Search

EP-3981476-B1 - FIRE PROTECTION SPRINKLER WITH A PUSH-IN CONNECTION

EP3981476B1EP 3981476 B1EP3981476 B1EP 3981476B1EP-3981476-B1

Inventors

  • Wolin, Steven D.
  • POLAN, GEORGE S.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20210303

Claims (13)

  1. A fire protection sprinkler (600, 700) having a push-in connection (603, 703) for connection to a fluid supply conduit that contains a fluid supply, the fluid supply conduit having a welded outlet (1700) or a mechanical outlet (1700), the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet having an internal bore with an internal circumferential groove, the fire protection sprinkler comprising: a sprinkler body (650, 750) having an input end and an output end, and a plurality of grooves at the input end, the input end and the output end of the sprinkler body defining a fluid passage for the fluid contained in the fluid supply conduit; an operating element having a frangible element (615, 715) designed to fail at a predetermined temperature so that the fluid flows from the fluid supply conduit to the output end of the sprinkler body through the fluid passage of the sprinkler body; a sealing cap covering the operating element, the sealing cap being released upon failure of the frangible element of the operating element; at least one sealing gasket (1100, 1200, 1300, 1400), each of the at least one sealing gaskets being located at least partially within a corresponding one of the plurality of grooves at the input end of the sprinkler body and connecting the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler to the internal circumferential groove of the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical output of the fluid supply conduit when the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler is connected to the fluid supply conduit; and a retainer also at least partially located within a corresponding one of the grooves at the input end of the sprinkler body, the retainer connecting the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler to the internal circumferential groove of the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet of the fluid supply conduit when the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler is connected to the fluid supply conduit, wherein the retainer is a spring mechanism having a diameter, the diameter of the retainer being reduced when the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler is inserted into the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet, and the diameter of the retainer expanding to maintain pressure against the internal circumferential groove of the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet when the fire protection sprinkler is installed in the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet. wherein, when the fire protection sprinkler is inserted into the fluid supply conduit so as to be connected to the fluid supply conduit, the at least one sealing gasket seals against the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet, wherein the fire protection sprinkler is removed from the internal circumferential groove of the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet by compressing the retainer so that the diameter of the retainer is reduced to be less than the diameter of the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet, allowing the fire protection sprinkler to be pulled from the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet.
  2. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is located at least partially within both the corresponding groove in the sprinkler body and the internal circumferential groove in the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet when the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler is installed in the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet, in order to maintain a positive connection between the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler and the internal bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet.
  3. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing gasket (1100, 1200, 1300, 1400) has one or more lobes, each including a sealing lobe (1305, 1410), a recess (1310, 1405), and an inner peripheral surface (1315, 1415).
  4. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing gasket is a pressure sealed gasket (1100) having one or more sealing fins (1130).
  5. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 4, wherein one side of each fin (1130) contacts the inner bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet when the sprinkler body of the fire protection sprinkler is installed in the internal bore, and another side of each fin is exposed to water or air contained within the fluid supply conduit.
  6. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 4, wherein, when the water or air contained within the fluid supply conduit is pressurized, the water or air presses the fin (1130) against the inner bore of the welded outlet or the mechanical outlet, improving the seal.
  7. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is a multi-lobe wire retainer spring mechanism (900).
  8. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 7, wherein the multi-lobe wire retainer spring mechanism (900) has a depending leg (975), an arcuate segment (980), and an adjoining arcuate segment (985); or
  9. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 7, wherein the multi-lobe wire retainer spring mechanism (900) is made of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, music wire, cold drawn wire, oil tempered wire, and brass.
  10. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the retainer (1000) is oval and has an inner peripheral surface (1020), an upper edge (1030), and a recessed groove (1035).
