Device for the Prevention of Damage through the Bursting of Water Pipes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 27th Feb.. 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Device for the Prevention of Damage through the Bursting of
Water Pipes.
We, PAUL FUNCK and LOUIS SCHMIDT of 33 Königsthor, Cassel, in the Empire
of Germany, Merchants, 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:-
The object of this invention is a device for the prevention of damage consequent
upon the bursting of water pipes inside buildings by effecting an instantaneous and
automatic closing of the main cock.
The device is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which :-
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic general view of the arrangement.
Fig. 2 shows how the arrangement should be appliel to the main cock.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 show various sections through the principal contact maker, and
Figs. 7 & 8 section through the tap.
The main contact maker (see Figs. 4 to 6) consists of socket e of square cross
section inserted in the water main in the neighbourhood of the main cock.
In this socket a flap a is pivotally mounted which in its normal position
completely closes the cross section of the socket.
The spindle 6 of this Hap a extends outside the socket passing through a
stuffing-box and ends in a contact arm provided with a contact knob or button e.
When water is flowing through the socket the flap a and with it of course the
contact arm dare turned through 90° and the knob e closes an electrical current
at (see diagrammatic view Fig. 1).
The main cock A is provided with a bell crauk key ff the longer arm of
which has a weight g so that when the shorter arm is free to move the main
cock A is automatically closed. The main cock A is maintained in its open position
in the following manner. The short arm engages in a groove or recess i in
the pivoted lever A which lever is pivoted at and itself engages in a groove or
recess in a second pivoted lever & which is pivoted at k¹. A spring m tends to
draw the lever from the position in which it prevents motion of the bent
lever by engaging the arm thereof but this disengagement cannot take
place until the lower arm of the pivoted lever & has been pressed to the right.
This is effected by the electrical apparatus B which is similar to that used for
ringing electric bells and is provided with a hammer or arm n which when the
electric circuit is closed presses on the upper arm of the pivoted lever k.
Now it is necessary to provide against the main cock being automatically
closed by the action of the water which would flow through the socket c every
time water was required to be drawn off. This is prevented by providing every
draw-off' tap such as C with a circuit breaker (see Figs. 3 7 & 8) so that although
on the opening of a tap and the resulting flow of water through the main contact
is indeed made yet at the same time the current is cut off at the draw-off tap.
If however the draw-off taps are closed and the circuit therefore completed as far
as the main contact maker should a fracture of the pipes occur any leakage will
necessarily cause a flow of water which will at once (according to our invention)
close the main contact-maker.

page_text: The electrical apparatus 13 then immediately comes into play and acting through
the aforesaid pivotted levers releases the main cock key whereupon the main
cock A is automatically closed by the action of the weight y as aforesaid.
In current interrupting cocks of the foregoing description the metal pipe used
to convey the water is used as one conductor for the electric current whilst the
other conductor (advantageously a wire) is attached to the contact piece p said
contact piece entering the body (of the cock) r and being insulated from the same
by means of the vulcanite bush or part q.
When the cock is turned off the end of the spindle T which carries the
washer bears against the contact piece p (as shown in Fig. 7) and the circuit is
thereby closed.
When however the cock is opened for drawing off water the spindle T is
unscrewed (as shown in Fig. 8) and so raises the end thereof from off the contact
piece p thus interrupting the current.
In the form shown in Fig. 8 the arrangement is the same as in Fig. 7 except
that the interruption of the current is effected by means of the part which is
connected with the membrane and which rises from off the end of the contact
piece p when the key T of the cock is unscrewed.
The current for the apparatus B can easily be so connected with the electric
house bells that should the protecting current be interrupted in any way attention
will be at once called to the fact by the non-working of the electric house bells
when the defect can be at once remedied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nnture of our snid inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a device for the prevention of damage consequent upon the bursting of
water pipes the combination of a flap provided with an electrical contact piece
introduced into the supply pipe beyond the main cock and means for electrically
relensing the cock which is so weighted as to then close automatically such releasing
mechanism being caused to act by an electric current the circuit of which is
completed on the bursting or fracture of a pipe substantially in the manner and for
the purposes described.
2. The combination-in devices for the prevention of damage by water as claimed
in Claim 1 of an arrangement of relensing mechanism for automatically closing the
main cock consisting of a bent lever arranged on the main cuck whose longer
arm is provided with a weight. g which makes it drop automatically whilst the
shorter armis retained by releasing mechanism ka B which acts when the
electric circuit is completed substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
3. In devices for the prevention of damage by water as claimed in Claim 1 the
arrangement and combination therewith of a flap such as a provided with au
electrical contact piece such as e which is caused to act by the flow of water a
pipe such as c square in cross section introduced into the supply pipe in which
said flap a is pivotally arranged such flap in its normal position closing the pipe
a spindle to said flap a passing through the said part or socket e and terminating
in n contact arm d having thereon a contact knob e which the flow of water causes
to turn so as to complete an electric circuit substantially in the manner and for the
purposes hereinbefore described.
4. In a device ne above claimed and described for the prevention of damage
by water the arrangement and combination therewith of a circuit breaker on each
draw-off tap C so that the main cock should not be automatically closed every
time the water is used and a flow of water consequently caused to take place through
the socket e this circuit breaker acting in such a manner that when a draw-off
tap C is turned on the electric current is cut off whilst when such tap C is turned
off the circuit is completed substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.

page_text: 5. The herein-described device or contrivance-for automatically preventing
damage through the bursting of water pipes in buildings-constructed combined
and arranged to act substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before.
set forth and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 28th dox of February 1896
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.