US1919365A - Fire-fighting equipment - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1933. J G|| SENAN 1,919,365

FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT Filed Oct. 10, 1930 Patented July 25, 1933 hurrah JOHN J. GILSENAN, OIL NEWARK, NEW JERSEY rrnn-riei-rrrne EQUIPMENT Application filed October 10, 1930; Serial No. 487,829.

This invention relates to an'improved firefighting and similar equipment and is designed to provide a portable easily managed water projecting member which has a turning or swivelled connection to enable the member to be directed in various directions without disturbing the handles by which it is held.

The object of the invention is to provide a device which does not leak under high pressure and which is adapted for holding both manually and by means of a support. The invention is primarily designed for holding a water curtain to shield property or firemen from the heat radiating from a fire. l/Vith the curtain of water before them firemen can work closeup to a fire and the sheet of water forming the curtain presents no obstacle to the directing of a stream of water through it parent.

Another object of said invention is to provide a device in which the water, in its pas sage through the same, will be initially caused to swirl and be deflected away from or rear wardly from its outlet before the same reaches said outlet in order to obtain a uniform distribution of the water as it leaves the outlet. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a fluid delivery device which can easily be held by one person or left lying in position and which will not lash or swing from side to side even under high pressure. This not only insures the safety of firemen and other persons from injury, from such whipping or flaying of the nozzle, but also maintains the stream or water curtain in the proper position until intentionally moved. The invention also has for an object the use of an inclined nozzle or curtain in which the stream impinges on a wall of the nozzle. In consequence of this the fluid under pressure has a tendency to force the nozzle forwardly, and the hose becomes straightened to a great extent and there is no excessive back pressure on the nozzle. Instead of four or five men holding a nozzle under high pressure it can be easily held by one man or left lying in position without any manual assistance.

on the fire as the curtain is practically transreceive a hose coupling'19. The member 15' Furthermore, the handles and the hook on the swivel connection or other annularly spaced projections are useful for holding the nozzle in place as any two of them can be rested on the ground or floor and prevent f the rocking of the nozzle and also allows the nozzle to be advanced or retreated by sliding along the ground by pulling or pushing on thehose line to the rear of the nozzle. In positions where heat is intense or where other damages are present this is a decided ad vantage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a leak-proof swivel connection having a fiXed part and arotatable part therein; the

stuffing box orits equivalent being contained entirely within the rotatable part.

Thecurtain is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Figure 1 isa face view oi my improved connection equipped with my im-. proved watercurtain. Figure 2 is a central vertical section of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a top view of Figure 2 with the water curtain removed. Figure 4 is an enlarged section of the rotatable or inner part of the connection."

The swivel or rotatable mounting or connection comprises two spaced bearings 10 and 11 which are connected by a handle or handles 12.

The handles are preferably cast on one bearing and detachably secured to the other as by the screws 13. One of the bearings is provided with a hook 1% which extends preferably at right angles to the plane of the handles. The handles are for control by fire- 8 men or the like and the hook for supporting the device on a projection such as the rung of a ladder.

lnside of these bearings is a rotatable part which has a connection at each end, at one end for a hose and at the other end for a nozzle or water curtain. The device illustrated comprises a lower member 15 and an upper member 16 fitting respectively in the bearings 11 and 10 and having a relatively loose fit to insure easy turning; The lower member 15 has a flange l7 resting against the bearing 11 a screw-threaded part 18 tohas a screw-threaded portion 20 on the outwe side just above the flange 17. Around the member 15 is the barrel 21 with a flange 22 at the bottom and resting on the flange 17. A packing or washer 23 rests on the flange 22 and the flange 24 of the member 15. The ring 25 is screw-threaded and fits the screwthreaded part 20. V] hen screwed down tightly it compresses the packing 23 and makes a tight joint at that point. The holes 26 or their equivalents are placed in thering 25 to enable it to be turned. 7

The upper member 16 and the barrel are screwed together at 2'? and as the barrel is spaced from the lower member this space forms a stuffing box for the packing 28 which is compressed and forms a water-tight joint. The bottom face of the member 16 is recessed as at 29 to provide outside edges which compress the packing tightly against the lower member and the barrel.

