US2614885A - Spray nozzle with pressure operated clean out - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 21, 1952 w, J RQELL ET AL 2,614,885

SPRAY NOZZLE WITH PRESSURE OPERATED CLEAN OUT Filed March 19, 1949 .frzveniar l497/7amJ. Poe 7/70/7705 0. fierre'au out the various views, and in which Patented Oct. 21, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- SPRAY NOZZLE WITH PRESSURE OPERATED- CLEAN our William J. Roell and Thomas O. Berreau, Minneapolis Minn.

Application March 19, 1949, SerialNo. 82,392

4Cl aims. 1

This invention relates to spray nozzles With pressure operated clean outs.

It is the general object of the invention to provide a novel and improved spray nozzle including a needle Which can be moved in and out of the outlet orifice of thenozzle to clean the same and means for operating said needle through a pressure differential that can be controlled at a point remote from the nozzle.

\ Another object is to provide a spray nozzle ofcheap and inexpensive construction including. a clean out needle for the spray orifice that can be operated. by. fluid pressure to clean the nozzle as the supply of fluid to the nozzle is temporarily. out off.

A further object is to provide spraying equipment including spray nozzles Which can be cleanedrapidly when the spraying equipment isin use. Without removing the nozzles. or portions thereof from the spraying equipment.

Theobjects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following descriptionmade in connection with. the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts through- Fig. lisa view moreor less diagrammatically illustrating spraying equipment embodying. the invention; and a Fig. 2'is a vertical section taken through the sprat bar substantially on the line 2-2" of Fig. 1 as indicated by. the arrows.

There is shown a tank 3which. will contain the. liquid to be sprayed: andfifrom this tank a pipe 3 runs to the intake of a suitable pump 5. From the outlet of, the pump 5 a pipe 6 connects by a T fitting? to a pipe 8 connectedto a control valve ii. The control valve 9 is in turn connected to another pipe I forming a.

spray bariqConnected to the T fitting is a pipe l3 running to a three-Way fitting I4, and this-fitting I4 is in turn connected to a return line; l running back to the tank13. .The return line l5 is provided with aregulating valve 16 and a pressure gauge may; if desired, also be connected to this return line I5. The remaining connection of thethree-way fitting |4 iscOnnected to a branch line |8,.the major portion of whichis disposed in spaced parallel relationrelative to the spray bar Ill. Connected both. to the spray bar and to the branch line l8. are a number of spray nozzles, eachoi which is designated as an entirety by. the letter N.

Each spray nozzle Nincludes a body I!) havin ..a central: apertured. cross web 201 dividing the upper portion of the: body |9'. This fitting 237 has a central inlet OpBlllIlgwZl forming a fluid inlet portand the fitting-23 is also pro-.

vided with inner shoulders 25 which project inwardly relative to the cylindrical chamber 2|.

The branch line It? is connected: by a nipple.

26utoeach'port 24m The body l9 also has an intake. port2l1whichleads into the spray sup-.

ply chamber and an L-shaped nipple 28 connects the main spray-bar ||l-to the port 2'! of each spray nozzle.

Fitting within the lower part of the body 191 and received partially. within thespray supply chamber 22 is a spray orifice member. 2!} having a small orifice 30 through which the fluid is adapted to be sprayed. Immediately above" the orifice 3D the member 29' is provided-with an upwardly diverging walled portion 3| and preferably the extreme upper edge of the mem-\ ber '29is beveledas shown. The orificemem-j ber 2s has an external flange 32 which isheld in sealed abutment with the lower end of the: body I!) by a collar 33 having an internal thread. connected to; an externally threaded: portionnear the lower end of the body|9'.

Fitting within the pressure chamber 2| of the nozzle is a piston 34 carryingia stem 35 Whichprojects downwardly through the opening in the web 20 of the body. The stem 35 is of. truncated conical shape at: its lower end and it carries a needle 36 adapted for cooperative action with the orifice 30 upon reciprocation of the stem 35 to project in and out of the orifice 3|]. In other words,. the need1e 3B-is aligned with the orifice 30 and on the extreme down movement of the piston 34 this needle is adapted to work into the orifice 30 and to punch out any dirt or foreign matter which The conical pormay tend to clog the orifice. tion 3| of the orifice member 29 immediately above the orifice 30 tends to guide theneedle 36 into the orifice in case there is any tendency for the needle to be out of alignment with the orifice. A light coiled pressure spring 31 surrounds the stem Bil and bears at one end against the lower side of the piston 34- and at its other end against the cross web 20 of the body IS. The opening in the cross web 20 through which the stem 35 projects is made large enough so that there can be free communication between the two chambers 22 and 2! or, if desired, a small channel 38 may be out in the web at one side of the opening therethrough so as to assure such communication.

The valve 9 will preferably be a quick-acting valve and will be located at a position convenient to the operator of the spraying equipment. Thus, if the spraying equipment is mounted on a tractor and is being employed for agricultural spraying, the valve 9 will preferably be located near the seat of the tractor so that the valve 9 can be controlled by the tractor operator without getting off the seat.

In use, the pump 5 will draw the spray liquid from the tank 3 and force it through the pipe 6,

T fitting 1, and pipe 8 and valve 9 which is normally open, into the spray bar 89 and the fluid will be forced through the nipples 28 into the various spray supply chambers 22 of the different valves N. The liquid will be ejected through the orifice of the orifice members 29 in the usual fashion. Some of the fluid beingpumped by the pump 5 will be forced through the bypass line l3 and return line I5 back to the tank 3, and by regulating the valve l6 and by observing the pressure gauge I! it will be possible to regulate the pressure of the fluid being supplied to the various spray supply chambers 22 of the spray nozzles. As the pipe I8 which communicates through the three-way fitting l4 with the return line 13 communicates through the various nipples 26 with the pressure chambers 2| of the various spray nozzles above the pistons 34, the pressure above the pistons will be equalized by the pressure below the pistons and the springs 37 accordingly will hold the pistons in raised condition. In this connection, it has been before noted that the spray supply chambers 22 are in communication with the lower portions of the pressure chambers 2| below the pistons 34 and it will thus be readily understood that the fiuid pressure above and below the pistons 34 will be balanced while the valve 9 is open. Let us assume that as is often the case some of the solid matter in the fluid being sprayed temporarily clogs one or more of the orifices 30 in the various nozzles N. It is a very simple matter to unclog these orifices by merely operating the valve 9 to close off the supply of fluid from the spray bar IE to the various spray supply chambers 22 of the different nozzles. As the valve 9 is closed the fluid pressure within the spray supply chambers 22 and, accordingly, below the pistons 36 in the pressure chambers 2! is reduced relative to the fluid pressure in the pressure chambers 2| above the pistons 34. Accordingly, the pistons 3% will be forced downwardly against the tension of the springs 31, thereby causing the stems 35 and needles 36 to move downwardly to carry the needles 36 into the orifices 39 to punch out any accumulated dirt that may be in these orifices. The action takes place very fast and it is possible to temporarily close the valve 9 and immediately open it causing the unclogging of the various nozzles N almost instantaneously without skipping.

any substantial part of the area over which the sprayer travels. If the spraying equipment is mounted as on a tractor and the valve 9 is located adjacent the drivers seat, the unclogging of the nozzles can be very easily accomplished without the driver stopping the tractor and without necessitatin the drivers leaving his seat.

Of course, as the valve 9 after being closed is again opened, the pressure below and above the pistons 34 equalizes and the springs 31 thus force the pistons upwardly to return the needles 36 to their original position.

It will be seen that a simple but highly eflective nozzle construction has been provided which will permit the cleaning of the outlet orifice of the nozzle through a differential in pressure that may be created in the different portions of the nozzle. It will also be seen that a novel spray bar construction has been provided which will permit ready cleaning of the nozzle without detachment of parts of the nozzle.

While in the illustrated nozzle a piston is provided which will be operated by the differential in pressure, it will, of course, be understood that other pressure operated mechanism may be employed for reciprocating the clean out needle whenever desired.

It will also be understood that various other changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departure from the scope of the present invention which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown, and described, and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A spray nozzle comprising a body having an apertured cross web dividing the same into a pressure chamber and a spray supply chamber, both of said chambers having fluid admission ports, said spray supply chamber havin a spray outlet orifice, a reciprocating piston Working within said pressure chamber between said ports, a needle equipped stem connected to said piston and projecting through the aperture of said web, the needle of which stem is aligned with said spray orifice and resilient means urging said piston to move the needle of said needle equipped stem out of said orifice.

2. A spray nozzle comprising a body having an apertured cross web dividing the same into a pressure chamber and a spray supply chamber, a piston working within said pressure chamber, a stem connected to said piston projecting through the aperture of said cross web and running into said spray supply chamber, a needle carried by said stem, said spray supply chamber having a spray orifice aligned with said needle, a spring reacting between said piston and said cross web and urging said needle out of said orifice, said pressure chamber having a fluid supply inlet port at the opposite side of said piston from said cross web and said spray supply chamber having a fluid inlet port.

3.A spray bar comprising a fluid supply line, a branch line running therefrom, a spray nozzle having in communication first and second chambers, said nozzle having a spray orifice in said first chamber and both of said chambers having fluid inlets, said fluid supply line being connected to the fluid inlet in said first chamber and said branch line being connected to the fluid inlet in said second chamber, a valve in said supply line for closing off the supply of fluid to said first chamber while permitting the supply of fluid through said branch line to said second chamber, pressure actuated means located in said second chamber, a needle operated by said pressure actuated means and moveable into and out of said orifice and resilient means acting to urge said needle out of said orifice whereby when said valve is open and the pressure is equalized in said two chambers said resilient means will hold said needle out of said orifice and when said valve is closed and the pressure in said second chamber exceeds the combined pressure of said resilient means and the pressure in said first chamber said needle will be urged against the tension of the said resilient means into said orifice.

4. A spray nozzle comprising a body having a first chamber having an inlet and a second chamber having an inlet and communicating with said first chamber, a spray outlet orifice in said first chamber, a clean out needle mounted for reciprocation in said body for projection into and out of said outlet orifice, a piston working in said body between said inlets in said two chambers and connected to said needle and adapted to actuate said needle to move the same into said orifice when the pressure in said second chamber exceeds substantially the pressure in said first chamber, and resilient means acting in conjunction with said piston for moving said needle out of said orifice as the pressure in said first chamber equals or exceeds the pressure in said second chamber.

WILLIAM J. ROELL. THOMAS O. BERREAU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,253,794 Deem Jan. 15, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 654,979 France Apr. 12, 11929

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