US3594676A

US3594676A - Electrical cutout

Info

Publication number: US3594676A
Application number: US850078A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald O Misare
Original assignee: Joslyn Manufacturing and Supply Co
Current assignee: Joslyn Manufacturing and Supply Co
Priority date: 1969-08-14
Filing date: 1969-08-14
Publication date: 1971-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 1988-07-20
Also published as: CA927453A

Abstract

An electrical cutout comprising a first terminal and a of terminal movable on a path into and out of contact therewith. The first terminal includes a contact member having a free end portion extending generally transversely across said path and deflectable along the path during the making and breaking of contact with said second terminal. The second terminal includes a contact surface extended generally transversely of said path adapted to provide a low resistance current interchange point when in contact against the deflectable free end portion of the first terminal. The first terminal includes a terminal support bracket having stop means extended transversely across said path for limiting the movement of the free end portion of the contact member and a sleet hood on which the bracket is mounted, which sleet hood includes integrally formed top, side, and end walls.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Donald 0. Misare Riverside, Ill. [21] Appl. No. 850,078 [22] Filed Aug. 14, 1969 [45] Patented July 20, 1971 [73] Assignee Joslyn Mfg. and Supply Co.

Chicago, Ill.

[54] ELECTRICAL CUTOUT 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] 0.8. CI. 337/180 [51] Int. Cl n... .JLLl hjl/OB, HOlh 71/10, H01h 85/54 [50] Field ot'Search 337/168, l7],172,174,176,177,l78,180,181 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,549,635 4/1951 Pittman 337/171 2,398,469 4/1946 Schultz etal. 337/180(X) 2,359,153 9/1944 Rawlins 337/172 1,953,136 4/1934 Steinmayer 337/176 OTHER REFERENCES WESTINGHOUSE DESCRIPTIVE BULLETIN, 38-620, Dec. 1961, pages l- 8 Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gilheany Assistant Examiner-Dewitt M. Morgan Attorney- Mason, Kolehmainen, Rathburn & Wyss ABSTRACT: An electrical cutout comprising a first terminal and a of terminal movable on a path into and out of contact therewith. The first terminal includes a contact member hav- 'ing a free end portion extending generally transversely across said path and defiectable along the path during the making and breaking of contact with said second terminal. The second terminal includes a contact surface extended generally transversely of said path adapted to provide a low resistance current interchange point when in contact against the deflectable free end portion of the first terminal. The first terminal in cl udes a terminal support bracket having stop means extended transversely across said path for limiting the movement of the free end portion of the contact member and a sleet hood on which the bracket is mounted, which sleet hood includes integrally formed top, side, and end walls.

PATENTEDJuL20i9n 676 SHEET 3 OF 3 FIG?) BYDONALD OMISARE ATT'YS v ELECTRICAL curour The present invention relates to a new and improved electrical cutout and, more particularly, to a new and improved fusible dropout-type cutout which is of simple and rugged construction and thoroughly reliable in operation.

The present invention is an improvement over the fusible cutout shown in US. Pat. No. 2,862,080, which patent is owned by the assignee of the present application. In dropouttype, fusible cutouts it is desirable and an object of the present invention to provide for a minimum of contact resistance and a minimum number of current interchange points between the powerlines connected across the fusible lin Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cutout wherein at least one contact member is fonned of low-resistance, high-current-capacity material, such as copper or silver, and is physically supported by a backup spring formed of a relatively strong material well able to withstand relatively high forces or pressures needed to provide a minimum resistance contact at a current interchange point.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved electrical cutout wherein a minimum number of current interchange contact points are required.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cutout having new and improved terminal means including a unitary sleet hood having integrally formed top, end, and sidewalls which can be mass produced at relatively low cost on a punch press, or the like, and which does not require welding or other fabricating operations thereon.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved electrical cutout of the character described which lends itself to manufacture on a mass production basis with the consequent economy thereof and yet without sacrificing any operational reliability or useful life of the cutout, even though the cutout may be subjected to extreme weather conditions for long periods of time.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved electrical cutout having a new and improved sleet hood which supports the terminal contact members in novel fashion. I

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention are provided by a new and improved electrical cutout comprising a first terminal and a second terminal movable on a path into and out of contact therewith. The first terminal includes a contact member having a free end portion extending generally transversely across the path of movement of the second termiiial and is deflectable along said path when contact between the terminals is being made or broken. The second terminal includes a contact surface generally transversely of said path for establishing high-pressure physical contact with the contact member of the first terminal, thereby providing a low-resistance, high-current-capacity interchange point. The first terminal also includes a support bracket and sleet hood for supporting the contact member, which can be formed of low-resistance copperor silver, and the bracket includes stop means extending transversely across said path for limiting the movement of the free end portion of the contact member when the second terminal is brought into contact therewith.

The cutout includes a new and improved unitary sleet hood having integrally formed, end, top, and sidewalls and the contact member is supported on the sleet hood in a manner wherein a minimum number of current interchange contact points are required to establish the current path between lead wires connected to the cutout.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description and claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side'elevational view, with portions broken away and in cross section, illustrating anew and improved dropouttype, fusible cutout constructed in accordance with the features of the present'invention; 1

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating the cutout assembly in a disconnected or open-circuit position;

FIG. 3, comprising parts 3A and 3B, is an exploded view in perspective illustrating the individual terminal components of the upper and lower fixed terminals of the cutout.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, a new and improved dropout-type, fusible cutout constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated and generally referred to by the reference numeral 10. The cutout includes an elongated insulating support in the form of a petticoat insulator 12 formed of porcelain having a center section around which a support clamp assembly 14 is v provided for supporting the cutout from a crossarm or other structure. Upper and lower end portions of the petticoat insulator 12 are formed with cylindrical terminal sections 16, each having an annular groove therein for receiving a U-bolt,18 used for supporting upper and

lower terminal assemblies

20 and 22 on the insulator body. l

The lower terminal assembly 22 is adapted to pivotally support the lower end of an expulsion, dropout'type fuse assembly 24 which, except for the terminals at the upper and lower ends thereof, may be identical or similar to the fuse assembly shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,251, which patent is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

The fuse assembly 24 includes an elongated, hollow, insulating fuse tube 26 having an upper fuse terminal 28 at the upper end. The upper fuse terminal'28 includes a cylindrical main body 30 and an integrally formed loop 32 extending outwardly thereof and adapted to receive the pin of a hot stick used for working the cutout while hot. Projecting upwardly from the main body 30 is a short tubular section 34 threaded externally to receive a terminal cap 36 and adapted to enclose the upper end portion of a fusible link which includes a cable 38. The cable extends longitudinally through the fuse tube and passes out the open lower end. The trailing end of the cable 38 is secured to the bottom of a contact loop 40 on a lower fuse terminal assembly. 42 at the lower end of the fuse tube 26. The lower fuse terminal 42 includes a body 44 mounted on the fuse tube and having a pair of iladially outwardly extending arms 46. A pivot pin 48 is carried by the arms to pivotally support the contact loop 40 which is fonned with a pair of trunnion pins 404 extendingin opposite directions and laterally outwardly of the fuse tube. The trunnion pins or axles 40a are adapted to pivotally support the lower end of the fuse assembly 24 on the lower fixed terminal 22 on the insulator body.

The trailing end of the cable 38 is secured to the lower end of the contact loop 40 by a pair of washers 49and a bolt 50, so that proper tension is maintained on the fuse link. The cable passes underneath a guide member 52 which is pivotally supported on a pin 54 extending through the contact loop 40, and when the fusible link is melted by a fault current, the guide member 52 pivots downwardly and permits the fuse assembly to drop out.

