Vacuum interrupter

A vacuum interrupter comprising:

• at least one pair of substantially disk-shaped main electrodes disposed in a vacuum vessel so as to be movable toward and away from each other;
• rods extending out of said vacuum vessel from rear surfaces of said main electrodes respectively;
• and
• a cylindrical coil electrode means electrically connected between the rear surface of at least one of said main electrodes and an associated rod through a member of a high resistance material for producing an axial magnetic field for dispersing arc current formed on said main electrodes substantially radially over the surface of at least one of said main electrodes, said cylindrical coil electrode means including:
• a cylindrical body having an opening at one end thereof,
• a plurality of electrical connections provided between an edge surface of the opening of said cylindrical body and one of said main electrodes,
• a plurality of arcuate slits formed on said cylindrical body extending substantially between adjacent ones of said plurality of electrical connections,
• a plurality of arcuate current paths formed in said cylindrical body by said arcuate slits, for dispersing said arc current from said plurality of electrical connections to one of said rods, and
• current blocking means formed on said cylindrical body between each of said arcute current paths, respectively, for blocking current in one of said arcuate current paths from flowing into another of said arcuate current paths,
• whereby arc current formed on said main electrodes is dispersed substantially radially over the surface of at least one of said main electrodes.