Product Functionality Assignment
Part 1 - Fire Extinguisher
Fire extinguisher and its working mechanism - Online Science Notes
Part 2 - How Does a Fire Extinguisher Work?
The main function of the fire extinguisher is to spray a chemical compound that inhibits
the combustion reaction of a fire. The fire extinguisher is mainly a tank with a lever at the top
that the user squeezes to spray the chemical compound. Before the user can pull the lever, there
is a safety pin that must be pulled out first. When the lever is squeezed, a valve connected to a
gas cartridge inside the tank releases carbon dioxide. In the extinguisher's body is an amount of
chemical compound that is pushed by the carbon dioxide gas through a tube into a nozzle. The
user then points the nozzle at the base of the fire as the chemical compound is ejected from the
nozzle. The tank used for the body of the extinguisher is a cylinder, which helps direct the
chemical compound out of the tank and is a strong shape that can hold high pressure.
Part 3 - Improvements
●​ Use a lighter, stronger alloy of steel to manufacture the body of the fire extinguisher
○​ Makes the extinguisher lighter and more resistant to punctures or other damage
●​ Add an adjustable nozzle system instead of a fixed nozzle
○​ Potential for user to change spray type based on how large or far away the fire is
Part 4 - Reflection
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Connecting this project to my other classes was very helpful in both understanding the
design of a fire extinguisher and how it could be better. Fire extinguishers are very common, yet
I found curiosity in figuring out how to improve on a relatively mundane tool. I hope that
someday I can apply my knowledge of engineering to further improve upon everyday tools.