GB1004789A - Electrical conductor bar for trolley electrification systems and method for making such bar - Google Patents

Abstract

1,004,789. Electric conductors. INSUL-8-CORPORATION. March 5, 1964 [March 20, 1963; June 18, 1963], No. 9436/64. Heading B7L. [Also in Divisions B3 and H1] A hollow lightweight electrical conductor 10 comprises two sheets 14, 17 with abutting ends 15, 16 and 18, 19, Fig. 2, maintained in close face-to-face contact by the outer sheet, one sheet having low electrical resistance and the other having high moduli of elasticity and rigidity. One sheet is of copper, aluminium or roll hardened copper and the other of,stainless steel, mould steel or galvanized steel. Adjacent conductors are connected by pins inserted into the lobes 11, 12 which help in pressing the two sheets together, Fig. 1 (not shown). Apparatus for making the conductor comprises a bed 25, Fig. 3, supporting two rolls 40, 41 containing strips of material 14<SP>1</SP>, 17<SP>1</SP> and a series of mating rollers 26, 26<SP>1</SP>-34, 34<SP>1</SP> which gradually bend the flat sheets into the form shown in Fig. 2. Sections of the rollers are given in Figs. 5-13 (not shown). The spacing between the upper and lower rollers is adjustable by lead screws and the rollers 26, 26<SP>1</SP> apply sufficient pressure to remove substantially all the oil and moisture from between the sheets to obtain a good electrical contact. Each set of rollers may be rotated faster than the preceding set or all sets may be driven at the same speed but have reducing diameters to keep the sheets under continuous tension. The rollers may have annular ridges 71, 72, Fig. 16, to stretch the outer sheet over the inner sheet particularly when the outer sheet is copper. In Fig. 17, the outer copper sheet is forced into a gap 80 between the ends of the inner steel member to further lock the sheets together.