Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Causing a Flow of Water or other Fluid by the Fusion of a suitable Joint or Connection.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Causing a Flow
of Water or other Fluid by the Fusion of a suitable Joint or
Connection.
I, HANDEL BEECH, of Victoria Villas, Heaton Park, Prestwich, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates principally to that class of automatic fire extinguishers
which are set in action by the fusion of a suitable connection.
The object of the invention is to prevent the possibility of the valve becoming
corroded or clogged with dirt so as to render its action uncertain, and to bring
the water onto the seat of the fire at an early stage by the employment of a very
strong but quickly melting fusible joint.
The first part of the invention consists in placing the valve about midway in.
the nipple or inlet end of the apparatus. Upon this valve I employ a flat or
slightly curved plate which covers the outlet from the nipple, and by this means
I exclude all dirt or other possible accumulations that might get to the valve,
thus keeping the latter at all times clean and in working order.
When the plate is made slightly curved or dished it acts as a spring and assists
in displacing the levers hereinafter mentioned.
In some cases I may make the valve and the covering plate in one, by making
a hemispherical indentation in the middle of the plate which fits into the cup
and serves as a valve.
The valve and cover is held in position by a system of compound levers which
I have devised and which are new in combination as follows:
I employ a prop or support which is preferably of a trough-shaped section but
may be semi-circular, or L-shaped.
Upon or in connection with this prop I employ a cranked lever one end of
which is in contact with the valve and cover, and the other end with a tightening
screw. This lever is maintained in position by a second lever, one end of which
rests against an abutment or other suitable stop, forcing and holding the first
named lever in position, and this second lever is held in position by a fusible
connection or hold-fast.
So long as this hold fast remains in its place the system of compound levers
are held rigidly together and the tightening screw keeps the valve firmly closed
but as soon as the hold fast becomes fused the compound levers fly asunder and
the valve is released.
The fusible joint or holdfast which constitutes the second part of my invention

page_text: consists of jaws or grips passing through or around, or otherwise fastened to the
levers. Or the levers may be fixed or held by the prop or other part of the
apparatus and fastened by fusible metal or material which holds a small tube or
other suitably shaped piece (such as a V-shaped piece of metal) or I may employ
other forms of fastener in combination with grips, attached by solder.
These grips may be made in one or more parts as desired, and the tubes discs
or other fasteners can be fixed either vertically horizontally or otherwise.
When the fusible fastening melts, the tubes or discs are released and forced
from between the jaws or grips, and the levers being thus disconnected the valve
is released and the water allowed to escape against a suitable spreader or dis-
tributor so that the water is properly brought into contact with the fire.
Dated this 8th day of September 1897.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Causing a Flow
of Water or other Fluid by the Fusion of a suitable Joint or
Connection.
I, HANDEL BEECH, of Victoria Villas, Heaton Park, Prestwich, 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 ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates principally to that class of automatic fire-extinguishers
which are set in action by the fusion of a suitable connection.
The principal objects of the invention are to prevent the possibility of the
valve becoming corroded, or clogged with dirt so as to render its action uncertain,
and to bring the water onto the seat of the fire at an early stage, by the employ-
ment of a very strong but quickly melting fusible joint.
The manner of carrying my invention into practical effect will be readily
understood on reference to the sheet of drawings hereunto annexed and the
following explanation thereof.
66
Fig. 1 on the drawings is a front elevation of an automatic fire-extinguisher,
ог sprinkler" with my improvements shown as applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a
back elevation of the same and Fig. 3 a side view. Fig. 4 is a partial vertical
section thereof showing the fusible joint complete and the valve closed, and Fig. 5
is a similar view showing the fusible joint broken and the valve open. These
views are all drawn about twice the actual size.
a is the nipple which is screwed into the water supply-pipe, 6 is the hemi-
spherical valve and c the open bracket supporting the "spreader" or
"distri-
butor d.
The first part of the invention consists in placing the valve b about midway in
the nipple a or inlet end of the apparatus. Upon this valve b I employ a plate
or ringe (which may be either flat as shown at Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 or slightly
curved or dished as seen at Fig. 5. This plate e covers the outlet from the
nipple a, and by this means I exclude all dirt or other possible accumulations
that might get to the valve b, thus keeping the latter at all times clean and in
working order.

