Arc extinguishing contact assembly for a circuit breaker assembly

An arc extinguishing contact assembly for a circuit breaker assembly, the circuit breaker assembly including a housing assembly and an operating mechanism, said housing assembly defining an enclosed space, said operating mechanism structured to be operatively coupled to a movable contact assembly and structured to move the movable contact assembly between an open, first position, wherein the movable contact assembly is effectively spaced from a fixed contact assembly, and a closed, second position, wherein the movable contact assembly is coupled to, and in electrical communication with, the fixed contact assembly, said arc extinguishing contact assembly comprising:

• a fixed contact assembly including an arc contact assembly, a main contact assembly, and a number of movable, intermediate arc contact assemblies;
• a movable contact assembly including an arc contact assembly and a main contact assembly, said movable contact assembly structured to move between an open, first position, wherein the movable contact assembly is effectively spaced from said fixed contact assembly, and a closed, second position, wherein the movable contact assembly is coupled to, and in electrical communication with, said fixed contact assembly, with an arcing position there between;
• an arc extinguishing assembly structured to extinguish a number of arcs generated as said movable contact assembly moves between said first position and said second position;
• wherein said arc extinguishing assembly is structured to divide a theoretical arc into multiple local arcs wherein the local arcs have a reduced voltage relative to said theoretical arc;
• wherein each intermediate arc contact assembly generates at least one local arc;
• each intermediate arc contact assembly includes a first arc contact assembly and a second arc contact assembly;
• each said fixed arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• each said intermediate first arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• each said intermediate second arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• each said movable arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• and
• each said local arc is generated from at least one of an intermediate first arc contact assembly arcing surface or an intermediate second arc contact assembly arcing surface.

An arc extinguishing contact assembly for a circuit breaker assembly, the circuit breaker assembly including a housing assembly and an operating mechanism, said housing assembly defining an enclosed space, said operating mechanism structured to be operatively coupled to a movable contact assembly and structured to move the movable contact assembly between an open, first position, wherein the movable contact assembly is effectively spaced from a fixed contact assembly, and a closed, second position, wherein the movable contact assembly is coupled to, and in electrical communication with, the fixed contact assembly, said arc extinguishing contact assembly comprising:

• a fixed contact assembly including an arc contact assembly, a main contact assembly, and a number of movable, intermediate arc contact assemblies;
• a movable contact assembly including an arc contact assembly and a main contact assembly, said movable contact assembly structured to move between an open, first position, wherein the movable contact assembly is effectively spaced from said fixed contact assembly, and a closed, second position, wherein the movable contact assembly is coupled to, and in electrical communication with, said fixed contact assembly, with an arcing position there between;
• an arc extinguishing assembly structured to extinguish a number of arcs generated as said movable contact assembly moves between said first position and said second position;
• wherein said arc extinguishing assembly is structured to divide a theoretical arc into multiple local arcs wherein the local arcs have a reduced voltage relative to said theoretical arc;
• wherein each intermediate arc contact assembly generates at least one local arc;
• each intermediate arc contact assembly includes a first arc contact assembly and a second arc contact assembly;
• each said fixed arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• each said intermediate first arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• each said intermediate second arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• each said movable arc contact assembly includes an arcing surface;
• and
• each said intermediate first arc contact assembly arc surface and intermediate second arc contact assembly arc surface is disposed on a removable component.