The upper member 16 has its upper end enlarged to form a flange 30 bearing against the top face of the bearing 10. The flange is screw-threaded as at 31 to receive a water curtain or other suitable nozzle. The lock nuts or rings 32 and 33 are placed on the outer screw-threaded part of the upper member 16. The ring 32 holds the barrel 21 from rotating relative to the upper member and the ring 33 can be forced against the bearing 10 to hold the rotatable part against rotation. It will be evident that this form of connection and yet provides ample room for grasping the handles 12 and can be easily and readily.

' caught over a railing or runwhen the nozzle is to be left unattended.

' The connection is particularly adapted for use with a water curtain 34. The water curtain has a screw-threaded inlet 35 to be secured to the'screw-threade'd part 31 of the rial entering the line to be held in the end of the screen and still allowing space at the sides for the passage of water.

The water curtain is curved at the back as at 40 to form a reservoir and also a face by which the water is directed to the arcuate thin outlet opening 41. This form of water curtain provides an unbroken even sheet of water which can be used to protect merchandise or on the ground to provide, with the back edge of the nozzle or water curtain, a three point or tripod contact. This supports the nozzle in position when laid on the ground with the outlet of the nozzle inclined upwardly.

The nozzle is thus supported against lashing or whipping. This is due to the fluid hitting the inside of the wall 40 and thus providing a forward thrust to largely counteract the back pressure and the nozzle is easily handled by one person or lies quietly on the ground even under high pressure. This is in marked contrast with. the ordinary hose nozzle requiring three or four men to hold it. To prevent the nozzle turning in the swivel connection and at other times allowing its rotation or partial rotation for adjustment, I provide a holding means. One form is shown in the drawing. Due to a limited longitudinal movement of the rotatable part in-;=

flange 30 and spaced recesses 43, say, 12 or;

16 of them, in the bearing 18. lVhen the bearings are pulled or snapped back the nozzle can be rotatably adjusted relative to the handles and when the handles are used to push the'bearings forwardly the lugs 42 seat in the recesses 43 and hold the nozzle against turning, relative to the bearings and the handles. This is particularly useful when the nozzle is laid in position without manual operation and is intended to directa streamat a fixed point or place a water curtain to cover a'certain locality.

Various changes can be made inthe construction of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim I '1. A connection comprising spaced bearings having handles connecting them and at least one having a hook projecting at right angles to the handles, and a central rotatablemember in the bearings and projecting be yond them and having hose connections at its ends.

2. A connection comprising spaced bearings having handles connecting them and at' least one having a hook projecting at right angles to the handles, an d a central two part frotatable member in the bearings and projecting beyond them and having hose connections at its ends the parts of said rotatable member being arranged for fllllCl tight rotation one with respect to the other.

3. A device as in claim2 in combination with means for locking said bearlngs to sald central rotatable member.

4. A. connection comprising spaced bearings having handles connecting them and at least one having a hook projectingat right angles to the handles, and acentral rotatable member 1n the bearings and. pro ecting be yond them and having a hose connection at one of its ends, a nozzle secured to the other end of said rotatable member and constructed to discharge at an angle to the axis of said rotatable member, the bearing adjacent said nozzle having an annular series of recesses forcing toward said nozzle, and, said nozzle having a projection arranged to be selectively inserted into any of said recesses whereby said nozzle can be locked in any predetermined rotative position with respect to said bearing.

5. A nozzle comprising a portion providing an inlet passage and a body portion di rectly connected thereto, said body portion formed of an outwardly flaringwall generally disposed transversely across the inlet passage at an angle of substantially 45 to the axis thereof, and a second outwardly fiaring wall joined to the first wall along the edges of said walls, the outwardly flaring walls being spaced at their outer ends to provide a narrow elongated discharge opening, said first named outwardly flaring wall having a bowl-shaped portion arranged with its concave side disposed toward and in alinement with said inlet passage and alip portion ex tending from said bowl-shaped portion to said discharge opening, said lip portion being reversely curved with respect to said concave side and presenting a convex surface toward said second named flaring wall whereby water entering said inlet passage and striking said concave side of said first named flaring wall will be deflected and will be passed by said lip portion to said outlet opening without formation of eddy currents.

JOHN J. GILS ENAN.

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