  11. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing gasket is an O-ring (1200) made of a synthetic rubber or a thermoset material selected from the group consisting of butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, epichloronhydrin rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomers, ethylene propylene rubber, fluoroelastomers, nitrile rubber, perfluoroelastomer, polyacrylate rubber, polychloroprene, polyisoprene, polysulfide rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, sanifluor, and silicon rubber.
  12. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing gasket is an O-ring(1200) made of a thermoplastic material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomer styrenics, thermoplastic polyolefin LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE, ULDPE, thermoplastic polyurethane polyether or polyester, thermoplastic etheresterelastomer copolyesters, thermoplastic polyamides, melt processible runner, and thermoplastic vulcanizate.
  13. The fire protection sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealing gasket is a notched gasket (1500) having an inner peripheral surface(1530), an outer peripheral surface (1535), and a notch (1540).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION Our invention generally relates to a fire protection sprinkler with a push-in connection. RELATED ART Fire protection sprinklers conventionally are connected to a conduit to receive pressurized fire-extinguishing fluid, such as water. A typical sprinkler has a base with a threaded portion for connection to the conduit and an output orifice to output the fluid to provide fire control and/or suppression. The output orifice is sealed by a seal cap, which is held in place by a release mechanism. The release mechanism is designed to release the cap under predetermined conditions, thereby initiating the flow of fire-extinguishing fluid. A typical release mechanism includes a thermally-responsive element, e.g., a frangible bulb or fusible link, and may also include a latching mechanism. Certain conventional sprinklers have a pair of arms that extend from the base portion and meet at a hub portion to form a frame. The hub portion is spaced apart from the output orifice of the base portion and is aligned with a longitudinal axis thereof. The hub portion may have a set-screw configured to apply a pre-tension force to the release mechanism. A deflector may be mounted on the hub, transverse to the output orifice, to provide dispersion of the output fluid. Fire protection sprinklers may be mounted on a fluid conduit running along a ceiling and may either depend downward from the conduit, which is referred to as a "pendent" configuration, or may extend upward, which is referred to as an "upright" configuration. Alternatively, a sprinkler may be mounted on a wall, a certain distance below the ceiling, which is referred to as a "horizontal sidewall" configuration. Horizontal sidewall sprinklers have an output orifice that is oriented so that the fluid is output horizontally and sprays onto an area to be protected in front of the sprinkler. Upright sprinklers may be mounted on a "sprig" or "sprig-up", which is a supply line that extends vertically from the fluid conduit to supply a single sprinkler. A sprig may be formed by attaching a short section of pipe (referred to as a "nipple") to a "tee" or butt-weld branch connection. A tee branch may be formed, for example, by attaching a mechanical tee to the pipe, which has a base that conforms to the pipe and a threaded or grooved portion that extends from the base. Butt-weld branches may be formed, for example, by welding a fitting to the supply pipe, such as a Weldolet® (Bonney Forge, Mount Union, Pa.), which is a forged steel fitting that conforms to the contour of the supply pipe. Typically, the sprinkler has been installed in a threaded connection at the end of the sprig. In the case of a branch connection having a grooved connection, the section of pipe may be an "adapter nipple", which is grooved at one end and a threaded port at the other end for receiving the threaded end of the sprinkler. One of the disadvantages of the conventional sprig configuration is that it requires the use of a separate pipe section for each sprinkler, which increases the number of components in the system. This also adds to installation time, because it requires the separate steps of connecting the pipe section to the branch and connecting the sprinkler to the pipe section. This configuration also increases the probability of leakage, because it doubles the number of connections between the sprinklers and the conduits (i.e., it requires two connections per sprinkler). Furthermore, conventional upright sprinkler bodies are not configured to accommodate a grooved connection without an adapter. Moreover, threading the connections together is labor and time intensive. Sprinklers generally may be categorized as "control mode" or "suppression mode". Control mode sprinklers are designed to limit the size of a fire by distribution of water, so as to decrease the heat release rate and pre-wet adjacent combustibles, while controlling ceiling gas temperatures to avoid structural damage. Suppression mode sprinklers are designed to sharply reduce the heat release rate of a fire and to prevent its regrowth by means of direct and sufficient application of water through the fire plume to the burning fuel surface. The thermal sensitivity of a sprinkler is a measure of the rapidity with which the thermally-responsive release mechanism operates as installed in a specific sprinkler or sprinkler assembly. One measure of thermal sensitivity is the response time index (RTI) as measured under standardized test conditions. Sprinklers defined as fast response have a thermal element with an RTI of 50 m-s1/2 or less. Sprinklers defined as standard response have a thermal element with an RTI of 80 m-s1/2 or more. "Specific application control mode storage" sprinklers, as defined in UL 199 ("Standard for Automatic Sprinklers for Fire-Protection Service," Underwriters' Laboratories, 11th Ed., Nov. 4, 2005), are designed for the protection of stored commodities, as specified