Back to results
US 4,046,978 AGranted
Contact structure for puffer-type gas-blast circuit interrupter
AssigneeMerlin Gerin
InventorAime Badon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeMerlin Gerin
InventorAime Badon
Estimating the term…
The contact structure for a puffer-type compressed-gas circuit interrupter comprises a pair of elongated aligned axially separable contacts one of which is hollow and has an end portion provided with a plurality of axially extending, circumferentially spaced-apart contact fingers adapted to resiliently grip the other contact in telescoping relation therewith. The fingers are surrounded by a snugly sleeve ending short of the tips of the fingers permitting the puffer mechanism to direct a radial (cross-blast) jet of arc-extinguishing gas through the interstices between said tips exhausting subsequently through the interior of the tubular contact. The sleeve screens off the residual, major part of the length of the fingers to prevent a radial flow of gas therebetween at this level. It has been found that this arrangement provides an unexpected increase in the breaking power of the apparatus as compared to contact structures having sleeves covering the total length of the contact fingers or no sleeves at all.
A contact structure for a circuit interrupter comprising a pair of elongated aligned contact members axially separable to draw an arc between the confronting end portions of said contact members, and a puffer mechanism to produce a blast of compressed gas directed towards said arc, one of said contact members being tubular and having the end portion thereof provided with a plurality of generally axially extending circumferentailly spaced-apart resilient contact fingers adapted to telescopically receive the confronting end portion of the other contact member in gripping contact relation therewith, said contact fingers being surrounded by a cylindrical sleeve ending short of the tips of said fingers thereby permitting to direct a cross-blast of gas through the interstices between said tips to exhaust through the venting interior of said tubular contact member, said sleeve screening off the residual length portion of said fingers preventing the radial flow of fresh gas between the corresponding part of said fingers during the separation movement of said contact members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.