Locking mechanism for doors of switching cells

A pressure-resistant locking mechanism for locking doors of switch cells, wherein a door to be locked is hinged to a switch cell and has a U-shaped cross-section and inwardly curved edges and a switch cell has an outer wall having U-shaped, outwardly extending edges which define with the inwardly curved edges of the door two opposing hollow spaces extending over the entire length of the door, the locking mechanism comprising two torsion bars pivotable between a locked position and a released position and mounted to a hinge side and a closing side of the door and each being received in a respective hollow space and having a non-central axis of elongation;

• two pivotable levers each rigidly connected to a respective pivotable bar at one end thereof and having a free end;
• two springs connected to an inner side of the door and each being suspended on the free end of a respective lever so that each torsion bar remains in the locked position when the spring assigned thereto is unloaded, and reaches the released position when the lever connected thereto is pivoted outwardly by 90.degree. and said spring is loaded, said door being provided with an actuation opening for passing therethrough a switching lever for a switch device positioned in said switch cell;
• and a locking slide connected to the torsion bar on said closing side and operated for closing said actuation opening when the door is opened.