end wall 60 is formed with a vertically extending, curved recess or indentation 60a at the central portion thereof adapted to fit arolmd and seat tightly against the cylindrical, lower terminal end portion 16 of the insulator body. A pair of holes are punched in the end wall on opposite sides of the recess 60 for receiving the legs of the U-bolt 18. The forward end of the sleet hood 56 is open (as best shown in FIG. 38) to receive the contact member 40 of the lower fuse terminal 42. Each sidewall 58 of the sleet hood includes a curved projection 580 at the forward end defining a curved groove 59 along its inner edge, and the groove is open at the upper end for removably receiving and supporting a trunnion axle 400 on the contact loop 40. The pin and slot connection between the axles 40a andslots 59 permits the fuse assembly 24 to be pivoted out of engaging contact with the upper terminal on the insulator body I2 and also permits the fuse assembly to be removed completely from contact with the lower terminal 22 at the lower end of the insulator body 12 In accordance with the invention, the unitary, integrally formed, sleet hood 56 is firmly secured to the lower cylindrical terminal portion 16 on the insulator body 12 by the lower U- bolt 18 and a pair of nuts and washers shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3B. The sleet hood directly supports the terminal contact members of the lower terminal 22 which make and break contact with the Contact loop 40 of the lower fuse terminal. The lower, fixed terminal 22 includes a generally Z-shaped support bracket 64 formed of relatively thick strap material with an upper leg 64a provided'with a pair of laterally outwardly extending ears 64b; Each ear 6412 has an open-ended slot 65 therein for receiving the end of the U bolt 18 which passes through the slot and holds the bracket in place when the washer and nuts are tightened. The ears 64b are slightly offset (FIG. 38) from the main body of the upper leg 64a in order to provide space for a generally Z-shaped current carrying contact strip 66 formed of low-resistance, high-conductance material, such as copper or silver. The contact strip includes an upper, vertical, leg 66a, and intermediate horizontal leg 66b, and a lower vertically downwardly extending terminal leg 66c. The horizontal leg 66b is adapted to nest in contact against a horizontal intermediate leg 640 of the support bracket, which includes a downwardly extending vertical lower terminal leg 64d in juxtaposition with the lower leg 66c of the contact strip. The contact strip 66 is formed with a forwardly extending portion 66d extending generally parallel with the top wall 62 of the sleet hood 56 and at the forward end of the leg 66d the strip is bent downwardly to form a curved free end portion 66c especially adapted to make contact with the contact loop 40 of the lower fuse terminal 42.

In order to back up and support the free end portion 66a of the contact strip, the terminal 22 includes a generally U- shaped backup spring 68 which includes a vertical leg 68a sandwiched between the contact strip leg 66a and support bracket leg The backup spring includes a bight portion 68b disposed beneath the leg 66d of the contact strip and a downwardly extendingfree-end portion 68c which backs up the free end portion 66c of the contact strip. The backup spring 68 is made of material having the desired mechanical strength characteristics-such as stainless steel and the like, and the free end portion 680 functions to back up the contact strip 66 and force the free end portion 66e of the contact strip toward the contact loop 40 with sufficient pressure to establish a low-resistance current interchange point with a high current-carrying capability.

Preferably, a headed contact button 41 of silver is mounted on a forward leg of the contact loop 40 to make contact against the free end portion 66e of the contact strip. When the fuse assembly 24 is pivoted in a counterclockwise manner about the trunnion axles 40a from the open position of FIG. 2 to the closed or contact making position of FIG. I, the contact 7 button Men the contact loop 40 is moved inwardly toward the contact strip portion 66c, as shown by the arrow A in FIG.

2,and after contact initially occurs (FIG. 2) the contact portion 66c is deflected inwardly in the general direction of the arrow A to the position of FIG. I. The free end 66c of the contact stn'p extends generally transversely across the path of movement (arrow A) of the contact button 41 and, as the eutout is closed or opened, sliding contact between the head of the button 41 and the free end portion 66c of the contact strip, as well as inward and outward deflection-of the free end portion 66c in the direction generally the same as that of arrow A, takes place. This action in making and breaking contact minimizes arcing or burning 'of the contacts, although normally there is no current flow when'contact is made or broken because the contact between the upper fuse terminal 28 and the fixed terminal 20 is made or broken in advance of the lower terminals. The spring member 68 resists deflection of the free end portion 66 of the contact strip as contact is made and provides the force necessary to establish the desired contact pressure. This permits the contact strip 66 to be fabricated of material such as copper or silver, which has excellent current-carrying capacity but is relatively soft and would not be suitable from a purely mechanical standpoint because of the relatively high forces involved. This novel construction results in a high-pressure contact with a low resistance and high current-carrying capacity. Only a single current interchange point is used, and this occurs between the head of the contact button 4I and the deflectable free end portion 66e of the contact strip. The lower vertical leg 66c is in direct contact with the external conductor 70, and the contact strip 66 thus carries the current direct between the button 41 and the conductor with a minimum number of current interchange points. The

legs

64a, 66a, and 68a of the support, contact strip and spring member and the rear wall 60 of the sleet hood are connected together with a rivet 69 so that all of these members are maintained at the same electrical potential.

The conductor 70 is formed with a looped end 70a disposed directly against one face of the lower leg 660 of the contact strip, and high-pressure contact is maintained by means of a U-shaped clamping bracket 72 held in place by a bolt 74 and nut 74a.

