Improvements connected with the Extinction of Fire.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, th May, 1896-Accepted, 8th Aug.. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with the Extinction of Fire.
I, JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE, of 22 Marsden Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
:-
This invention has reference to the extinction of fires by means of valvular or
like devices, fixed at different points at or near the ceiling or roof of a room or
building, and adapted to be automatically operated by the temperature within such
room or building, water being used as the extinguishing fluid and conveyed to them
by suitable pipes.
According to this invention, in connection with fire extinguishing devices such as
water spraying or sprinkling roses, nozzles, or devices, I employ a closed vessel, the
fluid within which, when heated, causes the walls of the chamber to expand and
open a valve and admit water to the distributors or sprayers, and conversely, when
it becomes cool, after being heated, causes the walls to contract and shut off the
water and stop the sprinkling or spraying action. In some cases, there is used in
connection with this device an electric mechanism by which the current is caused to
flow to and actuate an alarm prior to the water being turned on, and while the
water is passing through the extinguisher.
According to one arrangement under this invention, and mode of operating same,
I use in connection with a valve and a spraying or sprinkling rose, nozzle, or
device, a chamber consisting of metallic diaphragms, (in some cases corrugated),
one of the said diaphragms being connected with the valve and the other held;
and within this chamber I introduce liquid or liquids which when heated to a
moderate degree, say from one, to two hundred degrees Fahrenheit, or when the
temperature about the diaphragms reaches these points, will give off sufficient
vapour and create sufficient pressure within the chamber to force the diaphragms
apart and move and open the valve. In some cases, such as when using volatile
liquids, as methylated ether, or other like spirit in water, the combined liquid would
only fill a small portion of the space in the chamber. With a device or mechanisin
so arranged, when a fire takes place, say in a room provided with a number of these
sprinklers spaced at the required distances apart, when the temperature about the
chamber reaches say between one and two hundred degrees, the vapour vapourized
in the chamber by the heat will press the diaphragms apart and open the valve, and
admit water to the sprayers, which distribute the water onto the floor beneath, and
will continue to supply water so long as the temperature remains. Alter the fire is
extinguished, the valve will still be kept open for some time, say two or three or
more minutes, until the contraction of vapours and air in the chamber takes place,
whereupon the valve is brought again onto its seat and the water entirely cut off
from the sprinkler or sprayer. Prior to, or say about the time of the admittance
of water, electrical contact will be made by one or more of the devices, and so
cause the alarm, as an electric alarm, or an electrically started or controlled one,
placed in any suitable position to be sounded, and the aların will continue to ring so
long as the fire lasts and until the water is shut off. In some cases, within the
chamber I may use a material as asbestos in a ring at the edge or other position, to
distribute the liquids within it, so as to render their distribution thereon and
vapourization more equal and certain.
Dated this 9th day of August 1895.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
5 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.

page_text: improvements connected with the Extinction of Fire.
I, JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE, of 22 Marsden Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer 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:-
This invention has reference to the extinction of fires by means of valvular or
like devices, fixed at different points at or near the ceiling or roof of a room or
building, and adapted to be automatically operated by the temperature within such
room or building, water being used as the extinguishing fluid and conveyed to them
by suitable pipes.
According to this invention, in connection with fire extinguishing devices such as
water spraying or sprinkling roses, nozzles or devices, I employ a closed vessel, the
fluid within which, when heated, causes the walls of the chamber to expand and
open a valve and admit water to the distributors or sprayers, and conversely, when
it becomes cool, after being heated, causes the walls to contract, and shut off the
water, and stop the sprinkling or spraying action. In some cases, there is used in
connection with this device an electric mechanism by which the current is caused to
flow to, and actuate an alarm, prior to the water being turned on, and while the
water is passing through the extinguisher.
