Electrical power busway and insulator assembly
AssigneeSiemens Energy & Automation, Inc.
InventorsNathan H. Faulkner, Ronald D. Nordenbrock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A busway and insulator assembly for use with the busway are described. The insulator assembly provides access to the conductive busbars through the busway housing and is configured for use with plug-in tabs which extend from the outer edges of the busbars. The insulator assembly includes a base having openings therethrough for cooperation with each plug-in tab. Insulated stabs extend from the insulator base and are disposed between the plug-in tabs-to prevent arcing between the tabs and exposed areas of the busbars. Additionally, the insulator base includes track members for slidably receiving an insulated cover which may be moved into a position blocking access to the plug-in tabs or moved to a position permitting access to the plug-in tabs.
Claims13
An electrical busway comprising:
- a plurality of conductive busbars each including at least one plug-in tab extending therefrom;
- an elongate busway housing including a housing opening along its length, where the busbars are supported within the housing such that the tabs are disposed adjacent to the opening;
- an insulator base fabricated from an insulating material defining first and second surfaces offset from and parallel to each other, wherein the insulator base further defines a plurality of tab openings each disposed about a respective tab extending perpendicular to and between the first and second surfaces, the tabs are substantially perpendicular to their respective busbars and the first and second surfaces, and the insulator base includes at least a first track member extending from the first surface;
- means for attaching the base to the housing at the housing opening such that the second surface abuts the housing and each tab opening permits access to at least one of said tabs through the housing opening;
- and
- an insulator cover fabricated from an insulating material and defining a second track member configured to slidably engage the first track member such that the insulator cover is slidable relative to the insulator between a first position and a second position, where the insulator cover further defines a cover portion which covers the tab openings when the cover is in the first position and permits access to the tab openings when the cover is in the second position.
An electrical power distribution busway, comprising:
- an elongate housing;
- and
- a set of at least two conductive busbars mounted in the housing, the conductive busbars being mounted generally parallel to each other, wherein each busbar includes a rectangular conductive bar having a length, a width defined by a pair of outer edges, and a thickness, and a plug-in tab press formed from the rectangular bar along at least one of the outer edges, wherein a depression is created in the rectangular bar adjacent each plug-in tab;
- and
- an insulator base attached to the elongate housing and including:
- an inside surface and an outside surface disposed parallel to and offset from one another,
- means for attaching the insulator base to the elongate housing,
- a plurality of openings extending therethrough in a generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the inside and outside surfaces, each opening being disposed in proximity to at least one of the plug-in tabs, and
- a plurality of insulator stabs attached to the inside surface and extending between the plug-in tabs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.