AU751891B2 - Spring hydrant - Google Patents

Description

P/00/0 II Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 99 I S 9 *0 9

I.

9.

09 9 9 S 99 .9 *~w 9 9 9 999 9 99 9 9 9 9 99 .9 9. 9 999999 9 9 999** 9 @9 9 9 9.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including 9 9 Invention Title: SPRING HYDRANT &4r- 0 WANG NBTDST4rnE9PTY+LTD Applicant: the best method of performing it known to me: C IWWMOROMHROADRWEEAAPFRM.D -2- SPRING HYDRANT The present invention relates to a valve arrangement of the kind commonly known as a spring hydrant, which type of valve arrangement is principally used as a fire hydrant attached to metropolitan underground pipeline water systems. The invention is not restricted solely for use as a fire hydrant, but it will be convenient to describe the invention in relation to that application.

The design and operation of spring hydrants as fire hydrants in Australia .:So has been relatively unchanged for many years. The hydrant typically includes 10 a housing, which has a web extending across the inlet to the housing to :support the bottom end of the valve arrangement contained therein. The web is generally cast with the housing so as to be integral therewith.

Such known spring hydrants operate adequately, however, they do not facilitate easy access to the underground pipe to which they are connected due o 99. 15 to the existence of the non-removable web, so that cleaning of the pipe to remove scale built up on the internal pipe surface is difficult. If the underground pipe to which the above known style of spring hydrant is attached is to be cleaned, the hydrant is normally required to be fully removed from the pipe and that means the mains water has to be shut down in the area 20 concerned, causing obvious inconvenience to businesses and householders.

To alleviate this inconvenience, such cleaning work is sometimes carried out at off-peak water usage times, such as late at night, but this is similarly inconvenient for the maintenance work people involved and the work costs substantially more in overtime payments.

One attempted solution to the problem has been to bore the web out of the existing spring hydrants when pipeline maintenance is being carried out, and to substitute a new removable support for the valve arrangement upon reassembly of the hydrant on completion of maintenance. This advantageously provides unfettered access through the housing to the pipeline below when the valve arrangement is removed from the hydrant, so that complete removal of the hydrant housing from the pipeline is unnecessary.

C:\W1NWORDSHARON&NDREWPROVS\HYDRANT.DOC -3- However, with this solution, it is still necessary to shut down the mains water when pipeline maintenance is required.

A further disadvantage with the known spring hydrants described above, is that the housing comprises two cast sections that are bolted together. The lower cast section comprises the bulk of the housing, while the upper cast section when bolted to the lower section, retains the valve arrangement in place. A single-piece housing would have cost savings in manufacture and possibly also maintenance.

S- An object of the present invention is to provide an improved spring o 10 hydrant which overcomes or alleviates one or more of the problems existing with known hydrants.

a According to the present invention there is provided a spring hydrant having a single piece housing for accommodating a valve arrangement, said housing having a longitudinal axis and inlet and outlet opening disposed 15 substantially opposite each other along said longitudinal axis, said valve arrangement including a removable valve member, a valve seat, biasing means for biasing said valve member to a valve closed position in which it O 0 sealingly engages said valve seat and guide means for guiding movement of said valve member between said valve closed position and a valve open 20 position, said valve arrangement being removably fixed within said housing at S.or adjacent said outlet for removal thereof, so that access to a pipe to which the hydrant is connected can be made through said housing without obstruction from said valve arrangement.

The present invention further provides a method of removing a valve arrangement from a spring hydrant of the above kind, said method including sealing a valve removal container over said outlet of said hydrant, said valve removal container including two chambers separating by a valve closure that is a closed condition prevents liquid communication between said first and second chambers, said first chamber, when said container is fitted to said hydrant, being located adjacent said outlet, and said second chamber including a closable opening, opening said valve closure and depressing said valve C:AWNWORD\SAROUNDREW\PROVSIk4YRANTDOC -4member to allow liquid to enter each of said container chambers, engaging said valve arrangement with a removal tool, rotating said valve arrangement with said removal tool about said longitudinal axis of said housing, lifting said valve arrangement from said housing through said first chamber and said valve closure and into said second chamber, closing said valve closure and removing said valve arrangement through said closable opening in said second container.

The valve member is preferably a mushroom valve having a valve head se *and a stem. Preferably the stem is slidably received in guide means so as to 10 guide the valve between the valve open and closed positions. The guide means also preferably provides a seat against which the biasing means can l act and in a preferred arrangement, the biasing means is a coil spring which *a acts against the seat and on the underneath of the mushroom valve head.