Referring to FIGS. I and 2, it will be seen that when the fuse assembly 24 is pivoted from the open or broken circuit condition of FIG. 2 to the closed or contact-making position of FIG. 1, the contact button 41 on the contact loop 40 of the lower fuse terminal 42 is forcefully thrust in contact against the downwardly depending free end portions 664: of the contact strip 66. After lower contact, is established, the upper fuse terminal 28 establishes contact with the terminal assembly 20 on the upper end of the insulator body. If the cutout 10 is opened with a hot stick or the like, contact is first broken'between the upper terminals and then between the lower terminals. The cutout is designed so that when a fault current occurs, the fusible link is broken, releasing tension on the cable 38, and the fuse assembly drops downwardly and contact is broken between the upper terminal assembly 20 on the upper end of the insulator body 12 and the upper fuse tenninal 28.

- In accordance with the invention, the terminal assembly 20 on the upper end of the insulator body 12 includes a unitary sleet hood 76 having a top wall 78, a pair of depending sidewalls 80, and a rear wall 82. Similar to the lower sleet hood 56, the upper sleet hood 76 is integrally formed from a single piece of metal on a punch press in a deep drawing operation and does not require additional welding or bending operations. Accordingly, the

sleet hoods

56 and 76 can be fabricated on a mass production basis at economical costs. The rear wall 82 of the sleet hood is formed with a vertically extending, curved indentation or recess 82a adjacent the central portion thereof to conform to the adjacent surface of the upper cylindrical terminal end portion 16 on the insulator body 12. The upper sleet hood 76 is held in place by an upper U-bolt 18, the legs of which extend through the circular holes punched in the rear wall 82, and suitable nuts and washers are provided to hold the sleet hood firmly in place.

The upper terminal assembly body 20 includes a generally Z-shaped support bracket 84 having an intermediate leg 84a disposed in parallel with the top wall 78 of the sleet hood and secured thereto by a pair of upwardly extending bolts 86 which project through punched holes formed therein. In order to facilitate making connection between the upper terminal 20 and an upper exterior wire 70 having a looped end 70a (FIG. 3A), a rectangular slot 780 is formed in the top wall of the sleet hood and an upper vertically extending leg 84b of the Z bracket 84 projects upwardly through the slot. At the forward upper fuse terminal 28 into proper lateral alignment with the terminal assembly 20. The downwardly depending stop leg 84c of the support bracket 84 provides a stop surface extending generally transversely across the path of movement of the contact portions of the upper fuse terminal 28 when the latter is moved into contacting engagement in the direction of the arrow B. Because the fuse assembly 24 is oftentimes manipulated with a hot stick while carrying current, relatively high forces may be imposed against the contacts on the upper ter minal assembly when the circuit is being closed or opened and the stop leg 840 provides means for backing up the contact members to prevent excessive force and breakage resulting therefrom.

The upper terminal includes a generally Z-shaped contact strip 88 having an upwardly extending terminal leg 88b, a

horizontal, intermediate leg 88a parallel with the intermediate leg 84a of the support bracket 84, and the top wall 78 of the sleet hood. At the forward end of the intermediate leg 88a, the contact strip 88 is formed with a downwardly depending free end portion 88c for making contact with the upper terminal 28 on the fuse assembly when the latter is closed. When the eutout is open (FIG. 2), the contact portion 880 extends generally transversely across the path of movement of the upper fuse terminal 28 toward and away from the terminal assembly 20 (arrow B, FIG. 2) and is spaced forwardly of the stop leg 84c of the support bracket 84. When the fuse assembly 24 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction from the open position of FIG. 2 to the contact making position of FIG. 1, a pair of upper contact buttons 96 on the upper fuse terminal 28 move along the path described by the arcuate arrow B into contact against the free end, contact portion 88c of the -shaped contact strip and deflect the contact portion rearwardly along the path into the deflected position of FIG. I. In order to back up the free end portion 880 of the contact strip, which is preferably formed of copper or silver, there is pro.- vided a generally -shaped, leaf spring member 90 which may be formed of stainless steel or other suitably strong material. The spring 90 has a horizontal leg 90a sandwiched between the

intermediate legs

84a and 88a and a downwardly depending free end portion 90b extends between the free end contact portion 88c of the Z-shaped contact member and the stop leg 84c of the bracket 84. The spring member leg 90b backs up the free end contact portion 88c and provides the desired contact pressure between the portion 88c and the upper contact buttons 96 to establish a low-resistance current interchange point. The upper fuse terminal 28 includes a finger 92 projecting forwardly from the cylindrical body 30, and the finger includes an upwardly projecting detent lug 92a for engagement with a retaining finger 98 onthe terminal assembly 20. At the forward end of the finger 92 is formed a transverse contact face 94 and the contact buttons 96 are mounted thereon. The heads of the silver buttons are adapted to make a low-resistance contact with the forward face of the free end contact portion 880 when the fuse assembly 24 is in the closed position of FIG. 1, and the spring leg 90b provides the desired contact pressure.