page_text: When the plate e is made slightly curved or dished (as at Fig. 5) it acts as a
spring and assists in displacing the levers hereinafter mentioned.
In some cases I may make the valve and covering plate in one, by making a
hemispherical or other suitable indentation in the middle of the plate which fits
in the seating of the nipple a and serves as a valve (see detached view Fig. 6).
The valve b and cover plate e are held in position by a system of compound
levers which I have devised for this purpose, and which are new in combination,
as follows:
I employ a prop or support f which is preferably of a trough-
shaped section (horizontally) but it may be semi-circular or L-shaped
and the lower end of this prop f is supported by a tightening screw g in the case
of a valve as shewn, but when my improved compound levers are to be used in
combination with a valve having a flexible diaphragm in place of a fixed seating
this adjustable support is unnecessary as the pressure of the water on the
diaphragm will hold the apparatus in place.
Upon, or in connection with, this prop f I employ a cranked lever h the upper
end of which is in contact with and supports the valve b and cover plate e, and
this lever is maintained in position by a second lever i the lower end of which
rests against an abutment or other suitable stop (as at f* for example) and this
second lever i when closed in as shewn at Fig. 4) forces and holds the lever / in
position, being itself held in place by a fusible connection or holdfast.
So long as this holdfast remains in its place the system of compound
levers f, h, i, are held rigidly together (see Fig. 4) and the tightening screw
keeps the valve b firmly closed, but as soon as the holdfast becomes fused the
pressure of the water on the valve b causes the compound levers to fly asunder
(as shown at Fig. 5) and the valve b is released.
The fusible joint or holdfast which constitutes the second part of my invention
consists of jaws or grips passing through or around, or otherwise fastened to the
levers h and i in such a way as to hold them firmly together when soldered.
A convenient form of grip or holdfast is shown on the drawings and consists of
a metal tube k (or a V-shaped piece of metal) which is held in position by a
small strap or grip the ends of which are soldered together, or I may employ
other suitable forms of fastener in combination with a grip or grips attached by
solder.
These grips may be made in one or more parts as desired, and the tubes, discs,
or other fasteners can be fixed either vertically, horizontally or otherwise.
When the fusible fastening melts, the tubes k or discs or other formed fasteners
are released and forced from between the jaws or grips (as shown at Fig. 5) and
the levers f, h, and i, being thus disconnected the valve b is released and the water
allowed to escape against a suitable spreader or distributor (such as d) so that the
water is properly brought in contact with the fire.
It will be seen on reference to Fig. 4 that these compound levers can be
arranged all leaning to one side of the centre of the valve and thus it is abso-
lutely impossible for them to become so clogged as to stick together when the
fusible joint melts.
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. In automatic fire-extinguishers of the indicated construction placing the
valve and seating in a position (about midway) inside the nipple and providing
the same with a covering plate substantially as and for the purposes herein before
set forth.
Secondly. I claim the peculiar construction of compound levers (substantially
as described and illustrated) for keeping the valve closed.
Thirdly. I claim the combination of metallic straps or grips (capable of being

page_text: soldered) with short tubes, discs, or other suitably formed fasteners for binding or
holding the compound levers together, and thus keeping the valve shut until the
said straps or grips become released by the melting of the solder substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Fourthly. In an automatic fire extinguisher held closed by a fusible joint the
formation of such joint by the combination of a tube such as k with a grip such
as or an equivalent part or parts substantially as herein before described."
Dated this 8th day of June 1898.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
Agents for the Applicant, 4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.