An Improved Ball-valve for Hydrants and Fire-plugs.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 21st Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Ball-valve for Hydrants and Fire-plugs.
I, JAMES MAIN SWINBOURN, of Carpenter Street, Middle Brighton, in the
Colony of Victoria, Clerk, 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 :-
With the ordinary construction of ball valve for hydrants and fire plugs dirt and
other refuse from the streets can enter the water main in the event of the pressure
therein being reduced sufficiently to allow the ball constituting the valve of said
hydrant or fire plug to drop from its seating so as to leave an open passage on the
street into said main.
Now the object of my invention is to prevent this, and it consists in providing a
spring or springs arranged underneath the ball in such a manner as to always tend
to keep it pressed tightly up against its seating, a cup or other support being by
preference arranged to rest upon the surface of the spring so as to form a support
for said ball, whilst the lower end of said spring preferably fits into a recess formed
at about the centre of a three-armed or other bridge-piece extending across the
interior of the valve casing and held in position between the lower part of such
casing and the upper part of the pipe to which said casing is secured.
downwardly projecting pin or spindle may be screwed or otherwise secured to the
cup-shaped support above referred to and may be passed down through a hole in
said bridge piece so as to form a guide which will secure the supporting cup in its
proper working position, as will be well understood from the following description,
reference being had to my drawings, wherein
A short
Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a hydrant or fire plug fitted with one of
my improved ball valves, whilst
Figure 2 is a plan of said hydrant or fire plug.
Figure 3 is a central section of the ball supporting cup hereinbefore mentioned,
showing its downwardly projecting spindle in elevation.
Figure 4 is a plan of said cup.
Figure 5 is a plan, and
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the three-armed bridge-piece which serves to
support a spiral or other spring whose function is to keep the ball against its
seating.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A represents the sphere or ball which automatically prevents the water in the
main from flowing through the fire plug or hydrant except when required, in which
case, as is well known, it is necessary to force said ball down against the pressure
of water in the main in the ordinary way. B represents the seating against which
said ball is forced by such pressure of water.
This seating may be of any suitable
construction, and may consist of one or more rubber rings clamped tightly in
position, as shown. С represents the spring which, as herein before mentioned, is
applied to the underside of the ball A, and which always tends to keep said ball
pressed tightly against its seating B. D represents the cup or other support which
rests upon the upper end of the spring C and serves to hold the ball A, whilst
E represents the downwardly-projecting pin or spindle which is screwed or otherwise
secured to said cup D, and which projects down through a hole in the centre of a
three-armed bridge-piece F, which latter is held in position, as shown, by being
clamped between the upper part of the main G and the lower part of the hydrant
or fire plug casing H, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1, the outer edges of the arms
of said bridge-piece F being beveled, as illustrated at I, and fitting against similarly
formed inclined surfaces in the upper edge of the main G.

page_text: With the above described arrangement of ball valve for hydrants and fire plugs
it will be obvious to all persons skilled in the art to which this invention relates
that it will be impossible for dirt or refuse from the streets to get into the main
through this medium because the ball or sphere A will be kept constantly pressed
against its seating B even if the whole of the water is removed from the main.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. A ball valve for hydrants and fire plugs fitted with a spring (such as C)
arranged to always keep it pressed tightly against its seating, substantially as
and for the purposes herein described and explained and as illustrated in my
drawings.
Second. In a ball valve for hydrants or fire plugs the combination with such ball
valve (such as A) of a cup (such as D) a bridge piece (such as F) extending across
the interior of the casing of said hydrant in combination with a spiral or other
spring (such as C) fitting between said cup and said bridge piece itself, substantially
as and for the purposes specified and as illustrated in my drawings.
Dated this Fifteenth day of December One thousand eight hundred and
JAMES MAIN SWINBOURN.