
liberated when the sand in the hopper D escapes and the valve a descends and so
actuate a bell or other alarm device. The hopper D may be tinned or glass lined on
its internal surface; and it might be made portable and attached to the disc B by a
screw metallic tightening ring or other equivalent, but this is not preferred, from the
danger of its being tampered with. Other forms and constructions of these vessels D
may be used for holding the sand or other stopping material within, but the conical
shape is most suitable for sand, but paraffin wax or other solid substance or
composition easily melted by heat might be used, or pressure air or other fluid might
be sealed up within to maintain the diaphragm C and valve a in its closed position.
And although a disc stopper c only has been described as attached by or formed of
metal or fusible alloy, this might be attached by metallic straps soldered at other outer
parts of the vessel D, or wax or other composition might be used instead of the fusible
alloy to stop the orifice, or with protecting discs of leather or other equivalent; and
other means of releasing the stop disc c such as fabrics or leather tapes might be used,
secured by the alloy or other easily fusible material.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The construction or general arrangement and combination of the parts of
automatic fire-preventing or extinguishing nozzle appliances, and their valve fittings
substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Second. In fire-preventing or extinguishing nozzle appliances the construction or
arrangement and combination of a flexible diaphragm C, and fluid pressure valve a,
with a close pressure vessel below substantially as herein described in reference to
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In fire-preventing or extinguishing appliances, the construction and use of a
hollow close vessel for containing sand or other substances, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
Fourth. In fire-preventing or extinguishing appliances, the construction and use of
a sand or stoppering vessel with a plate or stopper on its outlet orifice secured by
fusible solder, or equivalent means, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fifth. In fire-preventing or extinguishing appliances, the construction and use of
a regulating pressure ring or collar B with or without water outlet passages through
it, and attached and adjusted to the nozzle tube A substantially as and for the purpose
herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Sixth. The system, or mode and means of preventing or extinguishing fire in
buildings or other places, comprising the new automatic nozzle appliances in
combination with the water or fluid pressure pipes in the apartments, substantially as.
herein set forth.
T
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