US1886463A - Catenary hanger - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 8, 1932. w, B|RH 1,886,463.

CATENARY HANGER Filed Dec. 2, 1931 LELAND W BIRCH Patented Nov. 8, 1932 FFICE LELAND W. BIRCH, OF MANSFIELD, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS. COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A GORPORATION OF NEIV JERSEY GATENARY HANGER Application filed December 2, 1931. Serial No. 578,486.

My invention relates to a system of overhead support for conductors and hangers for use with such system.

The object of my invention is to provide a hanger and system which will prevent arelng between the hanger and support and thus eliminate burning.

My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation of the various parts herein described and shown in the drawing accompanying this specification.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an end view of my invention.

F ig. 2 is a side or face view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with a trolley wire in position showing the normal relation of the trolley wire with respect to the hanger and its support.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the hanger and trolley wire in a different relative position to the hanger support.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of my system showing the relation between the hangers, their support and the trolley wire.

On most catenary systems of supporting the trolley wire the hanger between the trolley wire and the catenary cable is fre to move vertically relative to the catenary cable as the current collector or a moving vehicle passes underneath the hangers.

Most hangers are provided with a loop at the upper end which passes around the catenary cable and provide a space between the eatenary cable and the sides of the loop as the hanger moves vertically relative to the eaten ary cable.

With such construction the hanger will usually make and break contact with the catenary cable as it rises and falls.

As there is a flow of current between the catenary cable and trolley wire through the hanger, arcing and burning will be produced whenever the hanger breaks its contact with the eatenary cable. To overcome this I have devised a clamp and arranged the same in system whereby contact between the hanger and the eatenary cable is maintained at the same time permitting freedom of movement vertically of the hanger relative to the eatenary cable.

My invention may be applied to the various hangers'now on the market.

Referring to the drawing I show a hanger comprising jaws 1 and 2 whiehmay be moved relative to each other and which are held in a clamped position by means of the screw 3 provided with the central passage 4 and slot 5. The head of the screw is countersunk into the face of the jaw 2.

Projecting upwardly from between the jaws is a supporting member 6 with a loop 7 at the upper end. The loop is open at 8 so that the hanger may be applied to and taken from the messenger cable '9. The opening 8 is closed and maintained closed by a ring member 10 which may be easily positioned as shown in the drawing or displaced at will alsflthe short member 11 of the loop is yielda e. I

In order to grip the trolley wire 12 I provide a jaw with longitudinally disposed grips 13 and 14 but such grips are not so positioned opposite each other as to exactly register and it will be noted that the grip 14 is raised above the grip 13 such that when the jaws are applied to a trolley wire the position of the trolley wire will be as shown in Fig. 3 with respect to the vertical axis XX of the hanger, that is, the vertical transverse axis AA of the trolley wire will be angularly disposed with respect to the vertical axis XX and the same is true of the transverse horizontal axis B-B of the trolley wire. It is apparent that holding the trolley wire in the manner just described will tend to place a. torsion upon the trolley wire, that" is, a tendency will always be present for the wire to seek the position as shown in Fig. 4.

My system comprises the trolley wire 12 and the catenary cable 9 as shown in Fig. 5 supported by the various hangers 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 or any number as may be found desirable or necessary. The catenary cable may be suspended by supports 15. In placing the hangers to 24 inclusive, etc., I employ hangers constructed as above described and shown in Figs. 1 to 4 but I alternate the hangers with respect to their faces as, for instance, hangers 20, 22, and 24 would be installed so as to throw the axis A-A in the same direc- "ase wear sion in the trolley wire tending to swing the I axis A-A ateach hanger to a vertical posh tion and this will be in addition to unnatural torsion set up through the weight of the trol-' ley wire itself to assume a normal position.

The result of a system constructed with the hanger described will be to throw the loop of the hanger, in the direction of the arrow shown inFigs. 3 and at and-as the hanger rises and falls relative to thecahlel) the sides of the hanger-loop will be thrown into and maintained in contact with the cable 9 thus pre venting breal'ring contact between the hanger and cable and thereby eliminating arcing and burning. a I have found by tests that the grip 14 need not be raised abovethe grip 13 more than 3 g to'secure proper torsion in the trolley wire and that a side pressure of the hanger hpen the cable 9 will amount to possibly 6 ounces: This would vary according to the length of the hanger;

-. Te ts have shown that the hanger so con;

striicted'and applied to a system as'described will. eliminate the burning and will not in materially due to friction between the cable and hanger and, theret'ore, the life-of the hangerand of the cable is inaterially increased. 'It'will be recognized that'if burning takes place on the hanger it will al'so-take place on the cable and while the hangers may be replaced, but at a considerable expense, the expense of replacing the cable will amount almost to a teacher-rue tion of the entire system. t It hays-se that if a line were constructed of the ordinary type of hanger and that the enact between one hanger and the -inessenger cable'should be broken that the shuntacti'orl of the other hangers would prevent any arcing but experiments have shown that invariably arcing does take place when said contact is broken and the current may amount toonly 10 to 20 amperes but this current has 'prov'd sufficient in combination with the ,number'of breaks which may take place in the co'urse 'of'time to bring disastrous efiects upon'both theh'anger and cable. 7

.Ha'ving described'my invention, claim 15A trolleywire clamp comprising an elongated supporting member, a pair of jaws st ered thereto,"each jaw having means co teeming with each other'to engage and grip a trolley wire, the saidmeans being displaced relativetoeach other in "a vertical, direction to hold the wire with its vertical transverse axis angularly disposed relative "tothe vertical axis'of the clamp and means gated supporting conductor cable.

to draw the jaws into engagement with the wire.

2. A trolley wire clamp comprising an elongated supporting member having a pair of clamping jaws at the other end and means to move the jaws towards each other, each jaw having a ridge to engage oppositesides of a trolley wire, one ridge being out of vertical alignment with the other ridge to hold the wire in twisted relation relative to the vertical axis of the clamp.

I 3; A trolley wire clamp comprising an elonmember having an elongated loop at one; end to receive a supporting cable, the loop spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the cable, a pair of jaws se cured to the other end of the member, means to move the jaws towards each other and hold them in engagement with a trolley wire and against shifting relative to each other, each jaw having a means arranged to fit into the longitudinal groove of the trolley wire and hold the" wire with itsgrooves rotated a predetermined amount about the long'itu dinal axis of the wire.

4. An overhead system comprising a pair of supports, a "cable supported by and between the supports,a trolley wire positioned below theca'ble anda' plurality of hangers supporting the wire from the cable and the hangers free to move relative to the cable in a vertical direction; the alternate-hangers ar= rangedto hold the trolley wirewith 'atorsion'al twist therein in opposite directions about its'longitu'dinal axis, the said twist biased t'o'hold the hangers in contact with the cable as they move relative to the cable.

5. A oat'en'ary trolley system comprising a messenger cable, a trolley conductor and a plurality of spaced hangers for'suspending the conductor from the cable in movable relation thereto, every other hanger gripping the conductor in such manner as to set upa torsional force therein andin oppositediiections about the longitudinal axis of the '6. A catenary trolley system comprising a messenger cable, a trolley conductor and a plurality of spaced hangers forsuspending the conductor from the cable, each hanger having its upperend movable relative to the cable in a vertical andtiansv'er'se direction the sides of the member within and its lower end gripping the conductor against relative movement therewith, each alternate hanger secured to the conductor with it's verticjal'axis angulafly disposed to the vertical axis of the conductor in'opposite lateral'directions' and the upper end of the hanger pressing constantly against the 7. A catenary trolley system comprising a messenger cable, atrolley 'ccinduc'tor and a "plurality of spaced hangers for sus ending the conductor from the cable, the lowere'nd of each hanger securely gripping the conductor and the upper end encircling the cable in movable relation thereto, the hangers secured to the conductor in such manner that the conductor tends to rotate the upper end of the hangers in a transverse plane to the axis of the conductor and the cable opposes such rotation whereby the hanger is pressed constantly in engagement with the cable as it moves relative to the cable.

8. A catenary trolley system comprising a messenger cable, a trolley conductor and a plurality of spaced hangers for suspending the conductor from the cable, the lower end of each hanger securely gripping the conductor and the upper end encircling the cable in movable relation thereto, the hangers secured to the conductor in such manner that the conductor tends to rotate the upper end of the hangers in a transverse plane to the axis of the conductor and the cable opposes such rotation whereby the hanger is pressed constantly in engagement with the cable as it moves relative to the cable, some hangers tending to rotate in one direction and others in the opposite direction.

9. A catenary trolley system comprising a messenger cable, a trolley conductor and a plurality of spaced hangers for suspending the conductor from the cable the lower end of the hangers securely attached to the conductor and the upper end attached thereto in movable relation, the relation of the hanger to the conductor being such that the hangers tend to rotate in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the conductor, some hangers rotatable in one direction and other hangers in the opposite direction.

10. A hanger comprising an elongated support member having means at one end to receive loosely a messenger cable and having a conductor clamp at the other end securely attached to the support, jaws on the clamp to engage and grip the conductor and hold the hanger thereto in such relation to the conductor that the vertical axis of the hanger will be angularly disposed to the vertical axis of the conductor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LELAND W. BIRCH.

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