US1311916A - Lightning-akrester - Google Patents

Description

W. REID.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-14. 1918.

1,8 1 1 ,9 1 6. Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

W W n W" I! E m I l nl lllll ZHL/EZZZUJ'Z' T all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT, oFFIo WILLIAM REID, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LIGHTNING-ARRESTER.

' Specification of batters Patent.

Application filed December 14, 1918. Serial No. 266,803.

. Be it lmown that I, WILLIAM REID, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in .the county of Cook and State 'of Illinois, have invented new and useful 1mprovements in Lightning Arr'esters, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification. r

This invention relates to lightningarresters, and, more particularly, to lightning arresters provided with a protected sparkgap.

' production of an improved form oflight- 'ning arrester in which the ground-plate and the associated spark lates are located so as to be readily accessible and always visible, but which are at the same time protected to avoid the deleterious results which would occur because of the lowering of the resistance of the air-gap due to the accumulation in and about said air-gap of dust, cinders, bugs, etc. The protection of the spark-gap against such foreign matter which might tend to reduce the resistance of said gap, or even completely short-circuit it, is very important, especially when lightning arresters of this type are utilized in places where the air is frequently charged with large volumesof such injurious foreign matter. A typical example of such a case is found in the circuits for signaling and communication used in, about, and along a railroad right-ofway, in which case the lightning arrester is frequently exposed to an atmosphere charged with cinders, dust,etc.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. v

For the sake of illustrating my invention,

a preferred form thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel represents in perspective a lightning arrester of the improved type illustrating the method used for protecting the airgap; and K Patented Aug. 5, 1919. i

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section taken on the plane represented by the line 22 of Fig. 1.

s illustrated inthe drawings, the lightning arrester consists of a massive piece of insulating material 10, preferable of porce lain, this constituting the body of the arrester. I with two projecting lugs or ears 11 and 12 This body portion 10' is provided fitted with suitable apertures 13 and 14, respectively, which serve to receive the mounting screws for mounting the arrester. The body 10 of the arrester contains three internal apertures 15, 16, and 17 the apertures or recesses 15 and 17 being'fitted with choke or induction coils 18 and 19, respectively, and the contact plates 20 and 21, respectively.

Each of the choke- coils 18 and 19 is conductively attached to its respective contact plate 20 or 21, and the contact plates 20 and 21 are integral with the long screw threaded shanks 22 and 23, respectively. The shanks 22 and 23 constitute the conductors for interconnecting the line wires with the chokecoils 18 and 19.

The upper face of the body 10 of the porcelain base is fitted with an aperture 26, in

which is positioned the ground-plate 27-conductively secured to the screw-threaded shank 28 of a screw 29 having a head 30 which is fitted in the aperture 16 in the lower portion of the porcelain base. The \ground plate 27 is held in position on the screw 29 between an upwardly-extending portion 31 in the aperture 26, which constitutes a mounting base for the ground-plate 27, the ground-plate being held against this base by a securing nut 32. The screw 29 therefore constitutes the ground terminal post, said post extending well above the upper face of the porcelain base 10. Likewise fitted in theaperture 26 are the two spark- plates 35 and 36, preferably constructed of brass and having saw-toothed notched edges, the spark- :7.

plates being bent at right-angles, as indi cated at 37 and, 38, respectively, so that the saw-toothed front edge thereof will rest well below the upperface of the porcelain body 10, and so that they will be in close proximity in the ground-plate 27. The spark plates and 36 are mounted in suitable grooves on the top face of the body 10 and are held in position and conductively connected to the upwardly-extending shanks 22 and 23 of the line terminal posts and all,

s respectively, by means of the securing nuts of the ground terminal post 29. The plate s5 is preferably made transparent and is usually constructed of glass or mica. As indicated in Fig. 2 the plate 45 is preferably made long enough so as to extend beyond the side wall of the aperture 26, said plate resting on the spark- plates 35 and 36, in which position it is securely fastened by a positioning nut 46 coiiperating with the ground terminal post 29. The spark- plates 35 and 36 are preferably fitted with elongated slots through which the line terminal posts 40 and ll pass, whereby said plates are capable of a slight adjustment for the purpose of determining and properly adjusting the size of the spark-gap for the particular line conditions which are to be met.

The conductor leads are obviously secured to the line terminal posts -10 and all by means of a binding-nut of any suitable type, and in a like manner the ground connection is secured to the ground terminal post 29. The choke- coils 18 and 19 are interconnected serially by means of the lead 47. The arrester is serially connected in the line circuit, and when thus connected it will be obvious that the circuit will extend from one line post terminal, for example it), through the shank 22 thereof, the choke-coil '18, the lead 47, the choke-coil 19, the shank 23, to the other line post terminal 41, and thence to the apparatus rotected.

Likewise, it will be apparent from the foregoing description that the two sparkplates 35 and 36 are in multiple with this connection, and through the air-gap this multiple connection leads to ground by way of the ground-plate 27, the ground post terminal 29, and a suitable ground lead.

The electrical operation of this type of apparatus is well known to those skilled in the art and no further description is consequently required,

It will be evident from the improved form of construction herein before described that,

with lightning arresters of this type the spark-gap is absolutely inclosed within the aperture 26 and thus is entirely free from the disturbing influence of foreign matter and impurities which may be in the atmosphere and which, consequently, if the gap were not protected, might be lodged in or about the ground-plate and its associated appurtenances. Due to the protection of the plate d5, however, foreign matter will rest on the late and cannot reach the electrical connections therebeneath. Likewise, in the preferred form of the invention, in which the plate is made of transparent material, the ground-plate and its associated spark-plate are always clearly visible for inspect-ion purposes without in any way disturbing the arrester equipment Likewise, if for any reason it is desired to get at the ground-plate and its associated apparatus, this is very readily and quickly accomplished by merely removing the holding nut 46 and raising the rotecting platedS, when all the apparatus within the aperture 26 is readily accessible.

Lightning arresters constructed in accordance with the teachings of this'invention are, consequently, very advantageous, because of the combined effect of completely protecting the spark-gap and at the same time making it so readily accessible and always visible.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the preferred form thereof herein illustrated and described, but is capable of many alterations and variations, all coming within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

ll claim, etc.

1. A lightning arrester comprising, in combination, an insulating base, apertures in said base, cl1oke-coils in each of said apertures, exposed line terminals connected With said coils, an aperture positioned between said line terminals, a ground connection located in said last-mentioned aperture, conducting bars connected to said line terminals and extending into said last-mentioned aperture and in close proximity to said ground terminal and means to cover said aperture to inclose said ground terminal and the adjacent portions of said conducting bars.

2. A lightning arrester comprising, in combination, an insulating base, line conductors mounted on said base, a ground terminal mounted on said base, conducting means extending from said line terminal to said ground terminal into close proximity with each other, an aperture in said base to inclose the adjacent portions of said conducting means, and means to cover said aperture to protect the apparatus therein from external influences.

3. A lightning arrester comprising, in combination, an insulating base, sparlcplates mounted on the top face of said base, an

aperture in the top face of said base, a

ground terminal fitted in said apertureand extending above the top face of said base, a ground-plate and spark-gap plate extensions ill) iz o

extending into and being inclosed in said I aperture below the top face of said base, and a transparent means mounted on the top face of said base to completely cover said aperture;

4. A lightning arrester comprising, in combination, an insulating base, line terminals and a ground terminal mounted on said base, choke-coils conductively connected to said line terminals and serially intercon- 10 nected, a spark-gap aperture positioned in the top face of said base, a ground-plate in said aperture, and a transparent cover-plate for said aperture.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto sub- 15 scribed my name.

' WILLIAM REID.

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