Fire control system

Claim 2

A fire control system for controlling the spread of a fire in a space to be protected, comprising means responsive to a predetermined fire condition in said space for generating a signal, means responsive to said signal for releasing a solid sheet from an upper portion of said space towards a lower portion of said space, said sheet including an ablative gel material to form a fire-resistant wall, and discharge means responsive to said signal for discharging reinforcing material for said sheet.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 including means for applying additional ablative gel material to said sheet to replenish ablative gel material removed by the fire so as to maintain the firefighting characteristics of said fire-resistant wall.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1, wherein said reinforcing material is in the form of a plurality of strands of flexible material which are normally stored by said discharge means in said upper portion of said space.

Claim 5

The system of claim 1, wherein said means for releasing a solid sheet comprises at least two fixed storage means, a fluid disposed in each of said storage means, a mixing chamber disposed at an elevated position with respect to the structure to be protected and having at least one discharge opening, and means responsive to said signal for connecting each of said storage means to said chamber, said fluids adapted to flow from said storage means to said chamber and form said sheet upon mixing in and discharging from said chamber.

Claim 6

The system of claim 4, wherein one of said fluids is in the form of a polyvinyl alcohol solution and the other is in the form of a catalyst for said polyvinyl alcohol.

Claim 7

A fire control system comprising at least two fixed storage means, a fluid disposed in each of said storage means, a mixing chamber disposed at an elevated position with respect to the structure to be protected, said chamber having at least one discharge opening, means responsive to predetermined fire conditions for connecting each of said storage means to said chamber and form a gel sheet upon mixing in and discharging from said chamber, and means responsive to said predetermined fire conditions for discharging a plurality of strands of flexible material from the vicinity of said chamber, one end of each of said strands being fixed with respect to said chamber to form a reinforcement for said sheet, said sheet extending to said floor to act as a fire barrier.

Claim 8

A fire control system comprising at least two fixed storage means, a fluid disposed in each of said storage means, a mixing chamber disposed at an elevated position with respect to the structure to be protected, said chamber having at least one discharge opening, means responsive to predetermined fire conditions for connecting each of said storage means to said chamber and form a gel sheet upon mixing in and discharging from said chamber, and means responsive to said predetermined fire conditions for discharging a plurality of strands of flexible material from the vicinity of said chamber, one end of each of said strands being fixed with respect to said chamber to form a reinforcement for said sheet, said sheet extending to said floor to act as a fire barrier.

Claim 11

The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of applying additional ablative gel material to said sheet to replenish the ablative gel material removed by the fire so as to maintain the firefighting characteristics of said fire-resistant wall.