Year: 1887

page_text: We, GEORGE WILLIAM CRAWSHAW, of Henry Street Works, Rochdale, in the
County of Lancaster, Woollen Manufacturer, and JOHN TONGE, of the same place,
Gas and Water Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be
as follows:
"
Our invention relates to automatic arrangements which will turn on a water supply
to "sprinklers or distributors for extinguishing fires, when a given temperature has
been attained, and shut off such water supply when the temperature sinks below the
maximum fixed upon, and our invention consists in the combination and arrangement
of parts, as hereinafter described.
In a casting a passage is formed which is connected with the water supply pipe, this
passage in the casting becomes annular round an opening in the casting which forms
the entrance to the outlet passage in the casting which is connected with the "sprinkler"
or distributor of the water.
The open side of the said annular passage in the casting is faced so as to be covered
by a diaphragm of suitable flexible material, the inargin of which is secured to the
marginal face of the open side of the annular passage by another casting, to be
hereinafter described which is screwed thereto.
The said diaphragm, hereinafter termed the "diaphragm valve " when pressed upon,
covers the orifice to the said outlet passage and thus prevents the flow of water from
the supply passage until the "diaphragm valve" is lifted away as hereinafter
explained.
The second casting has a chamber formed in it which comes over the "diaphragm
valve," and this second casting has a valve seating formed in it for a small disc valve,
and has a hole in its axis for the spindle of the small valve to pass through, the outer
end of this valve spindle having a disc secured upon it, and this disc is arranged to
expansion
come near to or against another diaphragm, hereinafter termed the "
diaphragm," the margin of which is secured round a cavity in the second casting, by a
ring secured to, or a cap screwed upon the second casting.

page_text: Between the water supply passage and the chamber over the diaphragm valve,"
there is a small hole or passage covered by wire gauze to prevent dirt from entering,
and water passing from the said chamber through the small valve has its outlet through
a comparatively large passage in the second casting and communicating with one in
the first named casting leading to the water supply outlet to the sprinkler or
distributor.
The two castings when connected together are enclosed in a casing either separate
from, or combined with, the first named casting, and the cavity or space enclosed
within the casing is filled, at any required temperature by any well known or suitable
liquid which will expand freely with increasing temperatures of heat, when it expands,
its pressure will then act upon the said expansion diaphragm, and this will cause the
small valve to open and allow water to pass out from the chamber over the diaphragm
valve much faster than it can flow in through the said small passage, and this will
remove the more than counter-balancing pressure on the chamber side of the diaphragm
valve and allow the pressure of the supply water in the annular passage to lift the
diaphragm valve and pass into the orifice of the outlet passage to the sprinkler or
distributor.
When the expansion liquid contracts again by the reduction of temperature an india
rubber or other spring (which is compressed by the action of the expansion diaphragm)
will draw or force and hold the small valve to its seating, when the water entering
through the small passage from the water supply will put pressure on the chamber side
of the diaphragm valve to close it, and thus shut off the supply to the sprinkler or
distributor.
Dated this Twenty second day of Nawah 1007

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Sprinklers for Extinguishing Fires.
We GEORGE WILLIAM CRAWSHAW of Henry Street Works Rochdale, in the
County of Lancaster, Woollen Manufacturer, and JOHN TONGE, of the same place,
Gas and Water 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:-
Our invention relates to automatic arrangements which will turn on a water supply
to "sprinklers" or distributors for extinguishing fires, when a given temperature has
been attained and shuts off such water supply when the temperature sinks below the
maximum fixed upon, and our invention consists in the combination and arrangement
of parts, as hereinafter described by reference to the drawings figs. 1 to 4 which
illustrate one mode of carrying our invention into effect.
Fig. 1 is an outside elevation of the apparatus complete, fig. 2 a longitudinal section
of it, fig. 3 a view of the casting, having the main passages for water formed in it
and showing the seating for the diaphragm valve, and fig. 4 is a view taken in
the same plane as fig. 3, but with the second casting applied containing the valve
acted upon by the expansion diaphragm and with the vessel for the expansion fluid
removed.
a is the main casting, the end a¹ is screwed or otherwise prepared for connection
with the water supply main.
The passage from a¹ goes to the centre and its outlet is faced to form the seating a²
for the diaphragm valve.
An annular cavity a³ is formed round the seating and there is an outlet opening a
from it, the opening of which is seen in fig. 3, which opening leads to a passage a
which conveys the fluid to the sprinkler or other distributor, which may be of any
desired construction or arrangement.
That shown in the figures is a wheel b which will rotate upon the end of the tubular
part of the casting the disc (see fig. 2) forming one side of the wheel having a hole
in it to pass upon a pin or axis 2 upon which a screw nut is placed to keep the
wheel in its place.
The boss part of the wheel b has curved vanes or arms 6' and the water issues from
three or more slits a³ in the sides of the passage at and strikes against the vanes b*
and thus causes the wheel to revolve rapidly and distribute the water in spray by the
centrifugal action of the vanes of the wheel when rotating.
c is the diaphragm valve of india rubber or other suitable flexible material-Its
margin is secured by a second casting d between flanges formed upon the two castings a
and d, as shown, by screws.
In the centre of the diaphragm c is a washer of metal c against which is a disc
of india rubber or other suitable material c* which comes in immediate contact with
the seating a³ when the valve is closed. The disc of india rubber and metal washer

