JP2002078814A - Sprinkler head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sprinkler head environmentally suitable, highly corrosion- resistant, and having no limitation for mounting position. SOLUTION: This sprinkler head comprises a valve element for blocking a discharge port and a thermosensitive decomposition part for supporting the valve element. The thermosensitive decomposition part comprises a cylinder and a piston, and a thermosensitive body housed in the cylinder and pressed by the piston is formed of a nonmetallic material such as resin or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sprinkler head for extinguishing a fire.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sprinkler head includes a valve element for closing a water outlet, and a thermosensitive decomposition section for supporting the valve element. The thermal decomposition part is a mechanism that decomposes by heat at the time of fire, and solder is used as a heat sensitive material in this thermal decomposition part. When the solder is heated and melted, the thermal decomposition part is decomposed.

[0003] Solders having a low melting point include Sn, Pb, In,
Cd or the like is alloyed, and a predetermined melting temperature, for example, 72 degrees or 104 degrees is obtained according to the compounding ratio.

[0004]

In recent years, environmental protection has been called for, but the solder used for the sprinkler head uses a material such as Pb, In, and Cd which is not very suitable for the environment. Further, since a sprinkler head using solder has poor corrosion resistance, a sprinkler head using a glass bulb as a heat-sensitive element is installed in a corrosive atmosphere such as a parking lot.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sprinkler head which is suitable for the environment, has good corrosion resistance, and is not limited in the mounting place.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a sprinkler head provided with a valve element for closing a water discharge port and a thermosensitive decomposition unit for supporting the valve element. The heat-sensitive decomposition section includes a cylinder and a piston, and the heat-sensitive body accommodated in the cylinder and pressed by the piston is made of a non-metallic material.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sprinkler head according to the present invention, and FIG.
2A is a front view of the frame, FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the frame, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the thermal decomposition section. In the figure,
1 is a main body, a screw portion 4 is provided on the outer periphery, and a water outlet 5 is provided in the center. A valve seat 7 is provided at a lower peripheral edge of the water outlet 5, and the water outlet 5 is closed by a valve body 20 whose upper part is covered by a packing 22 made of a metal material such as copper.

[0010] Reference numeral 10 denotes a cylindrical frame having a bottom. An internal thread 11 screwed to the threaded portion 4 of the main body 1 is provided at an upper portion of the inner wall, and a flange portion 12 is formed below the internal thread 11. I have. Reference numeral 15 denotes a water spout, which is formed radially and at equal intervals between the flange portion 12 and the bottom portion 14, and is provided with a peripheral wall 13 and a bottom portion 1;
4 and the periphery. Reference numeral 16 denotes an opening provided on the bottom surface of the frame 10.

Reference numeral 30 denotes an arm guide having a substantially U-shaped cross section. The lower portion of the valve body 20 is caulked and integrally connected to the valve body 20. Numeral 35 denotes a plate-shaped balancer for uniformly applying a predetermined assembly load applied to the valve element 20 to the arms 41a and 41b of the thermosensitive decomposition section 40 when the sprinkler head is assembled.

Numeral 40 denotes a thermosensitive decomposition section comprising a pair of arms 41a and 41b, an arm support plate 46, a link holding slope 55, etc., for supporting the valve element 20. Reference numeral 61 denotes a protective cover which also serves as a heat-sensitive plate. Next, referring to FIG.
0 will be described in more detail.

In FIG. 3, the arms 41a and 41b are formed in a substantially inverted J-shape.
Are provided. The arm support plate 46 is
The main body 47 has a substantially rectangular shape and has a through hole 48 at the center, and includes locking pieces 49a and 49b. The locking pieces 49a and 49b are disposed between the arms 41a and 41b.
Are locked in the first locking holes 44 of the arms 41a and 41b.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a metal cylinder, and a flange portion 51 is provided on the outer wall. The cylinder 50 is inserted into the through hole 48 of the arm support plate 46, and is placed on the arm support plate 46 by the flange 51. Reference numeral 53 denotes a heat-sensitive body accommodated in the cylinder 50. The thermal element 53 is made of a nonmetallic material, for example, a synthetic resin or solid wax.

The heat sensitive body 53 will be described in more detail. The heat sensitive body 53 is preferably a resin that melts or softens at a low melting point lower than the melting point of a general thermoplastic resin. For example, the melting point is around 60 to 110 degrees. Is used. Specific examples include an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, a styrene copolymer resin, and a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin.

When molding a synthetic resin, a colorant having a different color depending on the melting point is added so that the melting point is
The heat sensitive body 53 having a melting point of 104 degrees may be formed in green, and the heat sensitive body 53 having a melting point of 104 degrees may be formed in green. As described above, depending on the melting point, that is, the operating temperature of the sprinkler head, the thermal element 53
Is colored in different colors, the difference in the operating temperature of the sprinkler head can be confirmed at a glance, so that in the manufacture of the sprinkler head, the management and handling of the heat sensitive body 53 become easier.

A first piston 54 is slidably accommodated in the cylinder 50 and presses the thermosensitive body 53. 55
Is a link holding plate, and a main body 5 having a screw hole 57 in the center.
6 and fitting pieces 58a and 58b protruding from both sides thereof. The fitting pieces 5 are disposed between the arms 41a and 41b.
8a and 58b are the second locking holes 4 of the arms 41a and 41b.
5 is loosely fitted. Reference numeral 59 denotes a second piston in which a screw portion 60 provided at one end is screwed into a screw hole 57 of the link holding plate 55, and the other end is in contact with the first piston 54.

Returning to FIG. 1, the arm 4 of the thermal decomposition section 40
The distal ends of 1a and 41b are engaged with the flange 12 provided on the inner wall of the frame 10, and the head of the frame 10 is pressed down by the balancer 35 when the frame 10 is screwed. At this time, a rotational force is applied to the arms 41 a and 41 b in a direction in which the arms 41 a and 41 b open outward (in a direction away from the cylinder 50) with the locking portion to the flange portion 12 as a fulcrum.
a and 41b are regulated by an arm support plate 46.

Next, the operation of the sprinkler head will be described. Now, when a fire occurs and the heat-sensing plate / protective cover 61 is heated, and the heat-sensitive body 53 is heated by the heat and the hot airflow from the surroundings, the heat-sensitive body 53 is softened. The body 53 is crushed and descends. Further, when the heat sensitive body 53 starts to melt, a part of the melted heat sensitive body 53 becomes the cylinder 50 and the first piston 5.
4, the cylinder 50 and the arm support plate 46 fixed thereto rise, and the arms 41a, 41b
However, it pivots outward with the engagement portion between the frame 10 and the flange portion 12 as a fulcrum. As a result, the arms 41a, 41b
Locking holes 44, and locking pieces 49a, 4 of the arm support plate 46.
9b is disengaged, and the thermal decomposition section 40 is disassembled. As a result, the thermal decomposition section 40 including the protective cover 61 and the balancer 35 are connected to the opening 1 provided on the bottom 14 of the frame 10.
It falls outside from 6.

At the same time, the arm guide 30 integrated with the valve body 20 descends along both ends of the opening 16 of the frame 10 due to its own weight and the pressure of the fire-extinguishing water. 14 and closes the opening 16. As a result, the water discharge port 5 is opened, and the fire extinguishing water is sprayed from the water spray 15 through the inside of the frame 10.

In the present embodiment, the case where the heat sensitive body 53 is made of a general synthetic resin has been described. However, for example, the heat sensitive body 53 is made of a two-layered synthetic resin made of a thermoplastic resin and a cured plastic. Is also good. Then, the portion of the thermoplastic resin of the heat sensitive body 53 is located at the portion in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder 50, and the portion of the cured plastic of the heat sensitive body 53 is located at the portion where the first piston 54 contacts. In this case, the portion of the thermoplastic resin of the thermal element 53 is easily softened and melted by the heat transmitted from the cylinder 50. The first piston 54 is always in contact with the hardened plastic portion of the heat-sensitive body 53, and a load is applied. However, since the hardened portion has a hardening property, it is hardly deformed, and a malfunction of the sprinkler head is prevented. Can be. Further, a heat-shrinkable resin whose volume is shrunk by heat may be used for the heat-sensitive element. Further, the shape of the heat-sensitive body may be not a flat cylinder but a high cylinder.

Embodiment 2 Even after the filing of the earlier invention, the inventor of the present application promoted continuous and ongoing experiments and research on the present invention. As a result, an additional invention which is a further development of the previous application has been made, and the technical content of the additional invention will be described below as a second embodiment.

As described in the above description of the operation, the sprinkler head changes its phase due to the physical transition from solid to liquid of the heat sensitive body 53 when the indoor temperature shifts from a low temperature to a high temperature in the early stage of a fire. Utilizing the principle, the principle of decomposing the thermosensitive decomposition section 40 and spraying pressurized fire extinguishing water from the water spouting port 15 to extinguish the fire at the beginning is applied. And
The use of a non-metallic material such as an organic compound (synthetic resin) having a melting point in the corresponding temperature range as the heat sensitive body 53 has various advantages in terms of prevention of environmental pollution and corrosion due to chemical properties. Is as described in the first embodiment. The substance names of these types of organic compounds and their melting points are exemplified in Table 1 in the following table.

[0022]

[Table 1]

Table 1 shows low melting points suitable for the operating temperatures of the 24 types of sprinkler heads A to X, for example, 60 to 300.
The substance names of organic compounds having a melting point of 60 ° C., preferably 60 ° C. to 150 ° C., are listed in order from a low melting point to a high melting point, and the respective melting points (° C.) are displayed at the right end.
Here, the inventor of the present application has, as a main component, among the 24 kinds of organic compounds shown in Table 1, benzoic acid composed of C, E, G, etc. arranged at substantially equal intervals along the increasing direction of the melting point. We focused on benzoic acid-based substances. Specifically, C in the third row of Table 1
Is butyl P-hydroxybenzoate with a melting point of 69, E in the fifth row is isobutyl P-hydroxybenzoate with a melting point of 76, and G in the seventh row is propyl P-hydroxybenzoate with a melting point of 97. In the following, I in the ninth row indicates a melting point of 1.
17 is “ethyl”, and K in the 11th row is a benzoic acid-based substance arranged in an order such as “methyl” having a melting point of 121,.

Therefore, Table 1 shows that benzoic acid-based substances C,
Only E, G, etc. were extracted, and Table 2 showing a list of physical properties such as melting points and physical properties was created. From Table 2, it can be seen that the benzoic acid-based organic compound can change the melting point by changing the alkyl group such as "butyl" or "isobutyl", and the temperature range of the melting point substantially covers the operating temperature of the sprinkler head. It was confirmed that it was possible.
As a result, if a benzoic acid-based organic compound is applied to the heat-sensitive element of the sprinkler head, the melting point can be set freely, and the effects of the ease of manufacture described in the first embodiment can be further enhanced. Will be. That is, in the case of solder, since it is an alloy such as Sb, Pb, In, and Cd, it must be set so that the solder is melted at a desired melting point by changing the compounding ratio thereof. On the other hand, the benzoic acid-based substance is a single substance, and the fine powder, which is a commercially available material, is pelletized as it is, that is, the fine powder is compacted into granules so as to fit the cylinder shape. It just needs to be molded.

[0025]

[Table 2]

On the other hand, a conventional solder (fusible alloy) 53 constituting a part of the thermal decomposition section 40 is formed into a disk shape, and a narrow cylindrical gap is formed around the inside of the cylinder 50 (see FIG. 1). Are not accommodated). As shown in FIG. 3, the solder 53 in the cylinder 50 is pressed from above by the first piston 54 and the second piston 59, and an assembly load is applied. Typically, this type of assembly load is reduced by 5 to improve the sprinkler head's response to fire.
It is set to about 0 to 60 Kgf. Therefore, after a long period of time, the solder is crushed and the cylinder 50 and the first
Into the gap between the pistons 54. Such a change in the shape of the solder is called creep, and the following creep test is performed to check whether the heat-sensitive material causes creep before actually incorporating the heat-sensitive material into the sprinkler head. 2 in Embodiment 2 of the present application
An experimental creep test was performed to measure the strength of a heat-sensitive material using organic compounds under a load.

When a load of about 50 kgf is applied to the soluble test sample placed on the inner bottom surface of the cylindrical cylinder 50 as described above, the thickness of the central portion of the test sample decreases like the liquid, and The part is the cylinder 50 and the first piston 54
Is known to be pushed up into the gap between
In the creep test, a certain load W of about 1/13 of the actual assembly load is applied by such an experimental facility, and after a certain period of time has passed as an initial state, the height of the subsequent sample is measured. The time-dependent change in the height h of the crushed or reduced portion is measured. Experimental test samples by the inventors have a nominal operating temperature of 69-72 for the melting point.
And 75-77 benzoic acid-based samples S1 and S
No. 2 was used and compared with the conventionally used solder.

The above experimental results are shown in the graph of FIG. The vertical axis indicates the displacement amount h reduced by the height of the original thermosensitive element, and the horizontal axis indicates "day". Here, the height of the heat sensitive body in the initial state is about 2 mm. The broken line S3 representing the change of the conventional solder plotted on the graph of FIG. 4 has an unstable tangent gradient even after 9 days from the start of the measurement, and t = 0.35 m with a large displacement.
It is an asymptote to m. On the other hand, the broken lines S1 and S2 indicating the cumulative displacement of the benzoic acid-based sample used in the second embodiment of the present invention are already 5 lines after the start of the experiment.
Both days and 7 days, the horizontal axis shows an approximate value of t = 0.1 mm. As shown in the graph of FIG. 4, according to the present invention using a benzoic acid-based substance, the amount of change with time (age) with respect to load shows a value of 30% or less as compared with the conventional solder, and the elapsed time It has been experimentally confirmed that the stability to γ is fast and the fluctuation is much less.

[0029]

[Table 3]

Next, Table 3 shows the measurement results of the sensitivity of the heat-sensitive material. In this measurement, the samples S2 and S3 in FIG. 4 are used, each sample is set in the sprinkler head, and the sprinkler head is placed in a hot air flow atmosphere to determine how long it takes to operate. Compared. When the thermosensitive element is set on the sprinkler head and installed in a hot airflow atmosphere, the temperature of the thermosensitive element gradually increases with time. At this time, if the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is the temperature of the thermosensitive element, the relationship between the time and the temperature is as follows:
It can be represented by an exponential function determined by a certain time constant. This time constant becomes smaller as the sensitivity is higher. As shown in Table 3, the time constant of the benzoic acid-based heat-sensitive material is smaller than the time constant of the solder, and is found to be superior in terms of sensitivity. . The time required for the sprinkler head to operate was 14.6 seconds for organic compounds and 1 for solder.
It was 8.4 seconds. As described above, from the results shown in FIG. 4 and Table 3, the heat-sensitive material containing hydroxybenzoic acid ester as a component has higher sensitivity to temperature and higher hardness than the heat-sensitive material using solder as a heat-sensitive material, and is deformed with respect to load. It turned out to be difficult. This high hardness is considered to be due to the fact that the powder of the organic compound having crystallinity was compression-molded into pellets.

Embodiment 3 In general, an organic compound has physical properties that it is hardly soluble in water. However, it may be soluble in very hot hot water. Therefore, the pellets made of an organic compound may be coated with a waterproof coating agent, or the pellets may be coated with a plastic bag or capsule to coat the pellets. In this way, the waterproofness and the water resistance can be enhanced, and a heat sensitive body suitable for a sprinkler head installed in a place with poor environment can be created.

In each of the embodiments of the present invention, a case has been described in which a flash-type sprinkler head is used. However, the heat-sensitive body of the present embodiment can also be used in a multi-type or frame-type sprinkler head. Further, in the first embodiment, it has been described that the color of the heat-sensitive body may be changed depending on the operating temperature of the sprinkler head. However, the same can be said for the second embodiment. Alternatively, an aromatic organic compound, for example, naphthalene, may be used to vary the smell of the heat-sensitive body depending on the operating temperature of the sprinkler head. In this way, even a blind person can perform the assembly work of the sprinkler head and can work in a dark place. Even after the thermal element is incorporated in the sprinkler head, it is possible to know how many times the thermal element that operates is incorporated simply by smelling the odor. In addition,
By adding a fragrance to an odorless heat-sensitive material without using the odor of the organic compound itself, the heat-sensitive material may be a substance that produces a specific odor, and the same effect can be obtained in this way .

[0033]

According to the present invention, since a synthetic resin or a solid wax is used as the heat-sensitive material instead of the solder, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since no metal such as Pb and Cd is used, a sprinkler head that is environmentally friendly can be obtained. (2) Since it is excellent in corrosion resistance, it can be installed in places where corrosive gases can be generated, such as parking lots, chemical laboratories, and kitchens. (3) Since the shape can be freely changed, even if the shape of the cylinder is different, it is easy to cope with it.

The effects of the second embodiment are partially overlapped with the effects of the first embodiment, but the effects of the second embodiment are listed as a to f below. a. Environmentally Friendly Materials As shown in Table 2, benzoic acid-based organic compounds are generally used as preservatives for foods and the like. In other words,
Used in foods, it is considered to be a substance with a low risk factor even in the unlikely event that it can be used, and even if it is disposed of as general waste, its impact on the environment can be reduced. b. High melting point accuracy Conventional solder operating temperature is within ± 3% of the indicated melting point temperature, whereas benzoic acid-based organic compound is 0.7%
(See Table 2). c. Low Material Cost Generally, the material cost of an organic compound such as benzoic acid is extremely low as compared with a metal material, for example, about 10 yen per gram. The benzoic acid-based heat-sensitive material constituted in the second embodiment is approximately 0.1 g, and its material cost is at most about 1 yen, and the material cost occupied by the heat-sensitive material (pellet) is significantly less than the total material cost. We can infer that. d. Organic compounds, such as benzoic acid, have little change over time.
Little change in chemical structure (see [Table 2]). e. Corrosion resistance Unlike conventional solders made of alloys of Sn, Pb, In, Cd, etc., they do not corrode, and almost no corrosion phenomenon is observed even in a corrosive gas environment. f. The shape can be changed freely. In addition to replacing the conventional solder used as the heat sensitive element with an organic compound such as benzoic acid, the sprinkler head itself can be made of an organic compound. Therefore, there is no need for a complicated link mechanism such as a conventional heat-sensitive decomposition section made of a plurality of metals, and a sprinkler head that does not require an assembly load can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sprinkler head of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a front view of a frame, and FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the frame.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a thermal decomposition section.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing strength characteristics of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 body, 4 screw, 5 outlet, 7 valve seat, 10
Frame, 11 internal thread, 12 flange, 13 perimeter, 14 bottom, 15 water spout, 20 valve, 22 packing, 30 arm guide, 35 balancer, 40
Thermosensitive decomposition part, 41a, 41b arm, 44 first locking hole, 45 second locking hole, 47 body, 46 arm support plate, 48 through hole, 49a, 49b locking piece, 50
Cylinder, 51 Collar, 53 Thermosensitive body, 54 First
Piston, 55 link holding plate, 56 body, 57
Screw hole, 61 protective cover, 58a, 58b fitting piece, 5
9 second piston, 60 threads.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A sprinkler head comprising a valve element closing a water discharge port and a thermosensitive decomposition part supporting the valve element, wherein the thermosensitive decomposition part includes a cylinder and a piston, and is accommodated in the cylinder, and is provided with a piston. A sprinkler head, wherein the heat-sensitive body to be pressed is made of a non-metallic material. 2. A sprinkler head characterized in that pellets obtained by molding powder of an organic compound having a low melting point into granules are used as a heat-sensitive material. 3. A sprinkler head comprising a valve element closing a water discharge port and a thermal decomposition part supporting the valve element, wherein the thermal decomposition part comprises a cylinder and a piston, is housed in the cylinder, and is A sprinkler head characterized in that the pressed heat-sensitive body is constituted by a pellet made of an organic compound. 4. The sprinkler head according to claim 1, wherein the heat-sensitive body is formed of a synthetic resin, and is colored in different colors depending on the operating temperature of the sprinkler head. 5. The heat-sensitive body is a synthetic resin having a two-layer structure, a portion in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder is a thermoplastic resin, and a portion in contact with the piston is a hardened plastic. The sprinkler head according to claim 1. 6. The heat-sensitive material according to claim 2, wherein the heat-sensitive material is composed of hydroxybenzoic acid ester.
Sprinkler head as described. 7. The sprinkler head according to claim 2, wherein the heat-sensitive body is coated. 8. A sprinkler head having a valve element closing a water outlet and a thermosensitive decomposition part supporting the valve element, wherein the heat-sensitive element that is melted at a predetermined temperature is made of a substance that generates a specific odor. Features sprinkler head.