Horizontal sidewall window sprinklers, systems and methods of fire protection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11305141-B2
Application number	US-201916757213-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2019
Priority date	Mar 5, 2019
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

Horizontal window fire protection sprinklers, systems and methods are provided. The sprinklers include a frame and a fluid deflection member including a window confronting surface having a planar portion and a concave portion. The sprinkler defines a maximum operating pressure of at least 100 psi. per sprinkler for adjacent sprinklers without cold soldering.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A horizontal sidewall window sprinkler comprising:
a frame including a body having an inlet, an outlet with an internal passageway extending between the inlet and the outlet along a sprinkler axis, the frame including a pair of frame arms spaced about a first plane bisecting the sprinkler frame, the frame arms being diametrically opposed about the outlet so as to be aligned in a second plane that intersects and is perpendicular to the first plane at the sprinkler axis, the frame arms extending axially from the body and converging toward the sprinkler axis to define a frame boss axially spaced from the outlet; and
a fluid deflector coupled to the frame boss at fixed distance from the outlet and oriented so as to be bisected and symmetrical with respect to the second plane and asymmetrical with respect to the first plane to define a first deflector portion and a second deflector portion different than the first deflector portion, the fluid deflector including:

a pair of radially extending slots diametrically opposed about the frame boss and bisected by the first plane;
the first portion of the fluid deflector includes a first peripheral edge having a first arc length portion extending from one of the pair of diametrically opposed slots to the other, the first peripheral edge being defined by a radius of curvature that is centered at the sprinkler axis and constant over the first arc length portion, the first peripheral edge defining a first constant radius over the first arc length portion;
the second portion of the fluid deflector includes a second peripheral edge having a second arc length portion extending from one of the pair of diametrically opposed slots, the second peripheral edge having a third arc length portion spaced apart from the second arc length portion with a planar edge extending between the second and third arc length portions, the planar edge being centered about the second plane and parallel to the first plane, the planar edge being located at a distance from the first plane that is less than the first constant radius of curvature of the first peripheral edge, and

the second portion of the fluid deflector and the planar edge defining a third radially extending slot of the fluid deflector bisected by the second plane, the third radially extending slot having a slot width and a slot length with the slot length less than the slot width, each of the pair of radially extending diametrically opposed slots having a slot width and a slot length, the slot width of the third radially extending slot being greater than the slot length in each pair of the radially extending diametrically opposed slots.

2. The sprinkler of claim 1 , wherein the first portion defines a first window confronting surface, the first window confronting surface being perpendicular to each of the first and second planes.

3. The sprinkler of claim 2 , wherein the second portion defines a second window confronting surface, the second window confronting surface being concave to confront a window and defined by a radius of curvature with a center along the sprinkler axis spaced axially from the fluid deflector.

4. The sprinkler of claim 3 , wherein each of the radially extending slots in the pair of radially extending slots are asymmetrical, each slot having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls with one sidewall defined by the first portion of the fluid deflector and the other sidewall defined by the second portion of the fluid deflector.

5. The sprinkler of claim 4 , wherein the pair of sidewalls angle away from one another about the first plane in a radial direction toward the sprinkler axis.

6. The sprinkler of claim 1 , wherein the pair of radially extending slots broaden in a direction toward the sprinkler axis.

7. The sprinkler of claim 1 , wherein the planar edge defines a radially innermost portion of the third radially extending slot, the third radially extending slot including a pair of spaced apart sidewalls that extend from the planar edge to one of the second and third arc length portions of the second peripheral edge.

8. The sprinkler of claim 1 , wherein the planar edge and each of the pair of diametrically opposed radially extending slot defines a ratio of linear length-to-maximum slot length that ranges from 1.4:1 to 1.5:1.

9. The sprinkler of claim 1 , wherein the planar edge and the pair of diametrically opposed radially extending slots define a ratio of linear length- to-maximum slot length that ranges from 1.4:1 to 1.5:1.

10. A window sprinkler system for protection of a window arrangement including a plurality of glass panes extending vertically between an upper window frame and a lower window frame, the plurality of glass panes having a face, the system comprising:
a firefighting fluid supply pipe; and
a plurality of horizontal window sprinklers coupled to the fluid supply pipe and confronting the glass panes below the upper window frame, each sprinkler including:
a frame including a body having an inlet, an outlet with an internal passageway extending between the inlet and the outlet along a sprinkler axis; and
a fluid deflector coupled to the frame for distributing firefighting fluid over the face of a glass pane for wetting and cooling the glass pane to address a fire, the fluid deflector having at least one of: (i) a periphery defining a variable radius from a center of the deflector;

(ii) a surface discontinuity; or (iii) an asymmetric geometry about one or more bisecting planes,
each of the plurality of sprinklers having a maximum operating pressure of at least 100 psi. independent of window arrangement construction.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the maximum operating pressure of each sprinkler in the plurality of horizontal window sprinklers is 175 psi. for a window arrangement in which the adjacent windows abut one another and the maximum operating pressure is 175 psi. for a window arrangement in which adjacent windows are separated by a vertical barrier.

12. A horizontal sidewall window sprinkler comprising:
a frame including a body having an inlet, an outlet with an internal passageway extending between the inlet and the outlet along a sprinkler axis; and
a fluid deflector located at a fixed distance from the outlet having a face for confronting a window, the fluid deflector consisting of three radially extending slots with each slot having a slot width and a maximum slot length, two of the slots being diametrically opposed about the sprinkler axis and the third slot being centered between the two diametrically opposed slots, the third slot defining a minimum slot width that is greater than any maximum slot length, the fluid deflector including: (i) a surface discontinuity; and (ii) an asymmetric geometry about one or more bisecting planes.

13. The sprinkler of claim 12 , wherein the deflector is asymmetrical with respect to a plane extending along the two diametrically opposed slots with a first planar portion and second concave portion, the third slot being formed in the concave portion.

14. The sprinkler of claim 12 , wherein the deflector is symmetric about a pair of spaced apart frame arms diametrically opposed about the outlet, the frame arms converging toward the sprinkler axis to form an apex, the deflector being affixed to the apex at a fixed distance from the outlet.

15. The sprinkler of claim 12 , wherein each of the two diametrically opposed slots are asymmetrical, each slot having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls with one sidewall defined by a concave portion of the fluid deflector and the other sidewall defined by a planar portion of the fluid d

Assignees

• Minimax Viking Res & Dev Gmbh

Inventors

• Drake Jonathan D

Classifications

• A62C31/02 Primary

  Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing · CPC title

• A62C37/14

  with frangible vessels · CPC title

• A62C3/14 Primary

  in connection with doors, windows, ventilators, partitions, or shutters, e.g. automatic closing · CPC title

• B05B1/265

  the liquid or other fluent material being symmetrically deflected about the axis of the nozzle · CPC title