Overhead rigid power conductor
OwnerPatrick T. Bommartinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rigid power conductor to be suspended from an overhead structure or ceiling by means of insulators for the supply of electric energy to electric power driven vehicles on rails. The conductor is a conductor wire held between two side-by-side I-beams urged together so as to form a continuous clamp for the wire. The wire has lateral grooves whereas the I-beams define a conforming downwardly opening slot with projections engaging the grooves in the wire. The joints connecting the successive I-beams are longitudinally displaced, and an expansion joint is disclosed which permits relative displacement of the successive lengths of conductor. There is also disclosed an apparatus for the installation of the conductor wire and various devices for interconnecting the I-beams.
Claims18
A rigid power conductor of the type used to supply electric energy to electric power driven vehicles, the power conductor comprising:
- a. a conductor wire defining an electrical contact adapted to be engaged by a moving electric pick-up element, said conductor having two lateral grooves,
- b. at least two constant cross-section I-beams arranged in side-by-side relationship to define a hollow generally rectangular closed structure, each I-beam comprising a series of longitudinally successive I-beam sections and each I-beam having a head portion and a foot portion, the head portions of said I-beams bearing directly against each other along their facing side surfaces, the foot portions of said I-beams engaging said lateral grooves, respectively, in said conductor wire,
- c. clamping means for urging said I-beams toward each other,
- d. a plurality of splints within said hollow structure, each splint interconnecting two successive I-beam sections, the splints interconnecting the I-beam sections of one of said I-beams being longitudinally offset from the splints interconnecting the I-beam sections of the other of said I-beams.
A method of assembling a rigid power conductor comprising two I-beams and a conductor wire gripped between the foot portions of the I-beams, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. arranging the two I-beams in side-by-side relation,
- b. progressively locally spreading the foot portions of the I-beams in a longitudinal direction along the power conductor,
- c. progressively introducing the conductor wire into the space between the spread foot portions, and
- d. allowing the I-beam foot portions to move toward each other to grip the conductor wire between them.
A mobile apparatus for assembling a rigid power conductor comprising two I-beams and a conductor wire gripped between the foot portions of the I-beams, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a frame,
- b. rollers carried by said frame and adapted to roll along the lower flanges of the I-beams, and
- c. roller means for engaging and locally spreading the foot portions of said I-beams as said frame moves along the I-beams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.