Fire truck

Abstract

To provide a fire-fighting vehicle capable of downsizing members constituting a pipe line to a suction port of the fire-fighting vehicle from a plurality of water intake ports.SOLUTION: A fire-fighting vehicle comprises: a power takeoff device 9; a subframe 6 provided on a chassis frame 2; a fire-fighting pump 12 which is provided in a rear part of the subframe 6, and an input shaft of which is connected to the power takeoff device 9 via a drive shaft 11; a first water intake port 21 and a second water intake port 22; and a manifold 16 comprising a first pipe port 16a, a second pipe port 16b, and a third pipe port 16c, and internally provided with a communication part 16e for causing these pipe ports to communicate with one another. The first water intake port 21 is connected to the first pipe port 16a of the manifold 16 via a first water intake port pipe 17. The second water intake port 22 is connected to the second pipe port 16b of the manifold 16 via a second water intake port pipe 19. A suction port 12a of the fire-fighting pump 12 is connected to the third pipe port 16c of the manifold 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire truck equipped with equipment necessary for fire fighting activities.

Background Art

[0002] Fire trucks are equipped with fire fighting equipment for sucking water from fire hydrants, fire tanks, etc. and discharging it from a hose. The fire fighting equipment is composed of a fire pump, a suction port, a discharge port, pipes connected between these, a fire suction pipe connected to the suction port, a fire hose connected to the discharge port, and the like. As a fire truck equipped with fire fighting equipment, for example, the fire truck described in Patent Document 1 (in the same document, it is referred to as a "fire rescue vehicle") can be cited.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The fire truck disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a fire pump installed at the rear and two suction ports installed behind it. And, as shown in FIG. 6, as a pipe connecting the two suction ports 101 and the suction port 102a of the fire pump 102, a confluence pipe 103 that merges two pipelines into one pipeline is provided.

[0005] Since the confluence pipe 103 occupies a relatively large space among the pipes used in the fire truck, it is desired to be miniaturized. Since the fire truck needs to secure a space for mounting a large number of fire fighting tools and equipment for fire fighting activities, if there is something that can be miniaturized among the pipes, it is desired to be miniaturized.

[0006] However, since the confluence pipe 103 is generally manufactured by welding commercially available pipe materials such as elbows and tees, it has been difficult to miniaturize. For example, since the radius of curvature, pipe diameter, etc. of commercially available elbows are determined by standards, it has been difficult to miniaturize the confluence pipe 103 while satisfying predetermined specifications (flow rate, strength, etc.).

[0007] The present invention has been devised in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fire truck capable of miniaturizing a member forming a pipeline from a plurality of water intakes to the suction port of a fire pump.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The fire truck according to the present invention includes a power take-off device provided in a traveling engine, a sub-frame provided on a chassis frame, a fire pump provided at the rear of the sub-frame and having an input shaft connected to the power take-off device via a drive shaft, a first water intake and a second water intake, and further includes a manifold having a first pipe port, a second pipe port, and a third pipe port, and a communication portion communicating these pipe ports provided therein. The first water intake is connected to the first pipe port of the manifold via a first water intake pipe, the second water intake is connected to the second pipe port of the manifold via a second water intake pipe, and the suction port of the fire pump is connected to the third pipe port of the manifold, which is characterized.

[0009] Since the fire truck according to the present invention includes the manifold as a member forming a pipeline from the first water intake and the second water intake to the suction port of the fire pump, it is possible to miniaturize the member as compared with the case where the member is configured using commercially available elbows, tees, etc.

[0010] In the fire truck having the above configuration, it may further include a water tank mounted on the sub-frame, the manifold may further have a fourth pipe port, and the water tank may be connected to the fourth pipe port of the manifold via a water tank pipe.

[0011] According to the fire truck having such a configuration, since the piping for the water tank is connected to the fire pump via a manifold instead of being connected to the fire pump via commercially available elbows, tees, etc., the piping space required to connect the piping for the water tank and the fire pump can be reduced.

[0012] It is desirable that the manifold has a main body portion with a rectangular parallelepiped shape in appearance, and four flanges welded to the main body portion and having the first pipe connection port to the fourth pipe connection port formed at their central portions, respectively.

[0013] According to the fire truck having such a configuration, since the main body portion of the manifold has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the manifold can be easily manufactured.

