US1350107A - Electric switch - Google Patents

Description

M. P. MAXWELL AND J. S. LAWSON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLlCATlON FILED JAN-4,1918.

. 1 9 3 5O 1 07 D Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

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M. P. MAXWELL AND J. S. LAWSON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1918.

1,350, 107, Patented Aug. 17,1920;

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UNITED STATES PATENTFOFFICE.

MARSHALL IE. MAXWELL, OF BROOKLYN, AND JOEL S. LAWSON, OF ST. JAMES, NEW

YORK,.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17', 1920.

Be it known that we, MARSHALL P. MAX- wELL and JOEL S. LAWSON, both citizens of the United States of America, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, and at St. James, Long Island, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, respectively, have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electric switches and particularly to switches for use in powerlines of heavy capacity, the object of our invention being to provide an air gap switch capable of breaking a current of very high voltage, and having a simple and eflicient operating mechanism and a general construction adapted to fulfil with efliciency the heavy demands placed upon the switch, while at the same time, maintaining the structure fundamentally simple and free from easily disarranged complications and also relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Inthe accompanying drawings, I Figure 1 IS a plan of a SWltClrlIlStfilltL- tion'in wh ch our invention is'embodied in 3 one form;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through one of the switch contacts;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4,' Fig.

Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

In all switches for power lines in which the voltage is very high, it is customary to provide a three unit switch gang for the three phases of the circuit, and the present switch is of such type, the construction for each phase being identical. A single switch unit, therefore, sufiices to disclose the invention, and we have, for this reaso-n, omitted in Figs. 1 and 2 the two switches which cooperate with the one illustrated.

Each switch is mounted upon a base bar 10 and is insulated-therefrom in any suitable manner,as by the three post insulators 11, 12, and 13.. The line wire 14 for the unit here shown is secured at 15 to one of the switch ,terminals, being gripped at 16 by a cable clamp engaging the strain insulator 17 attached to the base bar 10 by a hook 18. The other end of the cable 14 is secured at 19 to the other terminal of the switch and'passes therefrom to the links 20 and 21, the latter being jointed to a cable clamp '22, which engages the strain insulator 23 secured to the base 10 by a hook 24.

The post insulator 13 is stationary and carries on its cap plate 25 the housing 26 for the stationary switch terminal 27 The post insulator 12 is also stationary and carries on its cap plate 28 a supporting guide 29 UPOII WhICh recip'rocates the switch bar 30 carrying, at one end, the movable switch terminal 31-. 'The post insulator 11 rotates in a suitable bearing 32 on the base 10 and is engaged by a rotary 'stem 33 which may be operated 1n any'suitablewayusually by a hand lever (not shown) at its lower end. To the cap plate 34 of the insulator is rigidly attached the toggle lever arm 35, joint- {id at 36 to its cotiperating arm 37, which in turn is jointed at38 to the sliding switch bar 30.

Upon rotation of the insulator 11, the toggle lever- 35+37 forces the switch bar 30 in a straight line to the left and thus brings the terminal 31, carried thereby, into on gagement with the stationary terminal 27, thereby establishing the circuit through the switch. As. the switch bar30 moves for- Ward, the link 20, jointed at 39 thereto, is drawn forward thereby and continues to support the slack of the cable well out of the way of the metallic parts on the base 10 Associated with the switch terminals 27 and 31 are arcing horns 40 and 41. The

horn 41 is secured in permanentposition with relationto the contact 31', and is so positioned slightly in advance of the contact 31 as to protect the latter from danger should and are form at the air gap on the opening of the switch. The horn 40 is slidably mounted upon the casing 26 of the tent of the outward movement of the horn under the action of the spring 46. A cap 48 may be provided to house the end of the rod 14:. A hood d9 may be carried by the horn all to protect the parts against sleet, snow, and rain.

In normal position, the horn d0 projects beyond the end of the switch terminal 27, so that the arc is broken between the base of the horns 10 and 41, rather than between the contacts 27 and 31, on the opening of the switch. When the switch is. closed, the base of the horn e1 engages the base of the horn 410 and forces the latter to the left into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 3, thus permitting the jack terminal .31 to seat itself deeply between the legs of the cooperating terminal 27. I

In order to insure the break at the arcing horns, a latch 50 is pivoted at 51 to the foot -12 of the horn 4:0. The nose 52 of the latch is lifted through its bearing on the cross pin 53 as thehorn moves to the left, and is,

drawn up into engagement with the notch 520 in the lower face of the contact 31, thus mechanically securing the contact and horn together. l Vhen the switch is opened, the horn 10 is pulled out by this positive engagement of the latch 50 on its foot piece with the contact 31, as well as by the effort of the spring 16. At the moment the jack terminal 31 leaves the terminal 27, the nose 52 of the latch is forced down out of enoperation of the three switches, we provide 7 a lever interconnection, such as that shown in Figs. 1 and 5, for operating the rotary insulators 11, 111, and 211 of the several switch units supported upon the base bars 10, 111), and 210. As here shown, the stem carries a'star plate 55 with four arms 56, 57,, 58, and 59. The stem of the insulator 111 has fast therewith a spider, the arms 61 and 62 of which are connected by links 63 and S4 with the star arms 56 and 57. Similarly, the stem (35 of the insulator 211 has a spider, the arms (36 and 67'of which are connected by links 68 and 69 with the star arms 58 and 59. The relation of the various arms and links is such that the parallelruler motion of the link pairs 636t, 6869 insures the synchronous rotation of the insulators 11, 111, and 211. While general synchronism is attained through the linkage arrangement just described, the delicate final adjustment is made through the precise location of the stop nuts on the stems 4A. The

adjustment at this point permits the precise timing of the parting of the several pairs of horns in the switch group.

The construction as a whole is both simple and rugged. The reciprocation of the contact 31 affords the greatest possible break for a given are of rotation of the insulator The rapid separation of the contacts tends to pull out the are and thus increases the likelihood of breaking the latter. operating lever connection is simple and efficient. The parts of the switch are readily made and are many of them of standard material. Accidental separation of the contacts is prevented by the latch 50, while the freeing of the latter after the initiation of the opening movement of the switch, is positively insured, as is also the consequent break of the current between the arcing horns. These advantages will commend themselves to those skilled in the. art, but we do not. limit ourselves to the precise structure shown, which may be variously modified without departing from What We claim as our invention.

l/Ve claim: v I

1. An air gap switch for high. voltage lines, comprising a reciprocating switch bar, a rotary member and a toggle lever connection between the latter and the switch bar for operating the latter, together withmeans associated with said switch bar for supporting a slack portion of the wire cable out of proximity to the switch basein all positions of the switch bar. 7

2. An air gap switch for high voltage lines, comprising a reciprocating switch bar, a rotary member and'a toggle lever connec tion between the latter and the, switch bar for operating the latter, together with pivoted links associated with said switch bar for supporting a slack portion of the wire cable out of proximity to the switch base in all positions of the switch bar.

3. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal, a slidable arcing horn associated therewith and yielding means for maintainingsaid, horns normally in advance of'the. terminal in the off position of the, switch, but yieldably to permit said horn .to move to a position to the rear of the engagingv portion of the terminal when the switch is. in, on position.

1. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal and an associated slidable arcing horn reciprocating from a position in advance of, to a position to the rear of, the engaging portion of the terminal.

5. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal and an associated spring pressed slidable arcing horn having a normal position in advance of the terminal in the off position The I of the switch, but movable to a position to the rear of the engaging portion of the terminal when the switch is in on position.

6. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal, a cooperating movable terminal, a movable arcing horn associated with the fixed terminal, and means extending between said mov able terminal and the arcing horn for mechanically connecting the same in the closed position of the switch.

7. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal, a cooperating movable terminal, a movable arcing horn associated with the fixed terminal, and means extending between said movable terminal and the arcing horn for mechanically connecting the same in the closed position of the switch, together with means for automatically establishing said connection as the switch closes.

8. In an air'gap switch, a fixed terminal, a cooperating movable terminal, a movable arcing horn associated with the fixed terminal, and means extending between said movable terminal and the arcing horn for me chanically connecting the same in the closed position of the switch, together with means for automatically freeing said connection as the switch opens.

9. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal having a movable arcing horn, a cooperating movable terminal and a latching device associated with said horn for locking the latter to the movable terminal in the closed position of the switch.

10. In an air gap switch, a fixed terminal having a movable arcing horn, a cooperating movable terminal and a latching device associated with said horn for locking the same to the movable terminal in the closed position of the switch, but disengaging the movable terminal only toward the end of the separating movement of the same, to insure the protecting position of the horn when the switch is opened.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

MARSHALL P. MAXWELL. JOEL S. LAWSON.

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