GB2330784A

GB2330784A - Fire nozzle

Info

Publication number: GB2330784A
Application number: GB9822431A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ernest Joscelyn Clerk
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-10-17
Filing date: 1998-10-14
Publication date: 1999-05-05
Also published as: GB9822431D0; GB9722060D0; GB2330320A

Abstract

A nozzle for use by fire fighting services comprises means for connection to a water source and means for receiving a face plate having a plurality of holes, wherein said means for receiving the face plate allow said face plate to be readily changed. This enables fire fighters to adapt the nozzle rapidly to the changing conditions of the fire.

Description

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invention relates to a nozzle for use by fire fighting services.

It is important to extinguish a fire using the minimum possible amount of water. This is particularly the case where water is scarce and the fire covers a large area, for example forest and bush fires.

Present nozzles constrict the water supply from a hose, in order to provide a high pressure stream of water which can attain a greater height and distance. The stream of water can be reduced or stopped by a lock-off valve in the nozzle.

When the stream of water strikes a flaming object, it provides a blanket or curtain of water between the flaming object and the air, thus cutting off the supply of oxygen and putting out the flame; the water then lowers the temperature of the object below the flame point. Large amounts of water are required when using this type of nozzle to extinguish fires.

Instead of water in some instances, foaming substances are used to smother the flame and cut off the flames from the air and thus the oxygen, thus putting out the fire.

The nozzle of the present invention provides thin streams of water, which fall on the flaming object as small drops or droplets and are turned to steam by the heat of the flame. As the latent heat of evaporation of water is high, large amounts of heat are required to turn water into steam. As a consequence, the temperature of the objects is quickly reduced below the flame point. The amount of water required to put out the fire is therefore less than the amount used by the regularfire fighting nozzle.

1 2 The present invention provides a nozzle comprising means for connection to a water source and means for receiving a face plate having a plurality of holes, wherein said means for receiving a face plate allow said face plate to be readily changed. This enables fire fighters to adapt the nozzle rapidly to the changing conditions of the fire.

Preferably the means for receiving the face plate consist of a slotted extended portion, said extended portion including round barrel type devices holding spring activated pins.

The present invention also comprises a nozzle provided with a series of interchangeable face plates having different numbers of holes. In particular, the nozzle is round and the number of bore holes in use is reduced or increased by using removable face plates with a different number of bore holes in each face plate. In order to cause a divergence of the streams of water issuing from the face plate, holes in the face plate are preferably bored at an angle away from the normal to the plane of the face plate.

The shape and diameter of the holes bored in the face plate may vary according to the conditions of the fire being fought. For example, in order to provide thin streams of water, one face plate would have holes bored with diameters under 2 mm. Streams of water issuing from these small holes fall as drops or droplets on a flaming object and are turned into steam, thus lowering the temperature of the object below flame point as described above. The number of bore holes in a face plate are limited, so that under pressure the streams of water can attain height and/or distance.

In different conditions, face plates may be bored with holes of larger diameters. The holes for each particular diameter are limited in number in order to provide streams of water, which can attain height and/or distance. To cut off the supply of water issuing frc.m the nozzle, one face plate has no holes bored therein; the supply of water is therefore cut off completely when this face plate is inserted in the nozzle. There is no valve inside this nozzle to reduce or disturb the flow of water issuing from the nozzle.

11 ' 3 The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the nozzle featuring the upper part of the nozzle; Figure 2 is an overhead view of the nozzle of Figure 1, with a face plate inserted. and p Figure 3 is a view of a face plate with a different number of bore holes than the face plate shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1 shows a nozzle according to the invention for use by fire fighting services. The head or top has a circular opening to conform to the bore of the nozzle with an extended portion 2 whose outer edge is straight (see Figure 2), and at a right angle to a line drawn from the longitudinal axis of the tube 3 comprising the nozzle. The extended portion is slotted. the slot 4 is continued into the rounded part of the head. At the outer corners of the extended portion are round barrel type devices 5 holding spring activated pins 6.

The rounded edge of a face plate 2 (see Figure 3) is inserted into the slot 4 and pushed forward until the edges of the plate engage the spring activated pins 6, pushing them back. When the plate has been pushed fully forward in the slot, the activated pins spring out to hold the plate securely in place. In order to remove the face plate, the caps of the two barrel type devices 5 have to be pulled back at the same time to pull back the pins 6 and thus allow the face plate to be removed. As shown in Figure 1, the barrel type devices holding the pins work on the same principle as those 7 used to connect the nozzle to a hose, thus providing a safety feature, as they cannot be accidentally activated.

4

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A nozzle comprising means for connection to a water source and means for receiving a face plate having a plurality of holes, wherein said means for receiving a 0 face plate allow said face plate to be readily changed.

2. A nozzle according to claim 1, wherein said means for receiving a face plate comprise a slotted extended portion, said extended portion including round barrel type devices holding spring activated pins.

3. A kit comprising the nozzle according to claim 1 and a plurality of face plates having different numbers of holes.

4. A kit according to claim 3, wherein the holes in the face plate are bored at an angle away from the normal to the plane of the face plate.

Use of a kit according to claim 3 by fire fighting services.