[0014] It is desirable that the main body portion of the manifold is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape by welding a plate material.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the fire truck according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the pipe material forming the flow path from the first water suction port and the second water suction port to the suction port of the pump.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, a fire truck according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a fire and rescue vehicle that can store equipment necessary for fire fighting activities and rescue activities and can perform fire fighting activities and rescue activities will be described as an example of a fire truck.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, a fire truck 1 according to the present embodiment has a cab 3 for crew members mounted on the front part of a chassis frame 2, and a traveling engine 4 is mounted on the chassis frame 2 below the cab 3. A sub-frame 6 is installed on the chassis frame 2. A storage compartment 7 and a water tank 8 are installed on the sub-frame 6 behind the cab 3. Equipment for use in fire fighting activities and rescue activities is stored in the storage compartment 7, and fire fighting water is stored in the water tank 8.

[0019] A power take-off device 9 is provided on the traveling engine 4. The input shaft of a fire pump 12 is connected to the power take-off device 9 via a drive shaft 11. Therefore, the fire pump 12 is driven by the rotational power of the traveling engine 4. In the present embodiment, the drive shaft 11 is configured by using a plurality (three in the present embodiment) of drive shafts 11A, 11B, and 11C connected to each other via a joint member 13. The joint member 13 is rotatably supported by the sub-frame 6 via a bearing (not shown).

[0020] The fire pump 12 is provided at the rear part of the sub-frame 6 (a position behind the rear wheels of the fire truck 1). A first suction port 21, a second suction port 22, a first discharge port 31, and a second discharge port 32 are provided rearward from the fire pump 12. In FIG. 2, the opening directions of the first suction port 21 and the second suction port 22 and the first discharge port 31 and the second discharge port 32 are drawn in opposite directions, but actually, as described above, the first suction port 21, the second suction port 22, the first discharge port 31, and the second discharge port 32 are provided facing the rear of the vehicle.

[0021] The first water intake port 21 and the second water intake port 22 are connected to the intake port 12a of the fire pump 12 via pipes and a manifold 16 (see Figure 2). The first water discharge port 31 and the second water discharge port 32 are connected to the discharge port 12b of the fire pump 12 via pipes (see Figure 2). For example, a centrifugal pump is used as the fire pump 12. In addition, a vacuum pump 14 is attached to the fire pump 12. The vacuum pump 14 discharges the air in the pump housing of the fire pump 12 and fills it with water at the start of operation of the fire pump 12, enabling the fire pump 12 to suck water.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the manifold 16 includes a first pipe connection port 16a, a second pipe connection port 16b, a third pipe connection port 16c, and a fourth pipe connection port 16d. The manifold 16 also has a communication part 16e inside that communicates these pipe connection ports 16a to 16d.

[0023] The first water intake port 21 is connected to the first pipe connection port 16a via a first water intake pipe 17. An on-off valve 18 that can manually open and close the internal flow path is provided in the first water intake pipe 17.

[0024] The second water intake port 22 is connected to the second pipe connection port 16b via a second water intake pipe 19. An on-off valve 20 that can manually open and close the internal flow path is also provided in the second water intake pipe 19.

[0025] The intake port 12a of the fire pump 12 is connected to the third pipe connection port 16c. The water tank 8 is connected to the fourth pipe connection port 16d via a water tank pipe 23.

[0026] In the water tank 8, fire extinguishing water is stored. When the on-off valve V1 provided in the middle of the water tank pipe 23 is opened, the fire extinguishing water in the water tank 8 flows into the communication part 16e in the manifold 16 through the water tank pipe 23, and further flows into the pump housing of the fire pump 12 through the communication part 16e. Since the water tank 8 is installed at a position higher than the manifold 16 and the fire pump 12, when the on-off valve V1 is opened, due to the action of gravity, the fire extinguishing water flows from the water tank 8 into the manifold 16 and the pump housing of the fire pump 12, and these are filled with water. Note that, for example, a motor valve that opens and closes the flow path by driving a motor is used for the on-off valve V1.

[0027] On the other hand, a discharge side pipe 25 is connected to the discharge port 12b of the fire pump 12 via a check valve V2. The check valve V2 is provided to close the flow path in the discharge side pipe 25 and prevent the fire extinguishing water in the fire pump 12 from flowing back when the running engine 4 stops.

[0028] The downstream side of the discharge side pipe 25 branches into two, one of the branches is connected to the first discharge port 31 via the first discharge port pipe 26, and the other branch is connected to the second discharge port 32 via the second discharge port pipe 27. On the first discharge port pipe 26 and the second discharge port pipe 27, on-off valves 36, 37 that can manually open and close the internal flow path are respectively provided.