According to one arrangement under this invention, and mode of operating same,
I use in connection with a valve and a spraying or sprinkling rose, nozzle, or
device, a chamber consisting of metallic diaphragms, which are corrugated, one of
the said diaphragms being connected with the valve and the other held; and within
this chamber I introduce liquid or liquids, which when heated to a moderate
degree, say from 100°, to 125° Fahrenheit, or when the temperature about the
diaphragms reaches these points, will give off sufficient vapour and create sufficient
pressure within the chamber to force the diaphragms apart and move and open the
valve. In some cases, such as when using volatile liquids, as methylated ether, or
other like spirit, with a few drops of water in it, the combined liquid would only
fill a small portion of the space in the chamber. With a device or mechanism so
arranged, when a fire takes place, say in a room provided with a number of these
sprinklers, spaced at the required distances apart, when the temperature about the
chamber reaches say between 100 ard 125 degrees, the vapour vapourized in the
chamber by the heat will press the diaphragm apart and open the valve, and admit
water to the sprayers, which distribute the water onto the floor beneath, and will
continue to supply water so long as the temperature remains. Aiter the fire is
extinguished, the valve will still be kept open for some time, say 5 or 10 minutes,
until the contraction of vapours and air in the chamber takes place, whereupon the
valve is brought agam onto its seat, and the water entirely cut off from the
sprinkler or sprayer. Prior to, or say about the time of the admittance of water,
electrical contact will be made by one or more of the devices, and so cause an alarm,
as an electric alarni, or an electrically started or controlled one, placed in any
suitable position, to be sounded; and the alarm will continue to ring so long as the
fire lasts, and until the water is shut off. In some cases, within the chamber I may
use a material as asbestos in a ring at the edge or other position, to distribute the
liquid within it, so as to render their distribution thereon and vapourization more
equal and certain.
A drawing illustrative of the invention, the nature of which is above described,
is hereto annexed; but it is to be stated, that the particular construction of the
device shewn and its modes of action, form per se no part of the present invention,
they being the subject matter of a separate and subsequent Application for Patent,
namely No. 239 of 1896.

page_text: Referring to the drawing, a generally designates the diaphragmmatic device;
and this, in the case shewn, consists of two metallic annularly corrugated discs a',
the peripheries of which are fastened together by turning the edges of one about a
wire ring a, and the edge of the other about the former; and they can be further
secured by brazing or soldering so as to render the joint perfectly tight.
Within the discs a², there is a layer of absorbant material a³, such as paper,
asbestos, or textile fabric; and this is adapted to absorb and hold the liquid used in
the vessel formed by the two discs.
b designates generally the valve portion of the apparatus; and it comprises an
annular casing consisting of the inner wall 61, an outer wall 62, and a valve c;
while d is the inlet to the valve, and e the pipe supplying water to it.
The diaphragmatic device a and valvular portion bare connected together by
the bow or bracket f, the lower arm of which is secured to the upper part of the
valve b, and the upper arm of which is connected with the upper disc a¹ of the
diaphragmmatic device, through the pin h; and the pin h in turn is secured to
the diaphragm by the collar i, which is suitably fastened on the upper surface
thereof. The pin his supported by, and rests by its head upon, a bush j, carried in
the boss of the arm, this bush being formed of wood or other suitable electric
non-conducting substance, and carries in it electric wire conductors k, the ends of
which project into the annular space on the underside of same round the pin h.
The electric wires are used in connection with a suitable electrically operated
alarum, and the ends of these wires serve as the terminals through which the circuit
is made or broken, as and when the apparatus is either in action, or out of action.
The spraying device in the example shewn is of rotative type; and it consists of
arms mounted on a hollow hub m, which works upon and in conjunction with a
plug m on the lower end of the valve casing 2. The arms are provided with
holes, through which the jets or sprays of water are thrown about in the desired
directions, and so as to give rotative motion about the plug n, after the manner of
"Baikeis mill"; but of course any other suitable spraying device may be used in
lieu of the moving one.
The diaphragmmatic device, it will be seen, constitutes a chamber which acts
alternately as an evaporator of the liquid it contains, and condenser; and the
quantity of the spirit used in it is comparatively small; that is to say, in a full
size device, as that shewn in the drawings, about one teaspoonful is a suitable
quantity to use; and according to the temperature at which the device is required
to come into action, different kinds or mixtures of liquids may be used.
