JPS5819307B2 - Boucayou Link Sochi - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a link for use in automatically actuated devices forming part of a fire protection system, and more particularly to a fire protection link for use in devices such as fire dampers in air ducts.

Hitherto, such links have consisted of two pieces of metal joined together by solder, which releases the link when the ambient temperature reaches a certain level, for example 160°C.

Recently, bimetallic links have been developed that respond to temperature changes, providing reusable devices that do not require melting of parts.

This type of bimetallic link is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3.725,9.
It is disclosed in No. 72.

According to this US patent, a link is provided having a bimetallic member attached at one end to a base.

The bimetallic member extends outwardly a length to form a single bend therein which reorients the plane of the bimetallic member relative to the base.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned known link (U.S. Pat. No. 3.72
No. 5,972), a mechanically actuated resettable link is provided.

This improved link provides a new tapered bimetallic member.

This tapered member is formed by folding back to form a meandering shape.

Basically, the link consists of a pie, a metal member, and a mounting member.

These are interconnected with the releasable member by pins.

In the engaged position, the pin passes through the releasable member and is positioned by the bimetallic member at a slightly obtuse angle with respect to the attachment member of the link.

Heating the bimetallic member causes the pin to pull out and the releasable member to release.

In other embodiments, isolating means heat the bimetallic member and partially shield it from the direct effects of ambient temperature.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fire protection link with a new tortuous bimetallic member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a resettable link with a low operating temperature that utilizes a novel serpentine bimetallic member to amplify pin response.

'Another object of the invention is to provide a link that responds rapidly to changes in ambient temperature.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a link whose operating temperature can be changed by replacing bimetallic members with various overlapping profiles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a link which allows the pin to be withdrawn along a trajectory substantially perpendicular to the member to be released.

Another object of the invention is to provide a link that works efficiently even under high tension conditions.

Another object of the invention is to produce a link which allows the overall link length to be reduced compared to known links, despite the same operating temperature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a link that can be controlled in isolation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a link which can be partially insulated from ambient temperature effects.

The above objectives and other objectives will be apparent from the description below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following drawings, certain forms of the invention are shown,
And in order to explain these aspects of the invention, the following description is made in a specific context.

However, these descriptions do not limit the scope of the claims of the present application in any way.

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a basic link 12 incorporating features of the present invention.

The link 12 comprises a releasable member (represented in the figures as a pawl 18), a mounting member 10, and a bimetallic member 14.

Both of these members include a gripping mechanism that normally engages the releasable member 18 while releasing the releasable member 18 when ambient temperature increases.

This link is used for automatic activation devices that are part of fire extinguishing systems.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, releasable member 18 is separated from the remainder of link 12 to respond to increases in ambient temperature.

The link according to the invention can be used to activate various fire extinguishing devices.

One common way to use the link according to the invention is to join two cables that hold open a fire door and a fire damper (or a fire curtain or similar device) in an air duct.

Since long-term tension is applied to the cable or link, the link is adapted to withstand long-term tension in its normal position.

When the air temperature surrounding the link increases to an unacceptable level, i.e., a level indicating that a fire is burning nearby, the bimetallic member 14 reacts to the temperature increase by deforming its outer shape; As a result, releasable member 18
is disengaged from the remaining parts of the link, thereby activating the fire damper, fire door, or other equivalent device.

As shown in FIG. 1, various accessories are provided to ensure the flexibility of the machine.

The link attachment member 10 of the present invention includes cables, chains,
It has two attachment parts 22 and 23 for a wrist strap or the like.

Further accessories are normally located at the remote end of releasable member 18, but these are not shown.

The mounting member 10 has a mounting hole 24 . This hole 24 is useful for securely securing the link 12 to a predetermined mounting member (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 2, the mounting member 10 and the bimetal member 1
4 and the pawl 18 are made clear.

The releasable member 18 is provided with a suitable member that can be easily held in the normal position by a gripping mechanism and released into the operative position.

Although the claw 18 is shown in the drawing, depending on the arrangement,
An S-shaped raft or other suitable components may be utilized.

Attachment member 10 is substantially planar and is attached to bimetallic member 14 by fastening means (eg, rivets 16) or other metal fasteners.

The end of the mounting member 10 that engages with the claw 18 has an offset portion 26.
and a striker section 57.

Near the end of the mounting member 10 remote from the interconnection with the pawl 18, the bimetallic member 14 is connected to the aforementioned fastener 16.
It is attached to the attachment member 10 by.

In the normal position, the base 28 of the bimetallic member 14 extends along the mounting member 10 and is arched slightly away from the member 10 at a maximum distance 〃a〃(
Figure 2).

The first curved portion 34 substantially reverses the direction in which the bimetallic member extends.

The radius of this first curved portion 34 should be as small as possible, while still having sufficient margin to resist fatigue or failure of the bimetal at that point.

The intermediate portion 30 of the bimetal member 14 is the first curved portion 3 described above.
4 and whose intermediate portion 30 is adapted to be folded over at least a portion of the base 28 in a plane diverging from the base 28 .

