Maremont Corporation

Grinnell Corporation

Other

Grinnell Fire Protection Systems Company, Inc.

Jerome S Pepi

Michael A Fischer

Michael W Horgan

James M Martin

Michael H Kobiske

Brian Ernest Daly

Stephen James Nettleship

A thermally responsive frangible bulb containing a liquid which when heated expands to burst the bulb. In use the bulb may be positioned between a support and a sprinkler outlet cap such that when the bulb bursts the sprinkler outlet is opened. The bulb is at least partially filled with at least one halogen derivative of an aromatic hydrocarbon containing two or more halogen substituents such as 1,3-dichlorobenzene, or an aliphatic amide such a formamide. Use of these liquids enables a wide range of operating temperatures and a quick response operating time to be achieved.

Thermally responsive frangible bulb

The invention relates to a fire protection sprinkler head having a base constructed for connection to a source of fire retardant fluid under pressure, a throat in the base through which fire retardant fluid can flow, a valve seat defined by the base about the periphery of the throat, and a resiliently flexible valve disk disposed across the throat and impressed upon the valve seat in sealing engagement. The valve seat has an arcuate profile segment, with a protuberant ridge disposed about the periphery of the throat and adjacent thereto. The ridge, in the region of its crest, defines a valve seat surface. The valve seat further has a recessed surface segment disposed radially outwardly of the throat, and divergent from a plane of the crest of the protuberant ridge. The valve disk has a sealing surface which is impressed upon the valve seat surface in the region of the crest of the protuberant ridge in sealing engagement over an annular region inward of the peripheral edge of the valve disk and in a manner to minimize the radial width of the valve seat surface, to thereby improve valve seat performance in resistance to leakage.

Sprinkler head having protuberant ridge valve seat

A coupling construction includes a plurality of coupling segments which are receivable in substantially end-to-end encircling relation around the end portions of a pair of grooved pipe sections and a plurality of nut-and-bolt assemblies for securing the coupling segments together. The coupling segments include arcuate main portions, apertured flanges which extend outwardly from opposite ends of the main portions and spaced first and second ridges which extend inwardly from the inner sides of the main portions and are receivable in annular grooves in the pipe sections. The apertures in adjacent flanges are offset from each other in a direction substantially parallel to the Z--Z axis of the coupling so that tightening of the nut-and-bolt assemblies causes adjacent flanges to be drawn into predetermined offset positions before the end faces of the coupling segments are drawn into engagement. When the adjacent flanges are in the offset positions thereof, opposite end portions of the ridges are urged against opposite side edges of the grooves to secure the pipe sections in predetermined closely spaced, aligned positions. The adjacent end faces of the coupling segments are disposed in angular planes and they are engageable in face-to-face relation so that they cooperate with nut-and-bolt assemblies to provide a wedging action for retaining the adjacent ends of the coupling segments in offset positions.

Coupling for rigidly connecting pipe sections

An improved compression valve mechanism for a shock absorber comprising an upwardly facing annular valve seat on the shock absorber piston, an annular valve seat engaging member having an exterior periphery spaced closely from the interior periphery of the cylindrical shock absorber chamber providing a relatively small annular gap therebetween and a downwardly facing surface adapted to engage the upwardly facing annular valve seat, an annular seal mounted above the annular member in motion transmitting relation therewith, the seal being made of relatively rigid material and being split radially so as to be expandable radially outwardly and having an upwardly and inwardly facing generally frustoconical spring force transmitting surface and a peripheral sealing surface, and a coil spring above the seal having its upper end fixed with respect to the piston and having its lower end disposed in force transmitting relation with the force transmitting frustoconical surface of the seal so that the seal is biased thereby (1) downwardly against the annular member to urge the same into engagement with the piston valve seat and (2) radially outwardly to urge the peripheral sealing surface thereof into sealing engagement with the interior periphery of the cylindrical chamber. The seal when in spring biased relation has a bleed gap at the radial split thereof providing a bleed path in series with the annular gap for the flow of hydraulic fluid between the compression and rebound spaces within the cylindrical chamber.

Shock absorber with improved compression valve mechanism

A fire-protection sprinkler head with an improved response characteristic achieved by providing a fusible link with a fin having multiple face portions oriented to direct air currents from any of a plurality of orthogonal directions over the fusible region of the link. An embodiment with multiple fins provides an aggregate set of face portions that direct over the fusible region air currents that have X, Y, and Z orthogonal components in both positive and negative senses. Air currents can be directed both by deflecting effects and air foil effects. Preferably the face portions are facets formed integrally with sheet metal body members that form the link. In the preferred embodiment the link and all fins are formed of a pair of similar stampings from sheet metal.

Fire protection sprinkler head with air-current diverting fins

A twin tube shock absorber having an improved compression valve mechanism comprising a one-piece thin wall member including a generally cylindrical body portion having an annular flange portion extending generally radially outwardly from the upper end thereof and a cup-shaped portion of reduced diameter on the lower end thereof. The annular flange portion has at least one upward deformation formed therein defining a generally radially extending flow passage beneath the flange portion between the periphery thereof and the cylindrical portion. The thin wall member is mounted with respect to the base member with the annular flange portion thereof engaging the annular flange receiving surface of the base member, the cylindrical portion extending through the base member opening and the end portion spaced below the annular valve seat of the base member. A coil spring is disposed in surrounding relation to the cylindrical portion of the thin wall member between a spring retaining washer fixed to the member by deformation of the reduced end portion thereof and a valve member resiliently urged into engagement with the annular valve seat.

Growing community of inventors

North Attleboro, MA, United States of America

Jerome S Pepi