page_text: is secured to the diaphragm c by a rivet and washer or screw and washer c³, as shown,
and through the centre of the rivet or screw a small hole ct is made.
The second casting d has a seating formed on its interior for a small valve e
which is or may be faced with a washer e¹ of india rubber or other suitable elastic
material.
The stem e² from the valve is triangular or of other form to guide it in its
movements and leave space for fluid to pass between it and its guiding hole in the
casting d, which is enlarged to give space for an helical spring upon the valve
stem and a screw nut et screwing upon the end of the valve stem, the helical
spring e acting against the casting d and the screw nut e to draw the valve e against
its seating and prevent the escape of fluid from the chamber d¹.
In the second casting d there is a passage d² from the cavity round the stem of the
valve e which comes opposite a hole as in the margin of the diaphragm valve c and
opposite a hole passing into the outlet passage at going to the sprinkler or distributor
as shown in fig. 2.
Above the screw nut et there is another small india rubber or other suitable flexible
diaphragm which will come against the face of the screw nut e-the margin of
this diaphragm is secured between the end of the screwed junction of the second
casting d and a shoulder formed in the vessel y for the expansion fluid, which vessel g
is screwed upon the junction for it upon the second casting d.
g
This vessel g may be of any desired shape, and it has a screw plug g¹ by which the
fluid which will readily expand by heat can be placed in it. Suitable expansive fluids
or mixtures for actuating the valves of automatic sprinklers or fire extinguishers are
well known and we do not confine ourselves to any particular fluid or moisture.
g
The operation of our improved automatic apparatus is as follows-The water from
the main will pass to the diaphragm c and through the small hole c* in it to the
chamber from which the valve e prevents its escape, this brings the full pressure
of the water supply upon the chamber d¹ side of the diaphragm c which being of
larger area than the inlet from the passage a¹ presses the diaphragm c close against its
seating a and thus prevents the passage of water to the sprinkler or distributor;
but should the temperature of the room in which the automatic sprinkler is used
increase to the extent fixed upon the fluid within the vessel 9 expands and acts upon
the expansion diaphragm which pushes against the screw nut e and thus upon the
stem of the valve e against the pressure of the helical or other spring and opens
the valve which thus allows the water to pass from the chamber d' through the
passage d² faster than it can enter through the small hole c' in the rivet or screw in
the diaphragm d and consequently the pressure holding the diaphragm valve against
its seat is removed and the diaphragm valve c is forced by the entering water away
and passes the seating into the annular cavity a and then along the passage a* to
the sprinkler.
When the temperature diminishes to its normal point fixed upon, the expansion
fluid contracts or condenses and the helical spring e has then force sufficient to close
the valve e against the action of the expansion diaphragm f the chamber d' then fills
with water and its pressure closes the diaphragm valve c.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section illustrating another modification of our invention,
and fig. 6 is an outside view of the same at a right angle to the plane of fig. 5 with
the chamber for expansive fluid shown in section and fig. 7 is an outside view of the
screw junction, detached.
The apparatus is substantially the same as that hereinbefore described and illustrated
by figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, except, in respect of the vessel for holding the expansion
liquid which in this modification encloses the main apparatus.
The vessel for the expansion fluid is made in two halves g and g* one half g* screws
on at the discharging end against a washer of leather or other suitable material so
as to be fluid tight at the junction g in this half there is a V groove having soft
metal such as solder in it which is or may be combined with the brass of which the
vessel g* is cast, and into this V groove the sharp edge of the other half g embeds
itself to make a fluid tight joint when screwed upon the other end of the casting a

page_text: by a screw nut junction shown detached by fig. 7 there being a leather or other
suitable washer between the screw nut and the vessel g to make the joint at the
screw nut fluid tight.
There is a screw plug g' in the vessel g to fill it with the expansion fluid.
The diaphragm is secured by a screw cap f¹ with a hole in it to admit the
pressure of the expansion fluid to the diaphragm f
Our improved apparatus may be arranged so that the water supply will come in
at the opposite end to that shown by the drawings, that is, through the passage a
then pass into the annular space under the diaphragm valve c and out when it lifts
from its seating a through the centre passage and passage a¹ the sprinkler or other
arrangement for distributing the water being at that end of the apparatus which
would in this case then be the lower end.
But in such modification as last named the small orifice to admit the pressure
of the water supply into the chamber d¹ to keep the diaphragm valve c closed, would
have to be in a small eyelet screw or rivet on one side of the diaphragin c over the
annular cavity a³ or else the water pressure would have to be admitted through a
passage in the castings a and d and a bole in the margin of the diaphragm c as shown
in dotted line marked cx in fig. 5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is,
1. For and in combination with automatic sprinklers or fire extinguishers, a
diaphragm valve which by the preponderating pressure of the water supply acting
upon one side of it is kept closed and which diaphragm valve is opened when this
preponderating pressure of the water supply is removed, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. The combination of a vessel holding expansive fluid, with a diaphragm and valve
for causing the preponderating pressure acting on one side of a diaphragm valve to
be removed at a given temperature substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.
3. The combinations and arrangements of apparatus forming automatic sprinklers
or fire extinguishers substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by figs. 1,
2, 3 and 4, and figs. 5, 6, and 7 of the drawings.
Dated this Thirteenth day of August 1888.