The valve arrangement preferably includes a ring member by which it is fixed to the housing. The ring member may be threadably connected to the housing or may be connected by any other suitable means. In this arrangement, the guide means are preferably connected to the ring member by struts. The struts are arranged so that movement of the mushroom valve 5O00.

0:0*0* S between the open and closed positions is unhindered.

20 The attached drawings show an example embodiment of the invention included in an assembly of the foregoing kind. The particularity of those 0 drawings and the associated description does not supersede the generality of the preceding broad description of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view through the centre of a spring hydrant according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a spring hydrant according to a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the ring member shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the spring hydrant of Figure 2.

C:AWINWORD\SHARONDREWIPROVSHYDRANT.DOC

Figure 5 is a plan view of the ring member of Figure 3 assembled in the spring hydrant of Figure 2.

Figure 6 shows a valve removal container attached to the spring hydrant of Figure 2.

Figures 7 and 8 show the connection between the valve removal container and the spring hydrant shown in Figure 6 in more detail.

Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view through the centre of a spring hydrant 10. The spring hydrant 10 includes a housing 11, and a valve .arrangement 12.

10 The housing 11 is arranged to accommodate the valve arrangement 12 and to be fixed to an underground pipe system at the inlet opening 13. The connection to the pipe system can take any suitable form and in a common e~g..

form, the housing 11 is bolted to a flange (not shown) of the pipe system through the complementary inlet flange 14.

15 The housing can be manufactured in any suitable manner, but typically it is cast from ductile mild steel. Alternatively, however, the housing 11 could 0° be fabricated from suitable materials, such as stainless steel or brass.

geeS s S° The housing 11 also includes an outlet opening 15. The valve

IOOOO=

SC arrangement 12 is removably fixed at the outlet opening 15 to the housing 12.

O 20 While fixing of the valve arrangement 12 to the housing at this position can be S.achieved in any suitable manner, in the arrangement illustrated, the valve arrangement is threadably fixed to the outlet opening. Fixed to the outlet opening 15, is a ring member 16. The ring member 16 includes a flange portion 17 which seats within a recess 18 provided in the outlet end of the housing 11, and a skirt portion 19 extends into the housing 11, toward the inlet opening 13. The outer surface 20 of the skirt portion 19 is threaded so as to engage a complementary thread provided on the internal surface 21 of the housing 11. Sealing means may be employed to seal the threaded connection and for that purpose, O-rings may be employed above and below the threaded sections.

C:AWINWORD\SHARO"&NDREWPROVS\HYDRANT.DOC

-6- The valve arrangement 12 further includes a mushroom valve 22 which includes a mushroom head 23 and a stem 24.

The mushroom head 23 is configured to seat against an inwardly directed seat 25 of the skirt portion 19. When the mushroom head 23 is seated against the seat 25, the valve arrangement is in a valve closed position.

To effect an adequate seal between the mushroom head 23 and the seat 25 of the skirt portion 19, the mushroom head 23 carries a vulcanised rubber skin which is adhered to or otherwise suitably connected to the mushroom head 23. Other materials may be suitable for this purpose and are .o 10 within the scope of this invention.

The valve arrangement 12 further includes guide means 26 which

S.

o slidably receive the valve stem 24. The guide means 26 is formed as a tubular member such as a cylindrical sleeve and guides the mushroom valve 22 during movement between the valve shut and valve open positions. The respective 15 valve shut and valve open positions are shown in Figure 1, with the valve shut position shown in constant outline, while the valve open position is shown in dotted outline. As is clear from this figure, the valve open position requires the S°mushroom valve 22 to be moved in a downward manner away from the seat of the skirt portion 19, so as to create a gap therebetween to allow liquid flow 20 through the outlet opening 15. An opposing force is applied to the valve 22 when flow of water is required, such as for fire fighting purposes. The fire fighting equipment includes means to depress the valve 22 to the valve open position to allow flow of water.

Biasing means are employed to maintain the mushroom valve 22 in the valve shut position in the absence of any opposite force pushing the valve 22 towards the valve open position. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the biasing means takes the form of a coil spring 27. The coil spring 27 is seated against the guide means 26 at a flange surface 28, and against the mushroom head 23 in a recess 29.

The flange arrangement 12 further includes arms or strut members which extend between the guide means 26 and the ring member 16. It is C' WINWORD\SARRNNDREWPROVSDRANT.DOC -7envisaged that only 3 or 4 strut members are required for this connection, although any number as appropriate, may be adopted.

The strut members 30 are required to be configured so as to allow movement of the mushroom valve 22 from the valve shut position to the valve open position unhindered. Further, the strut members are required to enable liquid flowing through the spring hydrant 10 to also flow through largely unhindered. Thus the strut members 30 are spaced apart, with the area of the spacing between the members being much greater than the width of each member.

10 The spring hydrant 10 further includes a connecting lug 31, which is a known type of lug used to connect equipment, such as fire hoses or the like to Shydrants of known kinds. Two connecting lugs 31 would normally be provided 5000 on either side of the spring hydrant 10. The connecting lugs 31 can be formed either as an integral part of the housing 11, or the valve arrangement 12.

15 Alternatively, they can be fixed to either the housing 11 or valve arrangement .12 in any suitable manner, such as by bolting.

0l S The spring hydrant 10 illustrated in Figure 1, advantageously enables woe**: A full removal of the valve arrangement 12 so that unobstructed passage can be 6:0000 S° obtained throughout the housing 11 and that enables pipeline cleaning 20 equipment or other equipment as may be appropriate, to be inserted through the housing 11 without the need for that housing to be removed from connection to the pipeline.

Additionally, the spring hydrant 10 advantageously is suitable for operation with a multi-chamber valve removal container, which enables full removal of the valve arrangement 12 from the hydrant 10 without the need to shut down mains pressure in the pipeline to which the hydrant 10 is connected.

An arrangement of this kind is illustrated in Figures 2 to 8 in which the spring hydrant 100 is of a similar construction to the hydrant 10 shown in Figure 1 and therefore, like components have the same reference numeral, plus 100.

The spring hydrant 100 includes several additional or alternative features to the hydrant 100 shown in Figure 1. For example, a different C'kVVINWORDSHARONIANDREW PROVSWM)RANT.DDC -8arrangement is employed in the Figure 2 embodiment to secure the ring member 116 to the housing 111. In the Figure 2 embodiment, the ring member 116 includes locking tabs 140, that lock within recesses 141 in the housing 111. The recesses 141 each are defined by an upper flange 142 and a lower surface 143 of the housing 111. The upper flange 142 is discontinuous about the circumference fo the housing and this can be seen in Figures 3 to 5, in which four flanges 142 are shown spaced apart about the circumference of the housing 111, each being separated by a space 144. The ring member 116 is o placed into engagement with the housing 111 by inserting a respective locking 10 tab 140 into each of the spaces 144 and rotating the ring member 116 in the direction shown by arrows in Figure 5. Rotation of approximately 900 brings each locking tab 140 below a respective upper flange 142, so that the locking 500• tab 140 is captured in the recess 141. An abutment surface may be provided for each locking tab 140 to engage upon sufficient rotation. The right-hand 15 side recess 141 shown in Figure 2 includes a grub screw 145 that engages against the locking tab 140 to lock the ring member 116 relative to the housing 111. The ring member 116 is sealed against the housing 111 by an O-ring S"146.

S° Figure 2 partially shows a multi-chamber valve removal container 132 S0. 20 attached to the spring hydrant 100. The container 132 includes a cylinder 147 that is received within the upstanding rim 133 of the housing 111 and is sealed to the hydrant 100 by an O-ring 148. The entire arrangement is shown in Figure 6 and reference will now be made to that figure.

In Figure 6, the container 132 includes a pair of upper and lower chambers 149 and 150, separated by a ball valve 151. The container could take a variety of forms and that shown in Figure 6 represents just one embodiment. The ball valve of the container 132 is operated manually by a lever 152 between an open and closed condition. In the open condition, there is facility for liquid communication between the chambers 149 and 150, while in the closed condition, that communication is interrupted. The ball valve operates in a known manner.

C:\WINWORDISHARONIANDRE WPROVSYDRANT.DOC -9- The container 132 is fixed to the spring hydrant 100 by lugs that lock underneath opposed connecting lugs of the kind shown in Figure 1, which are identified by the reference numeral 31. These lugs are not shown in Figure 2.

However, Figures 7 and 8 illustrate this arrangement. The container 132 includes a pair of lugs 153, each of which engages underneath a connecting lug 131 (only one of which is shown in Figures 7 and 8) upon rotation of the container. A rubber gasket 154 is disposed between the container 132 and the housing 111 and the gasket compresses to allow the lugs 153 to engage too° underneath the connecting lugs 131 and when in place, the gasket 154 10 resiliently expands to securely locate the lug 153 against the connecting lug 131 behind the overhang end 155 thereof.