At the end of the intermediate section 30 remote from the first curved section 34 a minimum distance "b" (FIG. 2) should be formed.

Bimetal member 14 passes through second curved portion 36 to end 32
Extends to.

This end 32 diverges slightly with respect to the intermediate portion 30 towards the tip 56 in the normal position (i.e. the inactive position).

The tortuous shape described above causes the ends 32 of the bimetallic member 14 to converge slightly with respect to the mounting member 10 towards the pawls 18.

A pin 20 is secured to the pointed end 56 of the bimetallic member 14, which is a substantially planar extension of the end 32.

The pin 20 has an annular member 58 that engages the lower surface of the tip 56, as shown in FIG.

This annular member 58 transmits the torque applied by the pin 20 to the tip 56, as will be explained hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pin 20 extends through the cavity formed by the offset portion 26 of the mounting member 10 and the hole in the pawl 18.

Note that this hole extends to an end close to (or in contact with) the striker section 56.

The end of the pin 20 remote from the tip 56 has a bevel;
to this.

Thus, a pawl 18 with complementary beveled edges (not shown) may be inserted manually.

When link 12 is in its normal position (non-heated position), pawl 18 is pushed against the slope of pin 20 to force pin 20 away from striker portion 57.

Inside the claw 18. When the hole is aligned with the pin and the pin 20 returns to its normal position, the nail 1 is inserted into the hole.
8 is allowed to slide, so that the pawl 18 is engaged.

The bimetal member 14 has a circumferential surface under normal use.

It is formed so that it assumes the normal position shown in FIG. 2 when exposed to ambient temperature.

This member 14 is a conventional bimetallic member selected for its characteristic strength, elastic memory, and resistance to fatigue when bent to tight radii.

The operation of the gripping mechanism for selectively gripping and releasing the pawls 18 is quite simple.

Since the bimetal member 14 is shaped as shown in FIG. 2, a large surface area is exposed to the ambient air surrounding the link 12.

As the air temperature around the link 12 increases, the pi-metal member 14 heats up and the bimetal assumes the shape shown in dashed lines.

Upon heating, the base 28 is pulled away from the attachment member 10 while the intermediate section 30 arches over the base 28, thereby reducing the distance between the intermediate section 30 and the base 28.

End 32 and point 56 of bimetallic member 14 are similarly arced away from attachment member 10 such that the pin is withdrawn from offset portion 26 and pawl 18 is released.

As a result, the serpentine shape of the bimetallic member 14 amplifies the pin's response to a given temperature, thereby making the link 12 highly sensitive to changes in ambient temperature.

This amplifying effect is due in part to the distance "a" between the base 28 and the mounting member 10 (which adds magnitude to the distance that the pin 20 is pulled), while the base 28
8 and the intermediate section 30 (which allows the necessary clearance for the second curved section 36 to move closer to the mounting member 10 during operation).

During heating, as the distance between base 28 and intermediate section 30 decreases,
The pivot points of end 32 and point 56 move toward mounting member 10 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the pawl 18 is normally released at the moment when the gap between the striker portion 51 and the pin 20 becomes slightly larger than the thickness of the pawl 18.

For releasable links that utilize straight (or nearly straight) bimetallic members, the pin extending from the bimetallic member and engaging the pawl provides a moment arm for the torque exerted on the bimetal by the pawl. It acts as if.

A fire protection link utilizing a generally straight bimetallic member has one curved portion pointing toward the apex of the bimetallic member which is generally parallel to the mounting member.

The present invention uses a bimetallic member and a meandering configuration to resist torque applied to the member by pawls 18.

This overlapping arrangement of the base, middle and end portions is such that the force applied along the plane of the end portions (arrow f in FIG. 2) increases the distance between the second curved portion 36 and the attachment member 10. do.

The torque applied by the pawl 18 (which acts through the moment arm of the pin) biases the second bend 36 towards the mounting member 10 so that a natural equilibrium is established by the link in its normal position. , which allows the link to withstand relatively high and long-term tensions.

Since the bimetallic member 14 is heated by forces U on it by the surrounding air, the natural equilibrium conditions of the link are disturbed.

The torque applied by the pawl 18 causes the second curved portion 36 to
It is biased to take the position shown by the dashed line in the figure.

Since the second curved portion 36 serves as a pivot point for the tip 16 and the pin 20, movement of the pin toward the mounting member 10 tends to cause the pin 20 to assume a vertical position relative to the mounting member 10.

This change in pivot point coincides with the remaining deformation of the bimetallic member, thereby causing the pin to disengage from engagement with the pawl along a trajectory generally perpendicular to the plane of the mounting member.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the normal position, the tip 56 and the end 3
2 converges with respect to the plane of the mounting member 10 towards the pawl 18.

In the actuated (heated) position, these planes are not convergent to the pawl, but are parallel to it or spread out.

This deformation effect of the bimetallic member upon heating provides rapid release of the claw even under high tension conditions.

These facts were confirmed through experiments.

That is, experiments have shown that the link of the present invention achieves greater pin movement during withdrawal than similar links with straight bimetallic members.

