Automatic volume adjusting fire hose nozzle with flushing mechanism

Abstract

A fire hose nozzle having a tubular body part and a pressure responsive valve assembly shiftable in the body part. A barrel member spacedly encircles parts of the pressure responsive valve assembly and is shiftable toward and away from the valve head of the assembly for the purpose of allowing flushing of the valve.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. In a fire hose nozzle including a tubular body part having an inlet end and an outlet end, a pressure responsive valve assembly shiftable in said body part and including a valve head and a valve stem, said valve head being shiftable toward and away from said body part outlet in response to variations in pressure of liquid supplied to said nozzle, the improvement comprising a barrel member having fore and aft ends surrounding said valve stem, the aft end of the said barrel member fitting slidably within the outlet end of said body part, said barrel member being shiftable longitudinally relative to said body part between a forward position in which the barrel member fore end spacedly encircles said valve head to define a liquid flow path from the nozzle and a rearward position in which the barrel member fore end is shifted rearwardly of the valve head to increase the spacing between the barrel member and valve head, a sleeve member encircling the fore end of said body part and surrounding said barrel member, means rotatably connecting said sleeve member to said body part wherein rotation of the sleeve member upon the body part causes the sleeve member to shift longitudinally of the body part between extended and retracted positions, said sleeve member including abutment part means for contacting said barrel member to shift the barrel member from its forward position into its rearward position as said sleeve member is shifted from its extended position into its retracted position. 
     
     
       2. The fire hose nozzle of claim 1 and biasing means yieldably urging said barrel member into its forward position. 
     
     
       3. The fire hose nozzle of claim 2 wherein said biasing means is a helical spring encircling said valve stem and abutting each of said barrel member and body part. 
     
     
       4. The fire hose nozzle of claim 2 wherein said sleeve means extends beyond said valve head in an annular spaced relationship to define in conjunction with said valve head and barrel member a liquid flow outlet for the nozzle having variable flow pattern characteristics depending upon the shiftable position of the sleeve member relative to the body part. .Iadd. 
     
     
       5.  The fire hose nozzle of claim 1 wherein said barrel member includes a wall part defining reaction surface means which liquid when flowing through said barrel member contacts for urging said barrel member from its said rearward position into its said forward position. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 6. In a fire hose nozzle including a tubular body part having an inlet end and an outlet end, a valve assembly in said body part and including a valve head and a valve stem, the improvement comprising a barrel member having fore and aft ends surrounding said valve stem, the aft end of said barrel member fitting slidably within the outlet end of said body part, said barrel member being shiftable longitudinally relative to said body part between a forward position in which the barrel member fore end spacedly encircles said valve head and a rearward position in which the barrel member fore end is shifted rearwardly of the valve head to increase the spacing between the barrel member and valve head, said barrel member including a wall part defining a liquid flow path from a location internally of said body part to adjacent said valve head, said wall part including reaction surface means which liquid when flowing through said barrel member contacts for urging said barrel member from its rearward position into its forward position, a sleeve member encircling the fore end of said body part and surrounding said barrel member, means rotatably connecting said sleeve member to said body part wherein rotation of the sleeve member upon the body part causes the sleeve member to shift longitudinally of the body part between extended and retracted positions, said sleeve member including abutment part means for contacting said barrel member to shift the barrel member from its forward position into its rearward position as said sleeve member is shifted from its extended position into its retracted position. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 7. The fire hose nozzle of claim 6 and biasing means yieldably urging said barrel member into its forward position. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 8. The fire hose nozzle of claim 7 wherein said biasing means is a helical spring encircling said valve stem and abutting each of said barrel member and body part. .Iaddend..Iadd. 9. The fire hose nozzle of claim 7 wherein said sleeve means extends beyond said valve head in an annular spaced relationship to define in conjunction with said valve head and barrel member a liquid flow outlet for the nozzle having variable flow pattern characteristics depending upon the shiftable position of the sleeve member relative to the body part. .Iaddend.