Self-fixturing system for a vacuum interrupter

Abstract

An improved vacuum interrupter is disclosed. The vacuum interrupter includes end covers having a curved or looped portion, which serves to connect a coil segment of the vacuum interrupter to a ceramic envelope of the vacuum interrupter, and thereby help maintain a vacuum seal for the interrupter. The curved portion acts as a spring when the vacuum interrupter is exposed to heat, thereby absorbing any expansion or contraction in the length of the vacuum interrupter due to the heating or cooling. The curved portion also protects an end of the ceramic envelope from any build-up of metallic arcing products and eliminates the need for elaborate fixturing during assembly. Additionally, a guide may be affixed to the end cover, the guide having ears which ride in a slot in a moving rod of the vacuum interrupter, to thereby prevent a twisting of a bellows of the interrupter during a brazing process. Thus, no elaborate fixturing is necessary to prevent this twisting.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.