Improvements in or relating to the Supply of Gas to Buildings.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Supply of Gas to Buildings.
I, ALBERT HILL PENMAN, of 23, Taylor Street, Waterloo, Blyth, in the County
of Northumberland, Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the supply of gas to buildings and has for its object
to provide a means or safety device whereby, in case of fire in a building the
gas supply thereto shall be automatically cut off at the parts adjacent to the fire.
According to my invention provide for use in connection with gas supply
pipes, fittings and connections a valve or the like adapted under normal con-
ditions to allow free passage of the gas, but to be automatically closed and
prevent passage of gas on the adjacent pipes or gas fittings becoming heated to
a dangerous temperature.
To this end I mount the said valve in a suitable casing adapted to be joined
up with and connecting the gas supply pipes at the required positions; the
casing has a suitably arranged seat for the valve the latter having guides if
necessary and being weighted or provided with a spring tending to close the
valve, the latter is however kept open and supported upon or suspended by
fusible metal or the like arranged in suitable manner as for instance in the form
of feet to the valve base and resting upon ledges upon the valve casing or in the
base thereof, or the fusible metal may be arranged to support the valve from
above. The valve casing is arranged with suitable removable caps or the like
so arranged that a new valve or new fusible material may be readily inserted at
any time necessary owing to deterioration or otherwise.
It will thus be seen that valves constructed and arranged as above described
may be placed at any convenient position in the gas supply, for instance, one on
the main side of the meter and one or more at each floor of the building so that
should a fire occur the adjacent gas pipes and safety device become heated and
the fusible metal (which has a melting point at a predetermined low temperature)
melts, releasing the valve which at once closes and shuts off the supply of gas,
which gas would in gas supply pipes and connections as ordinarily in use be
liberated to assist in spreading the fire owing to the melting of the lead con-
nections or pipes. At the same time by the safety device a large quantity of gas
8 saved which would be otherwise wasted, apart from the danger attending its
escape.
Dated this 27th dox
1000

page_text: Improvements in or relating to the Supply of Gas to Buildings.
I, ALBERT HILL PENMAN, of 23, Taylor Street, Waterloo, Blyth, in the County
of Northumberland, Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement; -
My invention relates to the supply of gas to buildings and has for its object
to provide a means or safety device whereby, in case of fire in a building, the
gas supply thereto shall be automatically cut off at the parts adjacent to the fire.
My invention can be carried into practice in various ways, several being shown
by way of example in the accompanying drawings in reference to which I will
fully describe my safety means or device, using the same letters to designate
the same or corresponding parts throughout. All the figures are in vertical
central section, excepting Fig. 8 which is a plan of Fig. 7, and represent the
device in the normal working position, the arrows indicating the direction of
gas flow.
A is a valve of any suitable type, though illustrated of the mitre form in Figs. 1
and 2 and of the ball kind in the others. B is the valve casing provided with a
valve seat C and joined, in any convenient manner, at each extremity D to the
gas supply pipes, thereby connecting same. Access to the casing B for the
inspection, repair or renewal of its contents is provided by a removable cap or
plug E, except in Fig. 1, where such is only obtained by breaking the joint at
either extremity D or both; a plug may, however, be employed in this design
as well. Normally the valve A is always open in which position it is supported
either from below, as in Figs. 1 and 2, or from above, as in the other figures,
by fusible metal F arranged in appropriate form, and composed so as to meit
when the temperature of its surroundings exceeds the normal to a reasonable
extent. In practice I have found the metal known as "Wood's Fusible Metal"
very suitable, such melting at 140° Fahrenheit about and being composed as
follows
In Fig. 1 the metal F is fashioned to serve as feet attached to the base of the
valve A and resting upon the ledge G furnished therefor on the casing B.
According to Fig. 2, the metal F is shaped as a block or frame standing upon
the base of the casing B and holding the valve A off its seat C as shown. Figs. 3,
4 and 5 represent the metal F in the form of tapered plugs each situated in a
corresponding hole in the top of the cap E and attached to and supporting the
upper extremity of a spindle H whereto the valve A is fixed by screwing or other-
wise, while in Figs. 6 and 7 the metal F is disposed as a supporting head to a
reduced portion of the valve spindle H loosely encircled by a collar bearing
upon a ledge J on the cap E, as in Fig. 6, or, as illustrated in Fig. 7, on a
part K within the cap E. The metal F, being a solder itself, is conveniently
attached to the valve base or spindle, as the case may be, by soldering. L,
Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7, is another cap to the cap E for giving access to the metal F
and, in the case of Figs. 4 and 5, preventing the escape of gas when the valve A
is shut. The device represented in Fig. 7 will be again referred to.
It will be seen that the arrangement of the valve A in Figs. 1 and 2 necessi-

page_text: tates provision being made to guide it in, and prevent undue, lifting and this may
be effected as in Fig. 1 by a superposed plate M wherethrough a projection N
on the valve passes, or, as in Fig. 2, by a similar projection N on the valve
co-acting with a recess in the cap E; in the other designs, such a provision is
not necessary due to the mode of supporting or suspending the valve A.
In all these examples the valve A is made of sufficient weight to ensure that
when the support F is displaced by melting it will at once fall into the closed
position or upon the seat C against the gas pressure, but, as will be obvious, a
spiral spring encircling the projection N or the spindle H and abutting at one
end against the bottom of the plate M in Fig. 1, or against the underside of the
plug E in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, or against the lower part of the ledge J in Figs. 6
and 7, and at the other end on the adjacent surface of the valve A may be
employed for the same purpose.
For use, levices constructed and arranged according to any of the ways
described are placed at the necessary points in the supply-for instance one on
the main side of the meter and one or more at each floor of the building-and
should a fire occur the adjacent pipes and safety device become heated and the
fusible metal F' melts thereby releasing the valve A which at once closes and
shuts off the supply of gas which would, in the supply pipes and connections as
ordinarily arranged, be liberated to assist in spreading the fire. At the same
time, by this safety device a large quantity of gas is saved which would be
otherwise wasted, apart from the danger attending its escape.
Referring again to Figs. 7 and 8, the construction here illustrated, besides
serving as a safety device, is specially applicable for enabling the gas supply to
be temporarily cut off from a building or a particular part thereof-when vacant
for instance without recourse to the usual clumsy and expensive practice of
breaking joints and so forth. To this end I prolong the cap or plug E and
screw the prolongation internally to receive the correspondingly threaded part
K furnished with a square or like aperture R. Thus, when it is desired to shut
off the gas, the cap L is removed and the part K screwed downwards by a key
fitted into the aperture R until the valve A is firmly bedded on its seat Cthereby
effecting the necessary closure whereupon the cap is replaced and bealed as
indicated in Fig. 8. The valve A, by the reverse operation, is returned to its
original position and the device is ready to fulfil its normal function.
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
I claim is:-
1. For use with gas supply pipes, fittings and connections, 'a means or device
comprising a casing connected thereto and enclosing a valve supported in the
open or normal position by fusible metal, all arranged and acting substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The several forms of safety device or means for use in the supply of gas
to buildings, constructed and operating substantially as herein described in
reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. In a safety means or device of the kind herein referred to, the use of fusible
metal substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 28th day of January 1899.
Dated this 28th day of January 1899.
For the Applicant,
PRYOR & HARVEY,
Agents, 3, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne.