EP0178796A2 - Fabrication de contacts d'interrupteurs à vide - Google Patents

Fabrication de contacts d'interrupteurs à vide Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0178796A2
EP0178796A2 EP85306634A EP85306634A EP0178796A2 EP 0178796 A2 EP0178796 A2 EP 0178796A2 EP 85306634 A EP85306634 A EP 85306634A EP 85306634 A EP85306634 A EP 85306634A EP 0178796 A2 EP0178796 A2 EP 0178796A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
vacuum interrupter
mixture
interrupter contacts
bismuth
chromium
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP85306634A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0178796B1 (fr
EP0178796A3 (en
Inventor
Denzil Malcolm Atkinson
Peter Melkin
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
VACUUM INTERRUPTERS Ltd
Original Assignee
VACUUM INTERRUPTERS Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by VACUUM INTERRUPTERS Ltd filed Critical VACUUM INTERRUPTERS Ltd
Publication of EP0178796A2 publication Critical patent/EP0178796A2/fr
Publication of EP0178796A3 publication Critical patent/EP0178796A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0178796B1 publication Critical patent/EP0178796B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/02—Contacts characterised by the material thereof
    • H01H1/0203—Contacts characterised by the material thereof specially adapted for vacuum switches
    • H01H1/0206—Contacts characterised by the material thereof specially adapted for vacuum switches containing as major components Cu and Cr

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to vacuum type circuit interrupters and more particularly to a method for forming the contact structure which is a part of such vacuum interrupters.
  • Vacuum type circuit interrupters generally comprise an evacuated insulating envelope having separable contacts disposed within the insulating envelope.
  • the contacts are movable between a closed position in which the contacts are engaged and an open position in which the contacts are separated and an arcing gap is established therebetween.
  • An arc is initiated between the contact surfaces when the contacts move into or out of engagement while the circuit in which the interrupter is used is energized.
  • One proposed solution to this problem is to adjust the welding characteristics of the contacts so that the welding which may take place is of sufficiently low strength that the weld may be readily broken without unduly distorting or changing the surface of the contact material at which the weld occurs.
  • the fundamental characteristics of the contact materials namely, good current interruption ability, high voltage withstand capability and low electrical resistance including low chopping and low erosion characteristics must not be altered during operation.
  • One approach has been to utilize a major proportion of a very strong element and form a sintered network of powdered particles of this material and thereafter infiltrate the same with a lesser amount of another component which will produce a compromise in the various characteristics of the individual components.
  • Typical of such materials has been the employment of a major constituent comprising a refractory metal such as chromium which is characterised by an high melting point and thereby minimise the welding tendency of the electrode.
  • a pure sintered refractory metal contact formed for example, of chromium will not provide the required electrical conductivity nor the chopping characteristics and high voltage withstand capability. These characteristics are supplied by infiltrating the sintered matrix with a material of good electrical conductivity and low chopping characteristics but which may suffer from high erosion and lower voltage withstand capability, such as copper or silver.
  • Chromium-copper contacts are well known from for example U.K. Patent No. 1,194,674 and U.S. Patent No s . 3,960,554 and 4,048,117. In each of these cases, the chromium is first pressed into a matrix and then infiltrated with copper. In US 4,048,117 a further component of the contact material is an "anti-welding" element which displays "anti-welding" characteristics in a vacuum enviroment. In this case between 0.3% and 2% of bismuth was dissolved in the copper before being infiltrated into the chromium matrix, which had been cold pressed and sintered beforehand.
  • Bismuth is one example of elements such as lead, tellurium, antimony, tungsten and similar metals which form a brittle intermetallic phase thereby decreasing the ductility of the welds and so enabling the weld to be broken more easily.
  • the invention provides a method of manufacturing vacuum interrupter contacts comprising the steps of mixing a metal of high electrical conductivity in powder form with an embrittling agent in powder form and a refractory metal in powder form, the mass of the embrittling agent being less than 0.25% of the total mass of the mixture, cold pressing the mixture to a density of greater than 90% relative to theoretical maximum, sintering under vacuum, and then cold coining the sintered contact up to a density of greater than 97% relative to the theoretical maximum.
  • the metal with high electrical conductivity is copper and the refractory metal is chromium.
  • the embrittling agent is preferably bismuth but may be any one of lead,tellurium, thallium, antimony or tungsten or, in some cases, a mixture thereof.
  • the copper powder which preferably has a particle size range of up to approximately 100 ⁇ m is conveniently first mixed with the bismuth which preferably has a particle size range of up to approximately 40 ⁇ m. This base mixture is then mixed with the chromium powder which preferably has a particle size range of up to 22 ⁇ m.
  • the proportion of base mixture to chromium is preferably in the range 40-90% by mass of base mixture to 60-10% of chromium and is most preferably approximately 75% base mixture to 25% of chromium.
  • the mixture is first cold pressed to a density of approximately 93% relative to theoretical maximum, vacuum sintered at a temperature of between about 950-1050°C and then cold coined to a density of approximately 98% relative to theoretical maximum.
  • copper powder 1 with a particle size of less than 100 ⁇ m is first thoroughly mixed with bismuth powder 3 with a particle size range of less than 40 ⁇ m.
  • This base mixture 4 is then thoroughly mixed with chromium powder 2 with a particle size range of up to 200 ⁇ m in the proportions of 75% by mass of base mixture 4 to the remainder chromium 2.
  • the amount of bismuth 3 in this mixture being 0.15% by mass.
  • the mixture 5 is then cold pressed 6 at approximately 45 ton/sq.inch (70 x 10 6 kg/m 2 ) to a density of approximately 93% relative to theoretical maximum. It is then sintered 7 under vacuum at a temperature of about 1025 0 C for four hours to achieve partial bonding of the copper/copper and copper/chromium and annealing of the compact material.
  • the sintered compact is then cold coined 8 at approximately 72 ton/sq.inch (113 x 10 6 kg/m 2 ) to a density of approximately 98% relative to theoretical maximum. It is then finally machined to prepare for inclusion as a contact in a vacuum interrupter.

Landscapes

  • High-Tension Arc-Extinguishing Switches Without Spraying Means (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
  • Pressure Welding/Diffusion-Bonding (AREA)
EP19850306634 1984-10-15 1985-09-18 Fabrication de contacts d'interrupteurs à vide Expired EP0178796B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB848426009A GB8426009D0 (en) 1984-10-15 1984-10-15 Vacuum interrupter contacts
GB8426009 1984-10-15

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0178796A2 true EP0178796A2 (fr) 1986-04-23
EP0178796A3 EP0178796A3 (en) 1987-05-27
EP0178796B1 EP0178796B1 (fr) 1989-11-02

Family

ID=10568206

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19850306634 Expired EP0178796B1 (fr) 1984-10-15 1985-09-18 Fabrication de contacts d'interrupteurs à vide

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0178796B1 (fr)
JP (1) JPS6196621A (fr)
DE (1) DE3574074D1 (fr)
GB (2) GB8426009D0 (fr)
IN (1) IN164807B (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1990015425A1 (fr) * 1989-05-31 1990-12-13 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft PROCEDE DE FABRICATION D'UN MATERIAU DE CONTACT AU CuCr POUR DES INTERRUPTEURS A VIDE, ET MATERIAU DE CONTACT CORRESPONDANT
EP0460680A2 (fr) * 1990-06-07 1991-12-11 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Contact pour un interrupteur à vide
EP0530437A1 (fr) * 1991-06-21 1993-03-10 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Matériau pour réaliser un contact pour disjoncteurs à vide et procédé pour sa fabrication

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4743718A (en) * 1987-07-13 1988-05-10 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Electrical contacts for vacuum interrupter devices

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1194674A (en) * 1966-05-27 1970-06-10 English Electric Co Ltd Vacuum Type Electric Circuit Interrupting Devices
DE2346179A1 (de) * 1973-09-13 1975-06-26 Siemens Ag Verbundmetall als kontaktwerkstoff fuer vakuumschalter
DE2522832A1 (de) * 1974-06-03 1975-12-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp Verfahren zur herstellung von chrom- kupfer-kontakten fuer vakuumschalter und nach diesem verfahren hergestellte kontakte
US4048117A (en) * 1974-10-29 1977-09-13 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Vacuum switch contact materials
EP0118844A2 (fr) * 1983-03-04 1984-09-19 Hitachi, Ltd. Interrupteur à vide et méthode de sa fabrication

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4190753A (en) * 1978-04-13 1980-02-26 Westinghouse Electric Corp. High-density high-conductivity electrical contact material for vacuum interrupters and method of manufacture
JPS54147481A (en) * 1978-05-11 1979-11-17 Mitsubishi Electric Corp Contact for vacuum breaker
US4304600A (en) * 1979-11-01 1981-12-08 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Manufacture of high-strength metallic articles

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1194674A (en) * 1966-05-27 1970-06-10 English Electric Co Ltd Vacuum Type Electric Circuit Interrupting Devices
DE2346179A1 (de) * 1973-09-13 1975-06-26 Siemens Ag Verbundmetall als kontaktwerkstoff fuer vakuumschalter
DE2522832A1 (de) * 1974-06-03 1975-12-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp Verfahren zur herstellung von chrom- kupfer-kontakten fuer vakuumschalter und nach diesem verfahren hergestellte kontakte
US4048117A (en) * 1974-10-29 1977-09-13 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Vacuum switch contact materials
EP0118844A2 (fr) * 1983-03-04 1984-09-19 Hitachi, Ltd. Interrupteur à vide et méthode de sa fabrication

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1990015425A1 (fr) * 1989-05-31 1990-12-13 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft PROCEDE DE FABRICATION D'UN MATERIAU DE CONTACT AU CuCr POUR DES INTERRUPTEURS A VIDE, ET MATERIAU DE CONTACT CORRESPONDANT
US5241745A (en) * 1989-05-31 1993-09-07 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Process for producing a CUCB contact material for vacuum contactors
EP0460680A2 (fr) * 1990-06-07 1991-12-11 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Contact pour un interrupteur à vide
EP0460680A3 (en) * 1990-06-07 1992-02-19 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Contact for a vacuum interrupter
US5246512A (en) * 1990-06-07 1993-09-21 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Contact for a vacuum interrupter
EP0530437A1 (fr) * 1991-06-21 1993-03-10 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Matériau pour réaliser un contact pour disjoncteurs à vide et procédé pour sa fabrication
US5354352A (en) * 1991-06-21 1994-10-11 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Contact material for vacuum circuit breakers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0178796B1 (fr) 1989-11-02
GB8426009D0 (en) 1984-11-21
JPS6196621A (ja) 1986-05-15
DE3574074D1 (en) 1989-12-07
EP0178796A3 (en) 1987-05-27
GB2166161A (en) 1986-04-30
IN164807B (fr) 1989-06-03
GB8521984D0 (en) 1985-10-09
GB2166161B (en) 1988-08-24

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