US1029098A - High-potential electric switch. - Google Patents

Description

APPLICATION FILED APR.6,1911.

Patented June 11, 1912.

2 SHEETS SHEBT 1,

G. C. BADEAU.

HIGH POTENTIAL ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APE. 6,1911.

Patented June 11, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fl w a Svwewfoz 33313 114 QHoI-Me UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. BAIjEAU, OF WINTHBOP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SEARS B. CONDIT. JR., OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

HIGH-POTENTIAL ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 11, 1912.

Application filed April 6, 1911. Serial No. 619,448.

To all wh0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. BADEAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vinthrop, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in High- Potential Electric Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to high potential electric oil switches. Switches of this kind are commonly provided with heavy movable contact parts, and are sometimes provided with counter-weights or powerful springs to give a normal bias toward an open position, to the end that when released the rebound of the spring or counter-weight will effect a rapid rupture of the circuit, and a minimum damage from the electric arcs due to the circuit rupture. These switches are used in transmitting currents of high voltage and large amperage, so that the amount of energy set free at the moment of circuit rupture is always very large, and sometimes, as in the case of heavy overloads or short circuits, is enormous, resulting in strains on the vessel containing the oil bath, which sometimes is so severe as to rupture them with explosive violence. A further incident of the operation of such switches is the throwing of oil when the circuit is open, by the violent commotion created by the arc gases set free.

My invention is designed to overcome these objectionable features and provide an oil switch compact, structurally, capable of use with very high potentials, and with currents of large volume, and which will prevent the splashing of oil over the station in which the switch is located.

I carry out my invention by providing a cast iron support by which the switch may be attachedto a wall or switchboard, and which has a horizontal plate on which a group of oil vessels may be'supported. The openings through which the carrier for the movable contacts pass are provided with a foraminous material which will permit the escape of air or gas but retard discharge of oil, and around the 0 rating mechanism and top plate aforesai I provide a metal dome or cover which incloses said mechanism, said dome being provided with vents or openings which will'permit egress of gases but prevent discharge of oil. The

high potential leads are brought into the several oil vessels of the switch through porcelain insulators, and metallic terminals are mounted on the insulators and incloscd within multitubular layers of insulation with oil spaces intervening between so as to withstand rupture by very high electric potentials, these contacts being mounted so that they are adjustable to compensate for the irregular shrinkage of the porcelain in sulators during their process of manufacture. To increase the compactness of the structure I mount a biasing spring in a casing below the support for the oil vessels, and provide a parallel motion restoring mechanism acted upon by the spring. The current closing mechanism acts uvon this parallel motion system by means oi a roller supported in a pair of links, constituting a yoke-shaped support which may be shifted forward to close the switch by the operating lever which projects through the casting; and to assure a quick make and break I mount in the path of the roller and on the parallel motion levers a roller, over which the operating roller must ride in its movement toward the closing and opening position, and this roller is placed at a point where it is engaged by the operating roller when the movable contacts are nearing a circuit closing position, by reason of which a rapid thrust downward or upward is caused when the circuit is made or broken.

My invention therefore comprises an oil switch provided with a ventilating dome or cover inclosing the operating mechanism and preventing the sputtering of oil.

It comprises also a spring retractor, giving a normal bias toward an opening position, and an operating mechanism within the ventilating dome.

It comprises further an opening mechanism havlng a normal opening bias and a cam roller mechanism for giving a quick thrust when the circuit is made or broken.

It comprises also an adjustable terminal provided wit-h a multitubular insulation with intervening oil spaces; and other features, the novelty of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a sectional view on a broken plane which passes through the dome, oil tanks and spring casing, the remaining parts being in elevation.

Fig. 2 is, a sectional view on a horizontal plane, showing in plan the erating mechanism and a section of the ome. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on a lane at right angles to that of Fig. 1, the plane passing through one of the oil vessels. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of one of the fixed contacts.

Referring now in detail to the drawings,

1 indicates a casting on which is a horizontal flanged extension 2, in which are open ings through which the movable members of the switch may operate. A plurality of oil tanks are supported on the extension 2, as indicated at 3, 3, 3", and a cast iron dome 4 surmounts the plate inclosing'the operatin mechanism and the moving contacts. his dome is provided with holes indicated at to provide a vent for air and gases. The movable contacts are supported rom a cast iron frame 6, on which is supported in metal caps 7 a wooden or fiber carrier 8 for the movable contact. This contact as seen best at 9, Fig. 3, is composed of a bundle of laminae of sheet copper of phosphor bronze and an arcing strip 10 of stiffer stock, which may be of the same material.

The contacts are operated in the switch shown in the drawings by a pair of parallel levers 11, 12, each having two arms, these levers being ivoted at the outer end to the casting 6, and at'the other end in the frame of the switch. The lower lever 12 carries angular arms 13 in the nature of a crank, in the ends of which is mounted a steel roller 14, hearing on the head of a spring actuated thrust pin 15 operated by a powerful coil spring 16. A pm 17 limits the mo tion of, the thrust pin. The spring and thrust in are contained within a casing 18, screwe to the switch frame.

19, 19, is an operating lever projecting through the casting, and which may be provided with'a handle or other operating device. It is pivoted to aconnecting pin 21 between two links 22, 22, mounted on an axis 23. These links lie at right an les to the'operating levers 11 and 12 and r0 ler 24.

pivoted on the pin 21 rides upon the lever 11. The levers 11 and 12 are in pairs, as will be seen from Fig. 3. On one of the levers 11 is a stud 25, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. In the retracted switch ition this stud is in close relation to bloc 26, secured to link 22, the arrangement being such that when motion is given to the roller 21 to operate the switch the stud 25 will move past the block 26 and give a closing movement to the switch, but if the normal bias 6o ing spring should break the stud 25 will interlock with the block 26 and prevent the switch from closin 7 v The orcelain insulators and the fixed termina s will be understood from the sectional view in F 3. The high potential leads 27 pass through the hollow insulators and terminate in a metal terminal 28, in which is secured a fixed copper bar 29 on the lower end of which is secured one of the fixed contacts of the switch 30. This contact is formed by a plate of copper screwed on the end of the bar 29 and locked by a nut 31, thus rendering its position adjustable. This adjustability is of great value in oil switches when used with porcelain insulators, as the adjustable terminal compensates for the variation in the size of the orcelain due to irregular shrinkage. Around the end of the porcelain I place a fiber tube 32, and around the copper bar 29 I place similar smaller tubes 33 and 34, these tubes being of such diameter that a free oil space will be maintained between them to increase the breakdown potential between the fixed terminals and the bridging contact 9, and to prevent the are from following along the fixed contact leads 29. The oil vessels are hung from the casting by a plurality of rods such as 35. The oil vessel '15 formed of galvanized sheet iron, reinforced at top and bottom, and the support ing rods are passed through this reinforced part as indicated in Fig. 3, thus greatly strengthening the tank and adaptin it to withstand much greater pressures. n case of the circuit opening on heavy overload, the pressure is sometimes so great as to ture the oil tank, as they are commonly made of thin stock. The st-ructure I have provided prevents such a result, as it greatky increases the ability of the tank to wit stand ex losive strains. with a ti r or other insulating lining, pref; erably without joints, as by forming the lining of a homogeneous insulating cup, as .indicated at 36.

'Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent, is:

1. An oil switch provided with a movable contact normally biased to open position, an operating device for moving it to closed position, and an interlock to permit closure normally but to prevent closure if the bias fails.

2. An oil switch provided with a movable contact and a coil spring giving a normal bias to the open position, an operating de vice for moving it to closed position, and a mechanical interlock between the movable contact carrier and the operating means to prevent closure of the switch if the spring breaks.

3. A high potential oil switch provided with an oil vessel in which contact is made and broken, a pivoted frame, movable contacts carried thereby, an o crating arm and a roller in the-path of t lie arm near the closing position of the switch to insure a quick make and break.

Each tank is lined 4. A high potential oil switch provided with anoil vessel in which contact is made and broken, a pivoted frame, movable contacts carried thereby, an o erating arm carrying a cam roller to shi t the frame, said cam roller engaging a latching roller near the closed position of the switch to effect a rapid make and break.

5, In a high potential oil switch a plurality of moving contacts, parallel motion mechanism for reci rocating them; means for giving a norma opening bias, a roller engaging the mechanism to close the switch, and .a cooperating roller on the movable member engaged near the closing switch position to lock it in such position.

6. An oil switch provided with an operating lever, a movable contact partially connected therewith, a biasing spring normally holding the contacts open, an operating arm, a cam roller operated thereby to shift the movable contact, and a locking roller engaging the cam roller in the closed switch position.

7. An oil switch provided with movable contacts, parallel levers for opening and closin the contacts, means for giving normal bias toward the open position, a cam roller movable in an are engaging the levers to give closing movement, and a locking roller in path of the cam roller near the closed position of the switch to give a rapid make and break movement and to lock the switch closed.

8. A high potential oil switch containing oil pots formed of sheet metal with a reinforced bottom, a seamless insulating cup lining the several pots and a plurality of tie rods engaging the pots at a reinforced part and clamping the vessels to the supporting casting to prevent damage from explosion.

9. An oil switch provided with a bridging contact breaking pn upward movement, fixed vertically movable contacts secured to cop or extensions of the high potential lea and multisectional insulating barriers around'the extensions with intervening oil s aces along the line of travel of the movable contact, the outer barriers being slotted to permit engagement of the contacts. 7

10. An oil switch provided with porcelain insulators, high potential leads within the insulators, metallic rods secured in the insulators, adjustable fixed contacts to compensate for irregular shrinkage of the porcelain and a bridging contact vertically movable to engage said fixed contacts.

11. A high potential oil switch comprising an oil bath, a vertically reciprocating movable bridging contact-therein, and fixed contacts, the leads of which are inclosed in multisectional insulating jackets having intervening oil spaces in close relation to the path of the bridging contact, whereby the bridging contact may be shifted upwardly in opening the circuit, and the contacts may be brought in close relation.

12. A high potential oil switch having its operating mechanism housed within a ventilating dome, said device having a multiplicity of small openings to form gas vents and mounted between the insulators for the fixed contact terminals.

13. A high potential oil switch having its operating mechanism housed within a ventilating dome having a multiplicity of downwardly inclined small gas vents and mounted between the insulators for the fixed terminals.

14. A high potential oil switch having one or more layers of gauze over the oil vessel to permit escape of air; and prevent escape of oil, and a ventilating dome around the operating mechanism and over the openings for the removable contacts, sai dome being provided with perforations in 'ts side walls to permit free escape of gases and to prevent spattering of oil.

15. A high potential oil "switch promded with a supporting frame carrying nsulators for the fixed contacts and a ventilating dome between the insulators around the openings for the movable contactsand their operating mechanism, said dome having a multiplicity of openings in its walls to prevent spattering of oil and permit free escape of gases.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES C. BADEAU.

Witnesses:

Roar. H. READ, G120. N. KERR.

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