Device for discharging fluids from a plurality of supply sources

Sept. 19, 1961 j. o. hruby, jr 3,000,575

DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING FLUIDS FROM A PLURALITY OF SUPPLY SOURCES

Filed June 19, 1959

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United States Patent Office

3,000,575

Patented Sept. 19, 1961

3,000,575

DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING FLUIDS FROM A PLURALITY OF SUPPLY SOURCES

John O. Hruby, Jr., Burbank, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Rain Jet Corporation, Burbank, Calif., a corporation of California

Filed June 19,1959, Ser. No. 821,489

Claims. (CI. 239—225)

This invention relates to fluid discharging devices and more particularly to devices for discharging fluids from a plurality of supply sources.

Devices of this invention are characterized by a tubular stem which is arranged in a hollow body and adapted to turn on an axis which extends longitudinally through the body whereby the stream of fluid being discharged from the stem becomes broken up into discrete droplets. Motivation of the stem results from flow of fluid through the body around the stem. The discharge of the motivated fluid from the body further serves to break up the stream of fluid from the stem. When the stem is adapted to be both rotated on its axis and gyrated around in the body as taught in United States Letters Patent No. 2,639,191 granted to me on May 19, 1953, such rotary and gyratory motions in combination with a strong discharge of motivating fluid may be made according to this invention to produce a finely dispersed stream having strong carrying power.

It is an object of this invention to provide a fluid discharging device of the above mentioned character which is adapted to receive fluids from a plurality of independent sources and to discharge the same in a mixed stream. By this invention a finely atomized spray of liquid may be produced employing a supply of gas to drive the stem from which the liquid is being discharged. Devices of this invention are advantageous for use as liquid or gaseous fuel burners, atomizers for internal combustion engines, and for aeration of gaseous or liquid streams.

More specifically, devices of this invention are especially advantageous for spraying a liquid insecticide upon trees, for example. The rotary action of the tubular stem through which the liquid insecticide will be discharged produces fine atomization, while the use of air under pressure to drive the stem and to further disperse the stream of liquid insecticide provides for high impact of the insecticide upon the foliage being sprayed. It should be noted, too, that substantial economy results from the use of air as a driving fluid. Also, because the air will break up the stream of liquid insecticide to a fine particle size and will increase the carrying power and the impact force of the insecticide particles in the spray, only a relatively small amount of insecticide need be employed.

Still further uses of devices embodying this invention are painting; cleaning or degreasing- as with chemical cleaners and steam or air; and for fire fighting purposes, i.e. injecting fire inhibiting chemicals, usually of the foam producing type, into a water stream to be discharged from a device of this invention employed as a fire nozzle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fluid discharging device for a plurality of fluids, which device is simple and rugged in construction, effective in operation for the purposes intended, and designed to be manufactured easily and at relatively low cost.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following part of this specification, wherein the details of construction and mode of operation of a preferred embodiment are described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a central longitudinal section through the device;

FIG. 2 is a top end view of the device; and

FIG. 3 is a cross section through the device taken on line 3—3 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, there is shown a fluid discharging device which is adapted to be connected 5 to two independent sources of fluid supply, e.g. a conduit 10 and a conduit 12, both of which may be in the form of a hose or pipe. For purposes of illustration, the pipe 10 will be referred to herein as being one for supplying a liquid, e.g. liquid insecticide, and the pipe 12 will be ₁₀ referred to herein as being one for supplying a gas, e.g. air.

The illustrated device comprises a hollow body 14 in the form of a cylindrical tube, the inside surface or wall thereof being designated by reference numeral 15. Such j g inside wall defines a passage or bore 16 extending through the body. An annular end face 18 defines the outer end of the body while the inner end of the body is defined by annular end face 19. A fluid discharge opening 20 in the outer end of the body is defined by a sleeve 21 which 2θ is force-fitted or otherwise suitably secured in the outer end portion of the body. A bearing sleeve 22 is forcefitted in the inner end of the body bore, it having a cylindrical bore 23 extending axially therethrough. The lower end face of the bearing sleeve 22 constitutes the lower end 25 face 19 of the body.

Arranged longitudinally in the bore of the body is a tubular stem 26 which extends through the bore 23 of the lower bearing sleeve. The stem is substantially smaller in its outside dimensions than the bore or discharge ₃₀ opening in the outer bearing sleeve 21. The bore 23 of the lower bearing sleeve is only slightly larger in diameter than the stem, enough so that the lower sleeve will accommodate rotation of the stem on its axis and will accommodate sufficient inclination of the stem with respect to ₃₅ the axis of the body passage to permit the stem to contact the inside wall which defines the bore of the outer sleeve 21.

In the illustrated embodiment the outer end portion 27 of the stem extends outwardly beyond the discharge open₄θ ing 20, but -as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after -a reading of this specification, the stem need not necessarily project outwardly beyond the discharge opening. Also, the stem of the illustrated embodiment is one which is movable longitudinally in the body bore to the position thereof shown in FIG. 1. Such outward move⁴⁵ ment of the stem results from the force of fluid flowing out from the pipe 1®.

