Electrical connector for igniter for exothermic welding
AssigneeERICO International Corporation
InventorsWayne William Ritchie, Erika Lynn Buehman, Greg Martinjak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical connector can be provided for connecting a power source to an insertable conductor, including an igniter for exothermic weld material. One or more conductors can be disposed within a housing that is configured to receive the insertable conductor. An actuator can be engaged from outside the housing to move at least one of the conductors within the housing between resting and actuated orientations.
Claims20
An electrical connector for an igniter for exothermic welding, the electrical connector comprising:
- a housing;
- a first conductor enclosed by the housing;
- and
- a second conductor enclosed by and movable within the housing;
- the housing providing:
- a first opening to receive the igniter for engagement with the first and second conductor;
- a housing wall that is movable, via manual contact from outside of the housing, to move the second conductor within the housing between a resting orientation and an actuated orientation;
- and
- a first window that provides visual access to an interior area of the housing to verify engagement of the igniter with the first and second conductors;
- a contact area of the second conductor being spaced farther from the first conductor when the second conductor is in the actuated orientation than when the second conductor is in the resting orientation;
- and
- the contact area being disposed, when the second conductor is in the resting orientation, to contact a first side of the igniter, with a second side of the igniter in contact with the first conductor.
An electrical connector for an igniter for exothermic welding, the electrical connector comprising:
- a first conductor;
- a second conductor;
- a housing shell that encloses the first and second conductors within an interior area, with an opening into the interior area to receive the igniter for conductive engagement with the first and second conductors;
- and
- a housing wall that is movably secured to and at least partly outside of the housing shell, the housing wall being configured to be moved from outside of the housing shell to move the second conductor between a resting orientation and an actuated orientation;
- wherein the housing wall includes a first post that protrudes into the interior area of the housing shell to contact the second conductor and thereby move the second conductor when the housing wall is moved;
- with the second conductor in the resting orientation, the first and second conductor engaging both sides of the igniter to secure the igniter within the interior area and provide an electrical path from the first conductor to the second conductor via the igniter;
- and
- with the second conductor in the actuated orientation, the first and second conductor releasing the igniter to be removed from the interior area via the opening.
An electrical connector for an igniter strip for exothermic welding, the electrical connector comprising:
- a first conductor with a first contact area;
- a second conductor with a second contact area;
- and
- a housing that includes:
- an actuator configured as a housing wall that is manually movable via engagement from outside of the housing to move the second conductor between a resting orientation and an actuated orientation;
- an interior area that encloses the first and second conductors, the first conductor being disposed between the housing wall and the second conductor and fixed within the housing, and the second conductor being biased toward the first conductor;
- and
- an opening to receive the igniter strip into the interior area;
- the second contact area, with the second conductor in one of the resting or actuated orientations, being spaced a first distance from the first contact area to hold the igniter strip between the first and second contact areas;
- and
- the second contact area, with the second conductor in the other of the resting or actuated orientations, being spaced a second distance from the first contact area that is larger than the first distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.