In use, the room or space in which the apparatus is used would, in most cases, be
provided at the upper pait near the ceiling with a number of the devices, suitably
spaced apart. When the apparatus is at rest, the service water in the pipe e presses
the valve cup against its seat, and keeps it closed. Now in the case of a fire
taking place in this room or space, then the heat resulting from the fire reaching
the device, heats the discs a¹ of the diaphragmmatic device a, and the volatile
liquor therein such as methylated ether, or other like spirit, and water-becomes
volatilized or evaporated, and the pressure of such vapour presses the diaphragms a
apart. But as the pressure of water under the valve c is considerable, the valve is
held upon its seat, and the first movement of the diaphragmmatic device acts upon
the free pin ; that is, this pin e being loosely supported in the bushj, is pressed up
through it until the neck of the collar i comes in contact with or reaches the end of
the annular space in the bottom of j. When it does so, it makes contact between
the terminals of the wires k, and so closes the electric circuit with the alarum, and
sets that apparatus in action. It also at the same time causes a reaction of the
device upon the valve c, as its movement upwards being now stopped, the pressure,
due to the further evaporation of the liquid in a, and the tension of the resultant
vapour, presses the valve c downwards against the pressure of water in d, and opens
this valve, thereby admitting water to the spraying arms l. The discharge of this
water in the form of jets or sprays causes these parts to revolve, at the same time
throwing up water jets or sprays in all directions desired.

page_text: A further opening of the valve c than that necessary to give the full area of
opening between the valve and its seat, is provided by the construction shewn; that
is, this construction permits of an extended expansion of the device and opening of
the valve, and accordingly as this amount of opening is larger or smaller, so will,
in a large measure, the time of closing of the valve, after the fire has been
extinguished, be longer or shorter. When the fire has been extinguished, and the
temperature of the space about the sprinkler is lowered, the vapour in the
diaphragmmatic device gradually condenses, and the closing or collapsing action of
the device commences; viz., the discs a¹ approach each other, and the head of the
pin resting on the top of the bush j, the valve c is drawn towards its seat; and
according to the distance of this valve is from its seat, and to the rapidity of con-
densation, so will be the amount of time taken between the commencement of
closing or collapse of the device, and the coming of the valve e upon its seat. The
duration, therefore, of the continuance of discharge and spraying of water by the
device, after the fire has been put out, will depend upon the distance the valve c
has been moved from its seat, and has, therefore, to close, and the time occupied in
collapsing of the device. The upper surface of the device a is painted in some
cases to prevent the water which falls on from cooling it too much or too rapidly.
The parts of the apparatus are so arianged, that, in the closed portion, the
diaphragms a will be close together, at the same time, when in this position the
pressure within the device will still be below that of the atmosphere; and
consequently, a certain amount of tension will be kept on the valve stem of the
valve e tending to draw it onto its seat.
Although the invention has been described as applied solely to the automatic
distributors of water in case of fire, it is, at the same tinie, also applicable for use
in connection with systems of fire extinction in which the fluid employed as the
extinguishing agent is carbonic acid gas, or the like; in which case the use of a
spraying device, such as that shewn in the drawings, is unnecessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A fire extinguishing apparatus comprising a corrugated diaphragmmatic device
(as a); and a valve connected with and operated by said diaphragmmatic device,
and controlling the supply of extinguishing fluid from the service to a distributor
or discharge device on or connected with said valve, the said diaphragmmatic device
having within it a comparatively small charge of volatile liquid, and being adapted
to expand and have movement; operating substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. A fire extinguishing apparatus consisting of the combination of an expandible
diaphragmmatic device having within it a small quantity of volatile liquid such as
specified, and an absorbent substance such as specified, and a valve connected
therewith and adapted to be opened and closed by the expansion and contraction
or collapsing of said diaphragmmatic device; substantially as set forth.
Dated this 8th day of May 1896.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.