S•Figure 6 shows the container 132 fixed in place against the spring hydrant 100 and in that position, the mushroom valve 122 can be removed from the hydrant 100 for maintenance purposes as described earlier. Removal 15 of the mushroom valve 122 is by a tool 156 shown in Figure 2, which is inserted into the container 132 through the upper end closure 157 thereof. A lO a different tool is shown in Figure 6 and that will be described later. The tool 156 ooo°°= is located on an elongate shaft 158 and includes arms 159 that engage the ring member 116 by upstanding lugs 160. It can be seen that the ends of the 20 arms 159 engage opposite sides of the respective lugs 160, so that the ring member can be rotated to position the locking tabs 140 within the respective spaces 144, so that the ring member can be removed from the housing 111.

As can also be seen from Figure 2, lugs 160 include an overhang end 161 (shown only on the right-hand side lug 160), under which the ends of the arms 159 can locate, so that once the ring member 116 has been rotated, the arms can lift the ring member, along with the mushroom valve 122 and guide means 126 (hereinafter referred to as "the valve assembly") from the housing 111. The valve assembly can be lifted through the ball valve 151 and out through the upper end of the container 132 by removal of the end closure 157.

Removal of the valve 122 is made only after water from the mains to which the hydrant 100 is connected is allowed into the container 132 to C:IW1NWORDxSHARO&kANDREW\PROVSU1DRANT.DOC equalise the water pressure. Thus, it is necessary to depress the mushroom valve 122 to allow flow into the container 132 and that is achieved by a push ring 162 (Figure 2) that is attached to the shaft 158 and is lowered therewith toward the valve 122. The end 163 of the push ring 162, pushes against the mushroom valve 122, depressing it and allowing water to flow through the hydrant 100 into the container 132. Water is contained within the container 132 by the O-ring seal 148 and the end closure 157. When the container is filled with water, the shaft 158 can be rotated to release the ring member 116 and the valve assembly. That assembly is lifted through the ball valve 151, S°o 10 afterwhich the ball valve is moved by the lever 152 to the closed condition so e..

that communication between the respective chambers 149 and 150 is S. *g o interrupted. The end closure 157 can then be removed (it is screwed or clamped to the end of the cylinder 147 surrounding the chamber 149) so that the valve assembly can be completely removed from the container 132. Water 15 is prevented from entering the chamber 149 and spewing out of the top thereof by the closed ball valve 151.

Having removed the valve assembly, apparatus needed for pipe S maintenance can be inserted into the chamber 149, through the end closure SSO**e 157, which is then re-secured to the cylinder 147. In Figures 6, that apparatus o o 20 is an inflatable balloon which is used to block flow through the mains pipeline.

o Upon re-securing the end closure 157, the ball valve 151 can be opened and the apparatus lowered through the container 132 into the hydrant 100 and then into the mains pipeline. Further equipment, or different equipment may be used as necessary. For that, the end closure 157 may vary depending on the type of apparatus being inserted into the container 132, such as scaling or scraping equipment.

When the equipment is to be removed, the reverse of the steps outlined above can be taken finishing with the reinsertion of the valve assembly in the housing 111.

The above arrangement is highly advantageous, as it enables maintenance work to be carried out on the hydrant 10, or on the pipeline to C:NWINWOROKSAROfAANDREWpROVSYDRANTDOC -11 which the hydrant 10 is connected, without requiring mains shut down in the pipeline grid to which the hydrant 10 is connected. Instead, maintenance work can be carried out with full mains pressure being held within the container 32, or alternatively, reduced sections of the mains pipeline can be shut down.

The hydrant as above illustrated thus provides many advantages over known hydrant arrangements. The hydrant arrangement as illustrated, provides cost advantage in that the housing is of a one-piece construction, as opposed to the known two-piece hydrants presently available. Further, the valve arrangement accommodated by the housing can be fully removed from 10 the housing providing obstruction free access to the pipelines to which the hydrant is connected. Additionally, the valve arrangement can be removed without the need for shut down of mains water pressure in the pipeline grid to which the hydrant is connected.

The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications o* 15 and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the above description.