Secured on the inner end portion 28 of the stem is a collar 29, the upper end of which provides -an annular bearing shoulder 30 which serves as a stop by engagement ³³ with the end face 19 of the body to limit outward movement of the stem. For the purposes of this invention the stem need not be movable longitudinally in the body.

Numeral 31 designates the axially extending passage or bore of the stem. An inlet opening 32 for the stem is ⁵⁵ formed in the inner end portion of the stem. For the illustrated embodiment such inlet opening constitutes the inner end of the stem passage 31.

There is an outlet opening 3'4 for the stem formed in the outer end or nozzle portion 27 of the stem. For the ⁶⁰ illustrated embodiment such outlet opening 34 defines the outer end of the stem passage 31. As best appears in FIG. 2, the outer end portion of the stem is preferably flattened and flared outwardly to form the outlet opening 34 as an elongate orifice whereby -liquid flowing through ³³ the stem will be discharged as a fan-shaped stream. Such flaring of the outer end of the stem further serves to provide -a stop which, by engagement with the rim of sleeve 21 when the stem has been moved or dropped inwardly of the body, serves to limit inward movement of the stem. ‘^u It will be apparent that air being discharged from opening 20 around the stem will cause break up of the fluid stream

3,000,575 ³from nozzle opening 34, and that nozzle openings of other forms than that illustrated and for some cases, a plurality of nozzle openings may be employed.

There is a plurality of apertures 37 formed in the side wall of the body for admitting fluid to the body bore from the supply pipe 12. There are four such apertures 37 in the illustrated embodiment. Bach of the apertures extends through the body wall at an angle with respect to the radii of the body bore for causing streams of fluid to enter the body bore thus to impart rotation to the fluid within the body. The apertures 37 are preferably tangential with respect to the body bore. The swirl of fluid within the body causes stem 26 to revolve or gyrate within the* body passage with the axis of the stem being inclined with respect to the axis of the body passage as appears in FIG. 1, the pivoting for the stem in its inclined gyratory movement occurring in the region of the abutment of the collar 29 against the inner bearing sleeve 22. The stem contacts one or both of the inside surfaces or rims of the outer and inner bearing sleeves whereby the stem will be caused to roll along one or both of said inside surfaces thus imparting rotation to the stem on its axis. It is intended that the foregoing explanation of the mode of operation of the stem 26 be understood as being but a plausible theory only. It might equally well be suggested that the stem is caused to rotate on its axis by the swirl of fluid in the body and that contacting of the rotating stem against one or both of the bearing members of the body causes gyration of the stem around in the body. Viewing the invention in its broadest aspect, advantageous results will be had from a device in which the stem only rotates on its 'axis and also from a device in which the stem may not rotate on its axis but gyrates around in the body.

Motivation of the stem 26 in its rotary and gyratory components causes a stream of liquid being discharged from the fan-shaped nozzle 34 to become broken up into discrete droplets which may be made to move at a relatively high speed from the outer end of the device depending on the pressure of fluid in the pipe 1®. Further break up of the stream of liquid droplets results from discharge of gas from pipe 12 and out through opening 20. A high pressure discharge of gas through opening 20 will atomize the stream of liquid droplets from nozzle 34 to a fine spray and will further increase the outward force of the spray particles from the device.

A cylindrical jacket, designated generally by reference numeral 4®, serves to connect the body 14 to the pipes 10 and 12. For convenience in explanation of the several functions of such jacket, it will be described herein as comprising an inner portion 41, the inner end of which is designated by numeral 42, and an outer portion 43, the outer end of which is designated by numeral 44. The line of division between such portions may be considered as being along a transverse plane through the jacket in the region of an elastomer seal ring 45 which is disposed intermediate ends 42 and 44 of the jacket.

Inner portion 41 is connected by screw threads ‘47 on the end of pipe 10 and serves in effect as a continuation of pipe 1® for conducting fluid from pipe 10 to the stem 26. The seal ring 45 closes the body against flow of fluid externally of the body beyond the seal. A small amount of fluid from pipe 10 may enter the body passage 16 around the stem and through the bore of the lower bearing sleeve 22.

Outer portion 43 of the jacket serves to provide flow communication from the pipe 12 to the apertures 37. In the illustrated embodiment the outer portion of the jacket defines an annular space 49 around the body, such space being closed at its outer end by an elastomer seal ring 50 and at its inner end by the elastomer seal 45. The seal ring 45 is mounted internally of the jacket between an internal annular flange 52 and a sleeve 53 which is held in place inside the jacket as by a nut 54.

For removably mounting the body 14 within the jacket 40, there is a nut 56 around the outer end of the body, the body being force-fitted or otherwise suitably secured in the nut. The nut is screw-threaded at 57 for securing the same in the jacket. Radially extending grooves 58 are formed in the outer end surface of the nut to accommodate a spanner wrench for tightening the body into the jacket. The inner end surface of the nut 56 compresses the seal ring 50 against an annular shoulder 59 thus to effect a seal in the outer end portion of the jacket for closing the space 49.

The jacket has an opening 61 extending therethrough for receiving a nipple 62 to which the pipe 12 is coupled as with coupling 63. It will be apparent that there may be a plurality of pipes such as pipe 12 to supply fluid from independent sources to the apertures 37.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein, in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims.