U.S. patent number 3,924,809 [Application Number 05/485,504] was granted by the patent office on 1975-12-09 for construction for reducing vortex swirl in rotary water sprinklers.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Rain Bird Sprinkler, Mfg. Corporation. Invention is credited to Edward M. Troup.
United States Patent |
3,924,809 |
Troup |
December 9, 1975 |
Construction for reducing vortex swirl in rotary water
sprinklers
Abstract
A rotary impact driven sprinkler of the type having a range
nozzle for long distance water throw and a spreader nozzle for
shorter distance throw and which includes an elbow having a
converging passageway therethrough for reducing vortex swirl, and a
bleed opening in the passageway for further reducing the amount of
swirling water delivered to the range nozzle by bleeding the
swirling water from the main flow and directing that water to
supply the spreader nozzle.
Inventors: |
Troup; Edward M. (Glendora,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Rain Bird Sprinkler, Mfg.
Corporation (Glendora, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
23928431 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/485,504 |
Filed: |
July 3, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
239/230;
239/DIG.1; 239/233; 239/246; 239/262; 239/553.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B
3/0472 (20130101); Y10S 239/01 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
3/02 (20060101); B05B 3/04 (20060101); B05B
003/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/DIG.1,228,230-233,237,246,248,251-255,259,261,262,264,553-553.5,590-590.5 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schacher; Richard A.
Assistant Examiner: Kashnikow; Andres
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee &
Utecht
Claims
I claim:
1. In a rotary water sprinkler of the type including a body having
a lower portion defining an inlet water passage for receiving water
from a supply pipe, a curved central portion extending upwardly and
laterally from the lower portion and within which is a curved
central flow passage defined by a rear wall having an outer radius
of curvature and a forward wall having an inner radius of
curvature, and an upper portion extending from the central portion,
a range nozzle attached to the upper portion of the body for
ejecting a stream of water over a relatively long distance, and a
spreader nozzle attached to the central portion of the body for
ejecting a stream of water over a shorter distance, the improvement
comprising:
forming said central flow passage as a uniformly and upwardly
converging passageway of substantially circular cross section
whereby water flowing through said passage is accelerated in the
longitudinal direction of flow; and
providing a bleed opening through said forward wall below said
range nozzle and positioned to bleed swirling water particles from
the flow through said central flow passage and to channel said
swirling water particles to said spreader nozzle whereby the amount
of swirling water in the stream ejected through said range nozzle
is substantially reduced.
2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 in which said bleed
opening comprises an elongated slot through said forward wall.
3. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said spreader
nozzle is positioned below said range nozzle and in general
alignment therewith, and said bleed opening comprises an elongated
slot through said forward wall and through which water is supplied
to said spreader nozzle.
4. The improvement as defined in claim 3 wherein said body includes
a tubular projection extending from said central portion and
defining therein a flow conduit from said slot, said spreader
nozzle being attached to the end of said projection remote from
said slot.
5. The improvement as defined in claim 4 wherein said projection
extends obliquely from said central portion relative to said range
nozzle, and said body further includes a frame and an impact drive
assembly supported by said frame, said impact drive assembly
including an impact arm having a drive spoon attached at one end
and disposed to be normally aligned in the path of the stream
ejected by said spreader nozzle whereby said sprinkler is driven by
the stream from said spreader nozzle.
6. In a rotary water sprinkler of the type including a body having
a lower portion defining an inlet water passage for receiving water
from a supply pipe, a curved central portion extending upwardly and
laterally from the lower portion and within which is a curved
central flow passage defined by a rear wall having an outer radius
of curvature and a forward wall having an inner radius of
curvature, a range nozzle attached to and projecting from the upper
end of the central portion for ejecting a stream of water over a
relatively long distance, and a spreader nozzle attached to the
body for ejecting a stream of water over a shorter distance, the
improvement comprising:
forming said central flow passage as a uniformly and upwardly
converging passageway of substantially circular cross-section
whereby water flowing through said passage is accelerated in the
longitudinal direction of flow;
and providing a bleed opening through said forward wall below said
range nozzle, said bleed opening comprising a slot having
substantially parallel sides elongated in the longitudinal
direction of travel of water through said central flow passage, and
positioned to bleed swirling water particles from the flow through
said central flow passage and to channel said swirling water
particles to said spreader nozzle thereby to reduce the amount of
swirling water ejected by the range nozzle and increase
substantially the distance of throw of water ejected through the
range nozzle.
7. The improvement as defined in claim 6 including a tubular
projection extending from said forward wall and defining therein a
flow conduit, said bleed opening communicating with said passage
through said conduit, and said spreader nozzle being attached to
the outer end of said projection.
8. The improvement as defined in claim 7 wherein said tubular
projection extends below said range nozzle in general alignment
therewith.
9. The improvement as defined in claim 7 wherein said sprinkler
includes an impact drive assembly attached to said body for
providing incremental rotation of said sprinkler.
10. The improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein said drive
assembly includes an impact arm pivotally attached to said body and
carrying a drive spoon at one end, said drive spoon being disposed
to normally lie in the path of the stream ejected by said spreader
nozzle whereby said sprinkler is driven by the stream from said
spreader nozzle.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to rotary water sprinklers for use in
irrigation and more particularly to a new and improved rotary
sprinkler of the type having a primary nozzle for relatively long
distance water throw and a secondary nozzle for relatively short
distance water throw.
There are numerous rotary sprinklers presently on the market which
include a primary nozzle, often referred to as a "range nozzle,"
for providing the primary source of irrigating water, and a
secondary nozzle, typically called a "spreader nozzle," which
ejects a smaller water stream. Exemplary of these types of
sprinklers are those manufactured and sold by Rain Bird Sprinkler
Manufacturing Corp. of Glendora, Calif. under its designations
85E-TNT/95E-TNT (part circle sprinklers), and full circle
sprinklers 80C and 80E Series as shown on pages 64 and 80,
respectively, of the Rain Bird 1974 Irrigation Equipment
Catalogue.
Such sprinklers are typically used in situations where relatively
large areas are to be irrigated, the range nozzle functioning to
eject its stream over a relatively great distance with its main
fallout occuring well away from the sprinkler, and the spreader
nozzle functioning to eject its stream over a shorter distance to
produce relatively rapid fallout and fill in the area of low
fallout created by the range nozzle. The range nozzle typically is
disposed to traject its stream in a direction upwardly and
laterally away from the sprinkler so that the water from the supply
pipe which is usually vertically disposed must travel through a
curved, generally elbow shaped path to the range nozzle.
It has been found that as the water travels through the elbow,
vortex swirl is introduced into the water flowing to the range
nozzle so that the water ejected from the range nozzle includes
water particles which are traveling with a spiral motion in their
direction of travel. This results in a substantial reduction in the
distance of travel of the water stream from the range nozzle before
fallout and a reduction in the area which can be effectively
irrigated by the sprinkler.
To over come this problem, various attempts have been made at
reducing the vortex swirl of the water ejected from the range
nozzle. One of the most successful solutions has been to form anti
swirl vanes inside the sprinkler downstream from the elbow and
upstream from the range nozzle and which attempt to align the water
particles into a straight line flow condition prepatory to being
ejected from the range nozzle.
While the provision of straightening vanes has increased the
effective distance of water throw from the range nozzle, such vanes
have also introduced several additional problems and have not fully
solved the underlying problem. For example, the provision of vanes
adds additional material and labor costs to the construction of
such sprinklers, and the vanes tend to provide a flow restriction
which may result in clogging of the sprinkler after prolonged use
and the build up of dirt and particulate matter around the
vanes.
Thus, it is apparent that there exists a need for a new and
improved sprinkler of the type referred to above which is simple
and inexpensive in construction, and which will increase the
effective distance of water throw from the range nozzle yet be
trouble free in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a sprinkler construction which
substantially reduces the amount of vortex swirl of the water
flowing through an elbow to a range nozzle and which significantly
increases the effective area irrigated over similar types of prior
art sprinklers. Moreover, the sprinkler construction of the present
invention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is trouble free
and reliable in use, and attains its improved result without
requiring anti swirl vanes or the like.
More specifically, the flow passage through the elbow leading to
the range nozzle is formed as a uniformly converging passageway of
circular cross-section and which accelerates the flow in the
lonitudinal direction of travel to reduce the amount of energy that
is available for producing vortex swirl. The passageway also
includes a lateral bleed opening which is positioned to effectively
bleed swirling water particles from the flow to the range nozzle
and to channel the swirling water to a spreader nozzle.
The passageway through the elbow is defined by a rear wall having
an outer radius of curvature and a forward wall having an inner
radius of curvature, and the bleed opening is formed as a slot
through the forward wall. The spreader nozzle is attached to the
end of a tubular projection extending laterally from the elbow
below the range nozzle and in general alignment therewith, and has
an internal conduit communicating with the bleed opening. With this
construction, a substantial portion of the water swirl that is
produced during flow through the elbow is channeled out of the main
flow and directed to the spreader nozzle.
Although the formation of vortex swirl may not be entirely
eliminated by the converging passageway through the elbow, it will
be appreciated that not only is the amount of swirl reduced
appreciably, but the bleed opening cooperates to channel off much
of the swirl that is developed during travel through the elbow
thereby to increase the distance of water throw from the range
nozzle. Further, it should be appreciated that the construction of
the sprinkler is relatively simple, easy to manufacture and free of
clogging problems of prior art sprinklers.
Many other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the drawings which disclose, by way of example,
the principles of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view with portions shown in
perspective, of a rotary, impact driven sprinkler embodying the
principles of the invention and which includes a range nozzle and a
spreader nozzle;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view taken substantially in the
direction of line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3
of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is another sectional view and taken substantially along line
4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a further sectional view and taken substantially along
line 5--5 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the sprinkler of
FIG. 1; and
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the sprinkler of FIG.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in the exemplary drawings, the present invention is
embodied in a new and improved rotary water sprinkler 10 of the
type having a primary or range nozzle 12 for ejecting a stream of
water over a relatively long distance, and a secondary or spreader
nozzle 14 for ejecting a water stream over a shorter distance. In
this instance, the sprinkler 10 is coupled to a generally vertical
water supply pipe 16 which provides pressurized water to the
sprinkler, and is mounted for full circle rotation in one direction
about the pipe. In this connection, it should be appreciated that
although the sprinkler 10 is illustrated as a full circle type
sprinkler, the sprinkler can be adapted for part circle operation
by providing a suitable reversing mechanism of conventional
design.
Referring primarily to FIGS. 1 and 6, the sprinkler 10 includes a
body 18, herein formed from a metal casting, having a lower portion
20 defining an internal, generally vertical water inlet passage 22
which communicates with the supply pipe 16 through a conventional
rotary coupling 24 comprising a tubular spindle 26 journaled within
a sleeve 28 threaded to the pipe, and a bearing spring 30
compressed between the body and a pair of bearing rings 32 disposed
around the spindle above the sleeve. A curved central portion or
elbow 34 of the body 18 projects upwardly and laterally from the
lower portion 20 and terminates in an upper tubular portion 36 to
which the range nozzle 12 is coupled. The range nozzle 12
communicates with the vertical inlet passage 26 through a curved
central flow passage 38, within the elbow 34 and which if cut
longitudinally along the centerline as seen in FIG. 1 is defined by
a rear wall 35 having an outer radius of curvature and a forward
wall 37 having an inner radius of curvature. The elbow 34, is
formed so that water ejected from the range nozzle 12 travels in an
upwardly and laterally directed path from the sprinkler 10.
While the range nozzle 12 can take various forms, herein the nozzle
comprises a tube of circular cross-section having an elongated
cylindrical section 40 which projects outwardly from the body 18
and converges uniformly to an outlet section 42. Inwardly, the
cylindrical section 40 terminates in an enlarged peripheral flange
44 which is clamped to the upper end portion 36 of the body 18 by
an oppositely flanged collar 46 threaded to the body. An O-ring
seal 48 disposed between the outer end of the body 18 and the inner
surface of the flange 44 forms a liquid seal between the range
nozzle 12 and the body to prevent water leakage.
For reasons that will become more apparent hereinafter, the
spreader nozzle 14 is coupled to the outer end of a tubular
projection 50 which extends outwardly from the elbow 34 and located
below the range nozzle 12 in general alignment therewith. Depending
below the tubular projection 50 is an open sided, generally
U-shaped frame or cage 52 comprising a front post 54 projecting
downwardly from the tubular projection, a base plate 56 projecting
rearwardly from the lower end of the post, and a rear strut 58
attached to the rear end of the base and to the lower portion 20 of
the body.
For driving the sprinkler 10 in a rotary direction about the supply
pipe 16, an impact drive assembly 60 of generally conventional
design is supported by the cage 52 of the body 18 below the range
nozzle 12. Herein, the impact drive assembly 60 is operated by the
water stream ejected from the spreader nozzle 14 and produces
incrimental rotation of the sprinkler 10 in a clockwise direction
about the supply pipe 16 as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6, the impact drive assembly 60
comprises an impact arm 62 mounted adjacent one end, the left end
in FIG. 1, for rotation on a journal pin 64 supported between the
tubular projection 50 and the base 56 of the cage 52, and carries a
drive spoon or vane 66 at its opposite end which is designed to be
aligned with the spreader nozzle 14 so that the water stream from
the spreader nozzle can impinge on the vane. A torsion spring 68
connected at its lower end to the base 56 and at its upper end to
the impact arm 62 normally biases the vane 66 into the path of the
water stream from the spreader nozzle 14 and operates in a
conventional manner to pull the vane back into the stream from the
spreader nozzle when the vane has been deflected out of the stream
by the stream pressure, thereby causing the impact arm to strike
the foreward post 54 of the cage 52 and impart an incremental
rotation to the sprinkler 10.