[0029] In addition, a water tank water supply pipe 28 that connects the discharge side pipe 25 and the water tank 8 is also provided. An on-off valve V3 that opens and closes the internal flow path is also provided on the water tank water supply pipe 28. For example, a motor valve that opens and closes the flow path by driving a motor is used for this on-off valve V3. Note that a check valve 29 that prevents the water in the water tank 8 from flowing back to the fire pump 12 side is provided at the downstream end of the water tank water supply pipe 28.

[0030] Also, a chemical solution tank 34 is connected to an intermediate portion of the discharge-side pipe 25 via a chemical solution injection pipe 33. Further, an intermediate portion of the chemical solution injection pipe 33 is provided with a motor pump unit 35 for foaming the chemical solution in the chemical solution tank 34 and feeding it to the discharge-side pipe 25 side, and a check valve 38 for preventing backflow is provided on the downstream side thereof.

[0031] Next, the manifold 16 will be described in detail.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the manifold 16 includes a main body portion 160 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape in appearance, first to fourth pipe ports 16a to 16d, and first to fourth flanges 161 to 164.

[0033] The main body portion 160 is formed by welding a plate material into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The first pipe port 16a and the second pipe port 16b are arranged side by side on the surface (hereinafter also referred to as "first surface 41") facing the directions of the first water suction port 21 and the second water suction port 22 among the six surfaces forming the rectangular parallelepiped shape of the main body portion 160.

[0034] The third pipe port 16c is provided on the surface (hereinafter also referred to as "second surface 42") facing the direction of the fire pump 12 among the six surfaces forming the rectangular parallelepiped shape of the main body portion 160.

[0035] The fourth pipe port 16d is formed on the surface (hereinafter also referred to as "third surface 43") facing the side of the vehicle (the left side of the vehicle in this embodiment) among the six surfaces forming the rectangular parallelepiped shape of the main body portion 160.

[0036] Note that, as described above, the positions where the first to fourth pipe ports 16a to 16d are provided in the main body portion 160 are merely examples, and should be appropriately changed according to the installation positions of the manifold 16 with respect to the first discharge port 31, the second discharge port 32, and the fire pump 12.

[0037] The main body part 160 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape by welding a plate material. For the plate material used for the main body part 160, in order to reduce the weight, it is desirable to use a thin plate material (for example, a plate material with a thickness of 4 mm). However, when using a thin plate material, the water pressure resistance of the main body part 160 decreases. For example, when it is assumed that the main body part 160 receives relay water from other fire pump vehicles, it is desirable that the water pressure resistance of the main body part 160 is high. Therefore, in order to improve the water pressure resistance of the main body part 160, a reinforcing member 165 is provided on the main body part 160. The reinforcing member 165 is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the main body part 160 at the intermediate position in the longitudinal direction (the intermediate position in the vehicle width direction) of the main body part 160, and is composed of a plate material welded so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the main body part 160. Note that although the reinforcing member 165 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is provided so as to avoid interference with the third flange 163, if the position and size of the third flange 163 are different from those illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 and the reinforcing member 165 does not interfere with the third flange 163 even when provided over the entire circumference of the main body part 160, it is desirable to provide the reinforcing member 165 over the entire circumference of the main body part 160.

[0038] The first flange 161 and the second flange 162 are welded to the main body part 160, and a first pipe connection port 16a and a second pipe connection port 16b are respectively formed at the central portions thereof. Specifically, the first flange 161 and the second flange 162 are fitted into circular openings formed in the plate material forming the first surface 41, and the entire circumference thereof is welded to the plate material forming the first surface 41 without a gap. Since a plate material thicker than the plate material used for the main body part 160 is used for the first flange 161 and the second flange 162, the first flange 161 and the second flange 162 also function as reinforcing materials for improving the water pressure resistance of the main body part 160.

[0039] The third flange 163 is welded to the main body 160, and a third pipe connection port 16c is formed at the center thereof. Specifically, the third flange 163 is fitted into an opening formed in the plate material forming the second surface 42, and is welded to the plate material forming the second surface 42 and the plate materials forming the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 160 without any gaps. Since a plate material thicker than the plate material used for the main body 160 is used for the third flange 163, the third flange 163 also functions as a reinforcing material for improving the water pressure resistance of the main body 160.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present invention, the main body 160 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape by welding plate materials, but it may be formed by cutting a metal casting, or may be further formed by cutting a metal angle bar.