In order to hold the upper fuse terminal 28 of the fuse assembly 24 in the closed position (FIG. 1), the holding finger 98 includes a downwardly and forwardly extending detent portion 98a having a hooklike bend at the lower end. The detent portion 98a is adapted to engage a sloping rearward surface on the lug 92a to thus retain the desired contact pressure between the contact buttons 96 and the contact strip 88. The retaining finger 98 is formed of relatively strong material, such as stainless steel, and includes an elongated base leg portion 98b sandwiched between the upper surface of the leg 88a of the Z-shuped contact strip 88 and the underside of the top wall 78 of the sleet hood.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the contacting surfaces of the buttons 96 and contact strip portion 88c are generally perpendicular or transverse to the path of arcuate movement of the terminal 28 into and-out of contact with the terminal assembly 20 at the upper end of the insulator body 12. In operation, when a fault current passes through the fuse link within the fuse tube 26, vertical upward thrust is initially imparted to the fuse assembly 24 followed by a downward or dropout thrust caused by the expulsion of gases from the tube. When the vertical movement occurs sliding contact between the buttons 96 and contact strip portion 880 is maintained until the current flow is intei'rupted and the arc extinguished. This results in reduced burning or arcing between the buttons and contact strip 88 when the fuse assembly drops out and pivots downwardly. Dropout occurs when the lug 920 has moved downwardly far enough to clear the holding detent 98a of the finger 98, and the fuse assembly then pivots in a clockwise direction about the lower trunnion axles 400.

An upper external cable or line 70 is connected directly to the upper terminal leg 88b of the Z-shaped contact strip 88, in the same manner as below, to again minimize the number of current interchange points. In order to facilitate working of the cutout with a hot stick while current is flowing, a hook strip 99 is extended across the top wall 78 of the upper sleet hood 76 and is bolted thereto with bolts I00. Opposite end portions of the strip 99 project laterally outwardly beyond the sidewalls of the sleet hood and are hooked, as at 99a, so thatengagement with the hot stick is facilitated.

The new and improved cutout 10 of the present invention provides many advantages over the prior art, including a more economical cost because of the integrally formed, deepdrawn, sleet hood and fewer parts in the units. Current handling capacity is increased and contact resistance is reduced by providing for a fewer number of current interchange points and using low-resistance material for the contacts backed up by spring members of the desired physical strength A novel means for supporting the contact members, backing the contacts up, and providing guide and stop surfaces to protect them from damage are another group of advantageous features provided by the invention. Because vertical contact surfaces are provided, arcing or burning of contacts is minimized and a double-venting fuse assembly can be readily accommodated.

What I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters patent of the United States is:

1. An electrical cutout assembly comprising first terminal means and second terminal means movable on a path into and out of contact therewith, said first terminal means including a contact member having a free end portion extending generally transversely across said path and deflectable along said path upon making and breaking contact with said second terminal means, said second terminal means including a contact surface generally transversely of said path for low-resistance current interchange contact against said deflectable free end portion of said contact member, said first terminal means including support means for said contact member having stop means extended transversely across said path for limiting the movement of said free end portion along said path when said second terminal contact surface is moved into contact therewith, both said contact member and said support of said first terminal means being generally Z-shaped, each having a middle leg in close parallel relation with the middle leg of the other and an upstanding terminal leg at one end in contacting engagement with the leg of the other forming a cable terminal for said cutout, said free end portion and said stop means comprising legs of said contact member and said support, respectively, at the opposite ends of said middle legs thereof.

2. The electrical cutout of claim I wherein said first terminal means includes a leaf spring member having one leg disposed between and in engagement with the middle legs of said coritact'member and said support and a deflectable leg having a free end disposed between said free end portion of said contact member and said stop means for urging said free end portion into high-pressure contact against said contact surface of said second terminal means while the latter is in circult-making contact with said first terminal means.

