Vacuum interrupter

A vacuum interrupter comprising a vacuum vessel;

• a pair of current carrying rods arranged in a manner aligned with each other and having one end extending into the interior of the vacuum vessel, at least one of said current carrying rods being axially movable;
• a pair of main electrodes each connected to the end of one current carrying rod and having a plurality of slits extending from the periphery toward the center thereof;
• at least one coil electrode connected between one main electrode and the corresponding current carrying rod;
• the coil electrode comprising a plurality of first conductor arms extending substantially radially from the central portion thereof to permit currents branched from arc current to flow toward the periphery thereof, a plurality of second conductors each arcuately extending in the same direction from the forward end of one of the first conductor arms toward the forward end portion of the adjacent first conductor arm with a space left therebetween, and a plurality of third conductors extending from the free ends of the second conductors and connected to the main electrode;
• said first, second and third conductors being effective to create a substantially uniformly distributed magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the electrode surface of the main electrode by the branched currents flowing therethrough;
• said slits being effective to reduce eddy current to be developed on the surface of the main electrode by the magnetic field, while leading the branched currents on the main electrode to flow through the center portion of the main electrode, thus preventing the magnetic field from being weakened by the eddy current and branched currents.