Effective arc stack/efficient contact carrier
US5111008A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 1990 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 13, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H9/36
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A circuit breaker (51) includes an arc stack of metal plates (52), each of which is disposed parallel to the movement of the contact arm (12), whereby lug strikes which may pass through the vent holes (32) in the housing (16) to the lug (18) are avoided. The arrangement of the metal plates (52) provides protection from such unintended lug strikes without requiring the use of additional parts (e.g., barriers, insulators, and deflectors). A contact arm (12) is provided that is light in mass, but which is still strong enough to resist bending caused by the contact blow off loop forces which occur during fault conditions. Contact arms (12) which have I-beam construction, as well as hollow cylindrical and hollow polygonal construction are capable of carrying currents found in intermediate range circuit breakers; however, they are lighter in mass than solid contact arms and thereby enable faster contact separation and reduced arcing currents.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.