Sprinkler for fire extinguisher systems

Abstract

A sprinkler (1), includes a sprinkler housing, a fluid channel which is provided in the sprinkler housing and has a fluid inlet (10) and at least one fluid outlet (8), a closure element (4), which is movable from a blocking position into a release position, wherein the closure element (4) closes the fluid channel in the blocking position and releases same in the release position, a thermally activatable triggering element (25), which keeps the closure element (4) in the blocking position until thermally activated, and a sealing element (5), which is arranged between the sprinkler housing and the closure element (4) and is designed to close the fluid channel in a fluid-tight manner in the blocking position. A sealing element (5) is radially and axially compressed in the blocking position in order to apply the sealing effect.

Claims

1. A sprinkler, comprising a sprinkler housing, a fluid channel having a sealing surface which is provided in the sprinkler housing and has a fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, a closure element, which is movable from a blocking position into a release position, wherein the closure element closes the fluid channel in the blocking position and releases same in the release position, the closure element having a groove, a thermally activatable triggering element, which keeps the closure element in the blocking position until thermally activated, and a sealing element, which is arranged at least partially into the groove and between the sprinkler housing and the closure element and is designed to close the fluid channel in a fluid-tight manner in the blocking position, wherein the sealing element is radially and axially compressed in the blocking position in order to apply the sealing effect, wherein the sealing element is directly pressed in the blocking position against the sealing surface which expands in a release direction, wherein the expanding sealing surface is formed on the sprinkler housing, and wherein the sealing element is located within the sprinkler housing in the blocking position and the release position.

2. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the expanding sealing surface is of at least partially conical design.

3. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sealing element is selected from the list consisting of: an O ring, quad ring, multi-lip sealing ring, X ring or V ring, or in the form of a combination of a plurality of said sealing elements.

4. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 2, wherein the expanding sealing surface which is of at least partially conical design has a cone angle 1 which lies within an angular range of 5 to 60.

5. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the expanding sealing surface is at least partially curved convexly.

6. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the expanding sealing surface is at least partially curved concavely.

7. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure element has an axially extending sealing surface against which the sealing element is pressed in the blocking position.

8. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 7, wherein the closure element further comprises a radially extending sealing surface against which the sealing element is pressed in the blocking position.

9. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 7, wherein the closure element has a radially extending sealing surface against which the sealing element is pressed in the blocking position.

10. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sprinkler housing has a main body and a passage unit, wherein the fluid inlet and/or the expanding sealing surface are formed on the passage unit.

11. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 10, wherein the main body has a connection unit for fastening the sprinkler to an extinguishing fluid supply, a receiving channel for receiving a fluid entry channel, a nozzle head, and a cage, wherein a distribution chamber from which the at least one fluid outlet extends is formed in the interior of the nozzle head, and wherein the cage defines a cage compartment for receiving the thermal triggering element.

12. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure element has a second sealing surface which is tapered in the release direction, and the sprinkler housing has a third sealing surface which is tapered in the release direction, wherein the second and third sealing surfaces lie against each other in the release position of the closure element.

13. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 12, wherein the expanding sealing surface is of at least partially conical design.

14. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 12, wherein the expanding sealing surface is at least partially curved convexly.

15. The sprinkler as claimed in claim 12, wherein the expanding sealing surface is at least partially curved concavely.

16. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein the groove comprises an asymmetrical groove.

17. The sprinkler of claim 16, wherein the asymmetrical groove comprises a radial extending sealing surface and an axially extending sealing surface.

18. The sprinkler of claim 17, wherein the closure element comprises a projection adjacent the asymmetrical groove.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) The disclosure is described in more detail below using a preferred exemplary embodiment and with reference to the attached figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a sprinkler in a first operating state;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a partial view of the sprinkler according to FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a further partial view of the sprinkler according to FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 shows yet another partial view of the sprinkler according to FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the sprinkler according to FIG. 1 in a second operating state;

(7) FIGS. 6a, b show a partial view of the sprinkler according to the above Figures in the first operating state and in a third operating state; and

(8) FIGS. 7a-f show various alternative designs of a part of the sprinkler according to FIGS. 1 to 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows a sprinkler 1 according to a preferred exemplary embodiment. The sprinkler 1 has a sprinkler housing 50. The sprinkler housing 50 comprises a main body 2, a passage unit 3 and a fluid channel 12, which extends from a fluid inlet 10 to a plurality of fluid outlets 8. A closure element 4 is arranged in a linearly movable manner in the interior of the sprinkler housing 50. In FIG. 1, the closure element 4 is shown in a blocking position in which a sealing element 5 which is compressed radially and axially between the closure element 4 and the passage unit 3 closes the fluid channel 12 and thus prevents the fluid-conducting connection between the fluid inlet 10 and the fluid outlets 8.

(10) A diaphragm 11 for restricting the flow speed is preferably formed in the passage unit 3.

(11) The closure element 4 is kept in the blocking position shown in FIG. 1 by a thermally activatable triggering element 25. The thermally activatable triggering element 25 is held in a cage 27 which is integrally formed on the sprinkler housing 50, in particular on the main body 2. For this purpose, the cage 27 has a first abutment 28 for the axial, and preferably radial, positioning of the thermally activatable triggering element 25, while the closure element 4, at its end facing the thermally activatable triggering element 25, preferably has a second abutment 29 for the axial and/or radial positioning of the thermally activatable triggering element 25. The thermally activatable triggering element 25 sits in a cage compartment 31 defined by the cage 27, and is inserted and held there without a screw connection. The stress required for holding the thermally activatable triggering element 25 is determined exclusively by the dimensioning of the closure element 4 and the compressive force, which acts in the release direction A (FIG. 5), of the extinguishing fluid (reference sign 33) lined up in the fluid channel 12 above the sealing element 5.

(12) A receiving channel 16 for receiving a sieve unit 9 on the side of the fluid inlet 10, and a distribution chamber 15 are formed in the sprinkler housing 50. The fluid outlets 8 and a recess 17 for receiving the closure element 4 branch off from the distribution chamber 15.

(13) The sprinkler housing 50 has a connection unit 38 with a coupling mechanism 26, preferably an external thread, wherein the closure unit 38 serves to connect the sprinkler 1 to a pipe system conducting the extinguishing fluid. For the sealing of the connection unit 38, the sprinkler 1 has a sealing element 6. The passage unit 3 is furthermore sealed in relation to the main body 2 by means of a sealing element 7.

(14) The main body 2 has a nozzle head 39 adjacent to the section of the connection unit 38. The distribution chamber 15 with the fluid outlets 8 is formed in the section of the nozzle head 39. Axially adjacent to the section of the nozzle head 39, the cage 27 is integrally formed on the main body 2, and therefore the main body 2 is formed integrally together with the distribution chamber 15 and cage 27.

(15) As furthermore clearly arises from FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 4, the fluid outlets 8 extend in one or more second direction(s) B, B, differing from the release direction A, while the recess 17 extends in the release direction A. The extinguishing fluid, indicated by reference sign 33, flowing into the distribution chamber 15 in the release direction A first of all flows in the direction of the recess 17, and has to be diverted from this direction in order to emerge from the fluid outlets. This is discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 5.

(16) A sealing surface 19 which is tapered in the release direction A is formed at the lower end of the recess 17 in FIG. 2. In the above exemplary embodiment, the tapered sealing surface 19 is of conical design with an angle of taper .sub.2. The closure element 4, illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4, has a sealing surface 32 which, in the mounted state, is likewise tapered in the release direction A and is of conical design in the above exemplary embodiment and has an angle of taper .sub.3. The angles of taper .sub.2 and .sub.3 preferably do not deviate from each other or deviate only slightly, in particular in a region of <5. The preferably correspondingly designed, tapered sealing surfaces 19, 32 serve as a stop for the closure element in the release position according to FIG. 5. They preferably form an elastomer-free seal 35.

(17) The sealing function of the sealing element 5 will now be explained in more detail with reference in particular to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6a, b. A sealing surface 18 which is expanded in the release direction A is formed at the passage unit 3. In the present exemplary embodiment, the expanding sealing surface 18 is of conical design with an angle of taper .sub.1. The diameter of the fluid channel 12 consequently becomes continuously larger in the release direction A over the course of the expanding sealing surface 18. In the blocking position according to FIG. 1, the sealing element 5 lies against the expanding sealing surface 18 and, because of the non-parallel profile of the expanding sealing surface 18 relative to the release direction A, is compressed both radially and axially. This compression behavior is assisted by the fact that, in the blocking position (FIG. 1), the sealing element 5 is pressed against a radially extending sealing surface 30 and an axially extending sealing surface 36. The contact surfaces between the sealing element 5, the passage unit 3 and the closure element 4 therefore form partial sealing surfaces which are each smaller than a single sealing surface would be in the case of a sprinkler known from the prior art with a sealing element.

(18) The compression behavior of the sealing element 5 will now be explained in more detail with respect in particular to FIGS. 6a, b. In FIG. 6a, a first pressure P.sub.1 is present on the inlet side of the sprinkler 1. Said pressure is also referred to as a stand-by pressure, and can lie, for example, within a range of 10-13 bar, preferably <12.5 bar. In this installation situation, the sealing element 5 takes on a material thickness S. If the pressure rises to a value P.sub.2, shown in FIG. 6b, the sealing element 5 is initially still compressed further and is pressed more greatly in the direction of the expanding sealing surface 18 and the radially extending sealing surface 30. The active area of the operating pressure on the closure element is thereby increased. The advantageous configuration of the sealing arrangement in the stand-by mode according to FIG. 6a is in particular shown here. When the triggering pressure, which is equal to or greater than the value P.sub.2, is exceeded, for example within the range of 40 bar or more, the closure element 4 is moved along out of the blocking position according to FIG. 1 after the thermally activatable triggering element 25 has escaped. The sealing element 5 immediately, merely after a few fractions of a millimeter, loses contact with the expanding sealing surface 18 and releases the fluid flow.

(19) The passage unit 3 which accommodates the sealing surface 18, which expands in the release direction A, is preferably manufactured as a machined workpiece and, on its outer circumferential surface, has a groove 13 for receiving the sealing element 7 (FIG. 3).

(20) A refinement protecting the sealing element 5 in the release position according to FIG. 5 against wear and destruction will in particular be explained below. For this purpose, reference is made in particular to FIGS. 4 and 5.

(21) In the release position of the sprinkler 1 that is shown in FIG. 5, extinguishing fluid 33 presses into the distribution chamber 15 in the release direction A. The closure element 4 is in the release position, shown at the bottom in FIG. 5. At the distribution chamber 15, a protective chamber 17c, in which the sealing element 5 is accommodated, is formed between the closure element 4 and the branching-off recess 17. The protective chamber 17c lies on the other side of the main flow direction from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlets 8 because the latter extend in the directions B, B in a departure from the release direction A (see FIG. 2). By means of this remote arrangement of the sealing element 5, the sealing element 5 is in a region of reduced flow in the release position of the closure element 4 and is less greatly subject to wear due to a rapid flow of the extinguishing fluid. This significantly reduces the susceptibility of the sealing element 5 to being destroyed and reliably prevents blocking of the fluid outlets 8 with sheared-off or torn-off material of the sealing element 5.

(22) The fluid outlets 8 lie radially outside the recesses 17. In the configuration depicted, the closure element 4 has an encircling groove, characterized by the axially extending sealing surface 36 as the groove base. The sealing element 5 is accommodated in said groove. By the sealing element 5 being arranged on the closure element 4 in a manner at least partially retracted into the groove, exposure to the extinguishing fluid flow forced in the direction of the fluid outlets 8 is further reduced. Counter to the release direction A and adjacent to the groove 36, a projection 21 is formed on the closure element and protects the sealing element 5 against flow influences in the release position. A flow diverter 37 which extends counter to the release direction A is particularly preferably formed on the projection 21. In the blocking position shown in FIG. 1, the flow diverter 37 preferably extends for a distance through the diaphragm into the fluid channel 12 in the direction of the fluid inlet 10. In the release position shown in FIG. 5, the flow diverter 37 still extends at least for the most part through the distribution chamber 15 in the direction of the fluid inlet 10. Extinguishing fluid flowing into the distribution chamber 15 is at least retarded by the flow diverter 37, as a result of which the dynamic pressure portion of the extinguishing fluid drops and the loading of the sealing element 5 decreases even further or the sealing element 5 is shielded to an even greater extent. The protected arrangement (shown here) of the sealing element 5 in the protective chamber between recess 17 and closure element 4 makes it possible to use the sprinkler housing 50 as an open extinguishing nozzle without insertion beforehand of a thermally activatable triggering element 25.

(23) Considerable synergy is thereby generated in terms of manufacturing because one and the same component, namely the sprinkler housing 50 together with closure element 4 and sealing element 5, is usable for a plurality of use purposes without having to be refitted. The protected arrangement of the sealing element 5 means that the latter is less likely to be damaged or destroyed, as a result of which inadvertent obstruction of the fluid outlets 8 is even more reliably prevented.

(24) The structure of the closure element will be described in more detail below with reference first of all to FIG. 4.

(25) The closure element 4 is preferably designed as a rotationally symmetrical body having a plurality of sections, in the present example four sections. A first section is the projection 21 with a diameter d1. A second section 22 is present with a diameter d2 and is designed for receiving the sealing element 5. The axial sealing surface 36 and the radial sealing surface 30 are formed in this section. The radial sealing surface 30 is at the same time the transition to a third section 23 with an outer diameter d3 and a section which tapers in the release direction A and has the sealing surface 32. A continuous decrease in diameter in the release direction A to the diameter d4 takes place, wherein a conical profile with the angle of taper 3 is formed. From there, a further section extends with a cylindrical profile in the form of a receiving cylinder 24. The receiving cylinder 24 is designed to penetrate the cage compartment 31 of the cage 27 during movement of the closure element from the blocking position (FIG. 1) into the release position (FIG. 5).

(26) The second abutment 29 is preferably formed in this receiving cylinder 24. The diameters d1, d2, d3 and d4 are preferably in the following size relationship:

(27) D1 is greater than d2, d2 is smaller than d3, and d3 is greater than d4. The second region 22 with the diameter d2 is preferably adapted in its length to the material thickness of the sealing element 5. The difference d3d2 is preferably greater than the material thickness of the sealing element 5 in the unloaded state. The diameter d3 is preferably greater than the outside diameter of the sealing element 5 in the unloaded state. The radially extending sealing surface 30 dimensioned with diameter d3 therefore serves as a stop surface for the closure element and also serves, when the first sealing element 5 is pressed onto the expanding sealing surface 18, to prevent excessive deformation and shearing off of the sealing element 5, or slipping of the sealing element 5 out of the groove during installation.

(28) Owing to a difference in diameter between d2 and d3, the groove, which is characterized by the axially extending sealing surface 36, in the second region 22 should be understood as an asymmetrical groove.

(29) The diameter d2 preferably lies within a range of 1.5 to 50 mm, particularly preferably within a range of 2 to 12 mm, furthermore particularly preferably within the range of 12 mm to 30 mm.

(30) A view will also be given on the structure of the closure element 4 below with reference to FIGS. 7a to 7f.

(31) The different variants of the closure element 4 are illustrated in FIGS. 7a to 7f. The basic structure of the closure element 4 is similar in all of these variants. A substantial exception is the formation of the projection 21 and of the flow diverter 37 thereon. While the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 7a, b does not have a flow diverter 37, but rather a differentiation is made essentially in respect of the design of the receiving cylinder 24 and the axial extension of the region between the sealing region 22 and the receiving cylinder 24, in which, according to FIG. 7a, a cylindrical intermediate section 23b and a slightly conically opposed section 23a are still formed, the projection 21 of the closure element 4 according to FIG. 7c has a flow diverter 37 in the form of an encircling annular projection 37a on the end side 40. The projection 37a can conversely also be defined as a concave recess 41 in the end side 40.

(32) In the case of the closure element 4 according to FIG. 7d, a cone point 37b is formed on the projection 21, said cone point advantageously assisting the diversion of the extinguishing fluid, which penetrates the distribution chamber 15, radially outward toward the fluid outlets 8.

(33) According to FIG. 7e, a point 37c having a concavely curved lateral surface 42 is formed on the projection 21 of the closure element 4. The concave curvature assists the deflection of the fluid in the direction of the fluid outlets 8 and reduces the impact effect of the fluid striking against the projection 21. FIG. 7f shows a variant of the closure element 4, in which a point 37d having a concavely curved lateral surface 43 is likewise formed on the projection 21, wherein the concavely curved lateral surface leads into a concave recess 44 on the end side 40, which assists a deflection of the fluid, which strikes against the projection 21, counter to the release direction A.

(34) The advantages of the integral configuration of the main body 2 together with cage 27 and the advantageous effects of preferred combinations of materials will be discussed below.

(35) Owing to the fact that the sprinkler housing 50 has a main body 2 in which both the distribution chamber 15 with the fluid outlets 8, and the cage 27 with the cage compartment 31 are integrally formed, a thermally activatable triggering means 25 can be inserted and then held securely, preferably in the abutments 28, 29, merely by installation of the closure element. An insertion and bracing of the thermally activatable triggering element by means of threaded pins and similar means, as are known from the prior art, can be omitted here. Working steps are saved during the installation, and the risk of premature damage to the thermally activatable triggering element by means of too great a stressing force is prevented.

(36) The integral main body 2 is preferably formed from a seawater-resistant copper alloy, for example seawater-resistant brass or one of the other materials mentioned above. However, the seawater-resistant copper alloy is particularly preferred. Furthermore preferably, the main body is chemically nickel plated at least in the region of the fluid outlets, but preferably completely. During the chemical nickel plating, a nickel-phosphorus coating is placed onto the basic material by autocatalytic deposition. Said coating is preferably further hardened by means of a heat treatment. The residence duration and temperature of the heat treatment is preferably adapted here to the melting point of the basic material. If polymers are used as the basic material, the temperature of the heat treatment is naturally lower than in the case of metals, such as, for example, a brass material. The coating created by chemical nickel plating has the particular advantage that, with the aid thereof, the abrasion resistance of materials which are non-curable when taken into isolation, for example brass, can be significantly increased. By this means, the advantages of various materials are favorably linked to one another by sprinkler systems.

(37) The integral combination with the abovementioned choice of materials and heat treatment has the particular advantage that the sprinkler housing 50 as a whole is significantly less susceptible to clogging. Within the course of the approval test of sprinklers and extinguishing nozzles, it has to be ensured that the fluid outlets change only very slightly, if at all, in respect of their pass-through rates over the course of the operation. This relates firstly to a reduction of the outlet cross section by means of obstructions (therefore clogging) but secondly also to the increase in the outlet cross section by means of abrasion. In particular whenever engineering water or seawater is used as the extinguishing fluid, i.e., in simplified terms, water having a particle loading or other impurities, the risk of an increase in the outlet cross sections is generally greater than an obstruction. By means of the increased hardness in conjunction with the corrosion resistance of the basic material and of the coating, the disclosure provides surprisingly good properties in this regard in an integral main body.