[0041] The fourth flange 164 is welded to the main body 160, and a fourth pipe connection port 16d is formed at the center thereof. Specifically, the fourth flange 164 is arranged such that a circular opening formed in the plate material forming the third surface 43 and the opening of the fourth flange 164 are continuous, and is welded to the plate material forming the third surface 43 without any gaps.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, port members 166, 167, 168 are welded. These port members 166, 167, 168 are used to connect pipes, valves, etc. to the main body 160 of the manifold 16. Although it is relatively difficult to weld a port member to a pipe such as the confluence pipe 103 shown in the conventional example, it is relatively easy to weld a port member to each surface of the main body 160 of the manifold 16 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the port member 166 is used to connect the downstream side of the first ejector valve V4, whose upstream side is connected to the first suction port pipe 17, to the main body 160 of the manifold 16. The port member 167 is used to connect the downstream side of the second ejector valve V5, whose upstream side is connected to the second suction port pipe 19, to the main body 160 of the manifold 16. The port member 168 is used to connect the drain pipe 169 to the main body 160 of the manifold 16.

[0044] According to the fire truck 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the following operational effects are achieved.

[0045] The fire truck 1 according to the present embodiment uses the manifold 16 described above as a member that forms a pipeline from the first suction port 21 and the second suction port 22 to the suction port 12a of the fire pump 12. As described with reference to FIG. 6, conventionally, it has been difficult to miniaturize a member (confluence pipe 103) that forms a pipeline from a plurality of suction ports 101 to the suction port of the fire pump 102. However, the manifold 16 in the present embodiment can be easily manufactured in a desired size. Therefore, by manufacturing and using the manifold 16 with the minimum size that satisfies predetermined specifications (flow rate, strength, etc.), the space required between the first suction port 21, the second suction port 22, and the fire pump 12 can be significantly reduced.

[0046] In addition, in the fire truck 1 according to the present embodiment, since the water tank 8 is connected to the manifold 16 via the water tank pipe 23, the fire extinguishing water stored in the water tank 8 can be used as the priming water at the start of operation of the fire pump 12. In the fire truck 1, the air in the pump housing of the fire pump 12 can be removed by the vacuum pump 14, and water can be drawn into the pump housing, so that a reliable and rapid water discharge operation can be performed.

[0047] In addition, the water tank piping 23 of the fire truck 1 is not connected to the fire pump 12 via commercially available elbows, tees, etc., but is connected to the fire pump 12 via the manifold 16. Therefore, the piping space required to connect the water tank piping 23 and the fire pump 12 can also be reduced.

Industrial Applicability

[0048] The present invention can be applied to fire trucks.

Explanation of Signs

[0049] 1 Fire truck 2 Chassis frame 4 Traveling engine 6 Sub-frame 8 Water tank 9 Power take-off device 11 Drive shaft 12 Fire pump 12a Suction port 16 Manifold 16a First pipe connection port 16b Second pipe connection port 16c Third pipe connection port 16d Fourth pipe connection port 16e Communication part 160 Main body part 161 First flange 162 Second flange 163 Third flange 164 Fourth flange 17 First suction port piping 19 Second suction port piping 21 First suction port 22 Second suction port 23 Water tank piping

Claims

1. A power take-off device provided in a running engine, a sub-frame provided on a chassis frame, a fire pump provided at the rear part of the sub-frame, the input shaft of which is connected to the power take-off device via a drive shaft, a first water suction port and a second water suction port, in a fire truck comprising: a manifold having a first pipe port, a second pipe port and a third pipe port, and a communication part communicating these pipe ports provided therein, the first water suction port is connected to the first pipe port of the manifold via a first water suction port pipe, the second water suction port is connected to the second pipe port of the manifold via a second water suction port pipe, the suction port of the fire pump is connected to the third pipe port of the manifold, furthermore, a water tank mounted on the sub-frame is provided, the manifold further has a fourth pipe port, the water tank is connected to the fourth pipe port of the manifold via a water tank pipe, the manifold, a main body part having a rectangular parallelepiped shape in appearance, four flanges welded to the main body part, and the first pipe port to the fourth pipe port are respectively formed at the center thereof, has, the four flanges are arranged such that the mounting side surface is in close contact with the plate material constituting the main body part, and are welded without gaps, a fire truck characterized by this.

2. The fire truck according to claim 1, characterized in that the main body part of the manifold is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape by welding plate materials.

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