3. The electrical cutout assembly of claim I including an insulator body for supporting said first terminal means at one end thereof and a sleet hood having integrally formed a top wall, fastening means for securing said middle legs to the underside of said top wall, and opening defining means in said top wall for accommodating said upstanding terminal legs extended upwardly therethrough.

4. An electrical cutout assembly comprising first terminal means and second terminal means movable on a path into and out of contact therewith, said first terminal means including a contact member having a free end portion extending generally transversely across said path and deflectable along said path upon making and breaking contact with said second terminal means, saidsecond terminal means including a contact surface generally transversely of said path for low-resistance current interchange contact against said deflectable free end portion of said contact member, said first terminal means including support means for said contact member having stop means extended transversely across said path for limiting the movement of said free end portion along said path when said second terminal contact surface is moved into contact therewith, and a pair of guide members integrally fonned on said support extending laterally outwardly in opposite angular directions from said stop means for guiding said second terminal means into circuit-making contacting engagement with said first terminal means. 1

5. The electrical cutout assembly of claim 1 including deflectable latching means for holding said first and second terminal means in latchingly engaged electrical contact, said latching means having a defiectable latch finger with a free outer end adapted to engage and hold a latch surface of said second terminal means and an elongated body portion in close parallel relation with said middle legs.

6. An electrical cutout assembly comprising an elongated insulator body having fixed terminals at opposite ends, a switch member pivotally supported at one end by one of said terminals and having contact means at the other end swinga- "ble into and out of contact with the other of said fixed terminals, said other fixed terminal comprising a sleet hood having an integrally formed top wall, parallel sidewalls and inner end wall secured to said insulator body and a terminal contact secured to the underside of said top wall and having a terminal leg extended upwardly through a slot therein for supporting an external connection to said cutout, said terminal contact being Z-shaped and including a contact leg at the forward end spacedfrom said terminal leg and projecting downwardly of said top wall of said sleet hood generally transversely across an arcuate path of movement of said contact means on said switch member toward and away from saidcontact leg.

Claims

2. The electrical cutout of claim 1 wherein said first terminal means includes a leaf spring member having one leg disposed between and in engagement with the middle legs of said contact member and said support and a deflectable leg having a free end disposed between said free end portion of said contact member and said stop means for urging said free end portion into high-pressure contact against said contact surface of said second terminal means while the latter is in circuit-making contact with said first terminal means.

3. The electrical cutout assembly of claim 1 including an insulator body for supporting said first terminal means at one end thereof and a sleet hood having integrally formed sidewalls, an inner end wall secured to said insulator body, and a top wall, fastening means for securing said middle legs to the underside of said top wall, and opening defining means in said top wall for accommodating said upstanding terminal legs extended upwardly therethrough.

4. An electrical cutout assembly comprising first terminal means and second terminal means movable on a path into and out of contact therewith, said first terminal means including a contact member having a free end portion extending generally transversely across said path and deflectable along said path upon making and breaking contact with said second terminal means, said second terminal means including a contact surface generally transversely of said path for low-resistance current interchange contact against said deflectable free end portion of said contact member, said first terminal means including support means for said contact member having stop means extended transversely across said path for limiting the movement of said free end portion along said path when said second terminal contact surface is moved into contact therewith, and a pair of guide members integrally formed on said support extending laterally outwardly in opposite angular directions from said stop means for guiding said second terminal means into circuit-making contacting engagement with said first terminal means.

5. The electrical cutout assembly of claim 1 including deflectable latching means for holding said first and second terminal means in latchingly engaged electrical contact, said latching means having a deflectable latch finger with a free outer end adapted to engage and hold a latch surface of said second terminal means and an elongated body portion in close parallel relation with said middle legs.

6. An electrical cutout assembly comprising an elongated insulator body having fixed terminals at opposite ends, a switch member pivotally supported at one end by one of said terminals and having contact means at the other end swingable into and out of contact with the other of said fixed terminals, said other fixed terminal comprising a sleet hood having an integrally formed top wall, parallel sidewalls and inner end wall secured to said insulator body and a terminal contact secured to the underside of said top wall and having a terminal leg extended upwardly through a slot therein for supporting an external connection to said cutout, said terminal contact being Z-shaped and including a contact leg at the forward end spaced from said terminal leg and projecting downwardly of said top wall of said sleet hood generally transversely across an arcuate path of movement of said contact means on said switch member toward and away from said contact leg.