In accordance with the present invention, the central flow passage
38 and the tubular projection 50 cooperate to effectively reduce
swirling motion of water flowing through the elbow 34 to the range
nozzle 12 and significantly increase the distance of throw of the
water stream ejected by the range nozzle to enlarge the size of the
area irrigated by the sprinkler 10. Further, the sprinkler 10 of
this invention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is trouble
free and reliable in use, and does not require any vanes or the
like in the water passages to obtain its improved result.
Toward the foregoing ends, the central flow passage 38 is formed as
a uniformly and upwardly converging passageway of circular
cross-section and which includes a lateral bleed opening 70
positioned in such a manner to effectively bleed swirling water
particles from the central flow passage and supply pressurized
water through the tubular projection 50 to the spreader nozzle 14.
It has been found that by forming the central passage 38 as a
uniformly converging passageway, the water flowing through the
central passage is accelerated in the longitudinal direction of
flow, and a substantial reduction in the amount of vortex swirl
produced in the water flowing through the elbow 34 is achieved.
Moreover, by appropriately locating the bleed opening 70 to the
spreader nozzle 14, a substantial portion of the water swirl that
is developed during flow through the elbow 34 can be channeled out
of the main flow and directed to the spreader nozzle.
Referring primarily to FIG. 1, as water passes through the elbow
34, vortex swirl is introduced due to the longer distance water
particles near the rear wall 35 must travel as compared with water
particles traveling near the forward wall 37. The vortex swirl
induced into the flow tends to take the form of eddy currents
traveling from the centerline of the elbow 34 upwardly toward the
rear wall 35, then laterally around the periphery and downwardly
toward the forward wall 37, and then back in an upwardly direction
toward the centerline as FIG. 1 is viewed.
By accelerating the flow in the direction of the centerline of the
elbow 34, a substantial reduction in vortex swirl is achieved due
to an increase in the amount of energy required to accelerate the
flow in the direction of the centerline and a consequential
reduction in the amount of energy available for vortex flow. Thus,
the formation of vortex swirl is inhibited substantially by the
converging nature of the central flow passage 38.
Additionally, the bleed opening 70 is formed in the forward wall 37
so that a substantial portion of the vortex swirl that is produced
during travel through the elbow 34 will be directed to the spreader
nozzle 14 rather than rejoining the main flow to the range nozzle
12. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bleed opening 70 is formed
as a slot through the forward wall 37 and which has parallel sides
72 elongated in the longitudinal direction and connected by rounded
ends 74.
Water bled from the main flow in the central passage 38 through the
bleed opening 70 is directed to the spreader nozzle 14 through a
conduit 76 defined within the tubular projection 50. As shown in
FIGS. 3 through 5, the conduit 76 has a substantially constant
cross-sectional area although the shape continuously and uniformly
changes from an elliptical configuration (FIG. 2) adjacent the
bleed opening 70 to a circular configuration (FIG. 5) adjacent the
outer end of the tubular projection to which the spreader nozzle 14
is attached, herein by a threaded connection 78.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, it will be noted that the tubular
projection 70 is obliquely disposed to project outwardly from the
elbow 34 at a small lateral angle with respect to the range nozzle
12 so that the water stream from the spreader nozzle 14 will be
ejected somewhat laterally and not be directly below that ejected
by the range nozzle. It has been found that if the stream from the
spreader nozzle 14 were directed below that of the range nozzle 12,
water from the spreader nozzle would tend to be sucked into the
range nozzle stream and disrupt the fallout pattern. By laterally
offsetting the direction of the stream from the spreader nozzle 14,
the water particles in the stream from the spreader nozzle will not
be sucked into the stream from the range nozzle 12.
In comparative tests between a sprinkler constructed in accordance
with the present invention and a conventional sprinkler of the same
size and general type and which included anti swirl internal vanes,
it was found that about a 15 percent increase in the effective
distance of water throw under substantially the same conditions was
achieved with the sprinkler employing the principles of the present
invention. Thus, it should be apparent that the present invention
substantially enhances the effective watering area of a sprinkler
having a range nozzle and a spreader nozzle, even one employing
anti swirl vanes upstream from the range nozzle.
While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and
discribed, it should be apparent that various modifications and
variations therein can be made without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention.
* * * * *