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C:AWINWORDSHARON&NDREWMPROVSVHDRANT.DOC

Claims (21)

1. A spring hydrant having a single piece housing for accommodating a valve arrangement, said housing having a longitudinal axis and inlet and outlet openings disposed substantially opposite each other along said longitudinal axis, said valve arrangement including a removable valve member, a valve seat, biasing means for biasing said valve member to a valve closed position in which it sealingly engages said valve seat and guide means for guiding w movement of said valve member between said valve closed position and a 10 valve open position, said valve arrangement being removably fixed within said 00 0 housing at or adjacent said outlet for removal thereof, so that access to a pipe .0 00 to which the hydrant is connected can be made through said housing without Goo* ,0 C obstruction from said valve arrangement. 15

2. A spring hydrant according to claim 1, said valve arrangement including a ring member that removably fixes said valve arrangement to said housing, said valve seat and said guide means depending from said ring member. OQ0O@0 S •O 0= S0

3. A spring hydrant according to claim 1 or 2, said valve member having a valve head and a stem, said stem being slidably guided by said guide means between said valve open and closed positions.

4. A spring hydrant according to claim 3, said guide means including a tubular member that slidably receives a portion of said stem. A spring hydrant according to claim 4, said guide means further including a plurality of arms depending from said tubular member and extending to said ring member, said supporting arms being spaced apart to facilitate passage of water past said arms.

C:\WINWORD\SARONNDREWPROVS'4YDRANT.DOC -13-

6. A spring hydrant according to any one of claims 3 to 5, said biasing means acting between said valve head and said guide means.

7. A spring hydrant according to claim 6, said tubular member including a seat against which said biasing means acts.

8. A spring hydrant according to any one of claims 1 to 7, said biasing means comprising a coil spring.

9. A spring hydrant according to claim 2, or claim 3 when dependent on ei claim 2, or any one of claims 4 to 8, said ring member being threadably 8o 'o connected to said housing.

10. A spring hydrant according to claim 2, or claim 3 when dependent on 15 claim 2, or to any one of claims 4 to 8, said ring member being fixed to said a. a housing by a plurality of locking tabs that are received within a recess in said housing, said recess including openings through which said locking tabs may 4 •be released for removal of said valve arrangement from said housing. 0:0000 i

11. A spring hydrant according to claim 10, said recess being a circumferential recess extending radially into said housing and formed adjacent said outlet, said recess having a base surface and an upper surface, said openings being formed in said upper surface.

12. A spring hydrant according to claim 10 or 11, said ring member being rotatable in said recess between a release position in which each of the locking tabs is aligned with an opening to facilitate removal of said valve arrangement from said housing and a locking position in which each of the locking tabs is spaced from said opening to be captured within said recess to prevent removal. C:\WINWORDSHARONUNDREWPROVS\HYDRANTDOC -14-

13. A spring hydrant according to any one of claims 10 to 12, said locking tabs extending radially outwardly of said ring member and being equidistantly spaced about the circumference thereof.

14. A spring hydrant according to claim 2, or claim 3 when dependent on claim 2, or any one of claims 4 to 13, said ring member including means for engagement with a valve removal tool. A spring hydrant according to claim 14, said engagement means 10 including a plurality of projecting lugs spaced about said ring member.

O

•16. A method of removing a valve arrangement from a spring hydrant according to claim 1, said method including sealing a valve removal container over said outlet of said hydrant, said valve removal container including two 15 chambers separated by a valve closure that, in a closed condition prevents liquid communication between said first and second chambers, said first CO chamber, when said container is fitted to said hydrant, being located adjacent said outlet, and said second chamber including a closable opening, opening Csaid valve closure and depressing said valve member to allow liquid to enter 20 each of said container chambers, engaging said valve arrangement with a S.. removal tool, rotating said valve arrangement with said removal tool about said longitudinal axis of said housing, lifting said valve arrangement from said housing through said first'chamber and said valve closure and into said second chamber, closing said valve closure and removing said valve arrangement through said closable opening in said second container.

17. A method according to claim 16, said removal tool including means to depress said valve member prior to rotation of said valve arrangement.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, further including, after removal of said valve arrangement, sealingly inserting a tool into said second chamber through C:kVVINWORDFtARONUNDREVAPROVSHYDRANTDOC said closable opening, opening said valve closure and passing said tool through said valve closure and said first chamber and into or through said hydrant.

19. The method of claim 18, said tool being used for maintenance of said pipeline to which said hydrant is fitted, said tool being inserted into said pipeline through said hydrant.

20. A spring hydrant substantially as herein described with reference to the 10 accompanying drawings.

21. A method of removing a valve arrangement from a spring hydrant substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 18 November 1998 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: \-ANG INDUSTRIES P2t LTD I=T "-ciA 0 113 Q^P^^fs^'OF C:kVVINWORD\SHARONANDREWPROVS*(YDRANT.DO