Hydrant Shear Valve Automatic Shut-Off Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Accidental collisions with moving vehicles can dislodge fire hydrants, causing uncontrollable water discharge and significant property damage due to the lack of an effective automatic shut-off mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A hydrant shear valve system that includes a two-piece valve member and a frangible actuator, which uses water pressure to automatically close the valve when a sufficient impact is detected, preventing further water discharge until manual shut-off is possible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fire hydrant is struck by a moving vehicle and dislodged, then water sprays uncontrollably under high pressure, but there is no automatic shut-off mechanism to stop the flow
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member is designed to automatically close and seal against the valve seat when the hydrant is dislodged, using the existing water pressure and mechanical linkage to trigger the shut-off without requiring external control systems or complex automation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential shut-off function from complex automated valve systems, using a simple frangible actuator that breaks under impact to release the valve member, eliminating the need for sensors, control circuits, and power sources
2Loss of time
If water continues to gush uncontrollably for 30-60 minutes, then property damage increases significantly, but manual shut-off by fire department takes too long
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member is pre-positioned and spring-biased in the open state during normal operation, but the mechanical linkage and frangible actuator are pre-configured to automatically trigger closure when impact occurs, eliminating the need for manual intervention response time
3Loss of substance
If the hydrant is dislodged from the water supply pipe, then water waste and property damage occur, but frequent valve replacements increase maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible actuator is designed as a sacrificial component that breaks under impact to trigger the shut-off, allowing the valve assembly to remain in place and function while only the simple actuator needs replacement after activation, reducing overall maintenance costs
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces property damage and water waste by automatically shutting off the water supply after an impact, allowing for quick replacement of the valve without disrupting fire-fighting operations and minimizing the need for frequent valve replacements.
Implementation Method 1
A frangible actuator breaks away when the hydrant is hit with sufficient impact to free the bias member
Implementation Method 2
permitting the valve member to be forced into the closed position under the force of water flowing from the supply pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are disclosed for shutting off the flow of liquid to a hydrant. A break away frangible activator of a valve body becomes dislodged responsive to a hydrant receiving sufficient inadvertent impact. A valve member closes in response to the impact to close off the flow of fluid to the hydrant.