Applicants have discovered that the amount of amplification is proportional to the amount of overlap of the bimetallic material layers.

Another feature in the construction of the bimetallic member is its novel tapered shape.

Applicant has discovered that optimum link strength is obtained if the bimetallic member is formed from a bimetallic strip having a maximum width at the end that engages the attachment member 10 and a minimum width at the tip 56. did.

This type of bimetallic component, which tapers uniformly along its length, saves material, does not impede airflow through the bimetallic component, and produces a bimetallic component with superior strength characteristics, resulting in extremely tough construction. It is possible to create links that can easily withstand stress.

A basic feature of the invention is to provide a bimetallic member with a lower heat capacity than conventional non-tapered members, thereby facilitating rapid heating of the member (in other words rapid actuation of the link).

Referring now to FIG. 3, yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

A bimetallic element 15 is incorporated here, which operates at relatively high temperatures.

This embodiment is similar to the above-described embodiment except that the bimetallic member has a shortened overlap portion.

The base portion 28 is the same as that in the above embodiment, but the intermediate portion 31 and end portion 33 of the bimetallic member are shortened, so that the first and second portions have a slightly different shape from those of the above embodiment. A curved section is created.

The overall shape of the bimetallic member is generally similar to the preferred embodiment described above.

The behavior of this variant upon heating is similar to the link of FIG. 2, except that the amplification provided by this configuration is smaller and higher operating temperatures are required.

Naturally, one of the features of the invention is that it is possible to provide a standard link that meets certain requirements by substituting bimetallic elements of various overlapping configurations, thereby allowing the selection of a specific operating temperature.

In such an arrangement, it is desirable to be able to operate the link from a separate location.

FIG. 4 shows the second embodiment of the present invention to deal with such a case.
This is a modified example.

This embodiment uses a bimetal member 1T to supply current from a remote power source.
is used to heat up the link, thereby activating the link in the same manner as described above.

Basically, the electrical link has two glue points 38;
These leads include a bimetal member 17 and an electrical member 50.
make electrical contact with each other.

The bimetallic member 17 includes a bimetallic contact 42 arranged such that in the normal position of the link electrical contact is achieved between the contact 42 and a second contact 48 on the tip of the electrical member 50. Ru.

To avoid accidental grounding, lead 38, bimetallic member 7, electrical contacts 42 and 48, and electrical member 50 are well insulated.

Leads 38 are insulated by wire shrouds 54, shown broken away in FIG.

These IJ-domains 38 are electrically connected to two lugs 52, which abut the ends of bimetallic member 11 and electrical member 50, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lug 52, bimetallic member 17, and electrical member 50 are sandwiched between the insulating layers 44.

Insulator 45 is used to insulate pin 20 and annular member 58 from bimetallic member 17.

The insulating member 47 is provided between the mounting member 10 and the electrical member 50.

Operation of this electrical embodiment of the invention involves connecting an electrical input to lead 38 and passing a current through the circuit that includes bimetallic member 11, thereby heating the bimetallic member and deforming it as described above. It is done by forcing.

The electrical member 50 is made of a suitable electrically conductive member that is springy and allows the bimetallic member 17 to undergo deformation and follow its bimetallic contacts 42.

In the case of, for example, an air conditioning duct or other cold air duct, it is preferred to partially shield the bimetallic member 17 from the direct effects of the surrounding air.

A cut-out housing 40 in FIG. 4 is provided for this shielding, allowing the time required for the temperature of the bimetallic member to reach a level sufficient to release the claw.
or current).

This housing 40 is attached to the mounting hole 24 shown in FIG.
or by engagement with fastening means 16 as shown in FIG. 4).

It should be emphasized that this housing is only necessary in the following arrangement, i.e. when the surrounding volume or temperature is such that the bimetallic part 17 cannot be adequately heated without the presence of the housing.

It may be desirable to provide a link that can be electrically actuated to separate or release the pawl if the ambient temperature increases beyond tolerance.

Unlike the preferred embodiment described above, this electrical embodiment is more conventionally installed by permanent fixing to a solid mounting surface.

In this embodiment, several spacers 46 are attached to the bottom m of the attachment member 10.

These spacers provide additional clearance for the lugs 52.

In addition to the clearance provided by spacer 46, this arrangement provides additional insulation surrounding lugs 52 to prevent the lugs from falling over each other or through other ancillary equipment. Try to avoid it.

Various modifications to the materials and arrangement of parts described above to illustrate the invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a fire protection link according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a portion of another embodiment of the invention when the operating temperature is relatively high; FIG. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the invention with the housing operated in cross-section; 10...Mounting member, 12...Link,
14... Bimetal member, 18... Claw, 20... Pin, 28... Base, 30...
...Middle part, 32...End part, 38...
... Lead, 40 ... Casing, 56 ...
...point.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 a releasable member and a gripping mechanism that engages the releasable member in a normal position and releases the releasable member in an actuated position; the gripping mechanism includes a thermally responsive mechanism configured to move the gripping mechanism to an actuated position in response to the ambient temperature increasing to a predetermined value; A fire prevention link device composed of bimetallic members.