US2456118A

US2456118A - Terminal member

Info

Publication number: US2456118A
Application number: US486933A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cyril J Foster
Original assignee: THOMAS HAWKINSON
Current assignee: THOMAS HAWKINSON
Priority date: 1943-05-14
Filing date: 1943-05-14
Publication date: 1948-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 1965-12-14

Description

, Dec. 14, 194s.

Filed May 14, 1945 IN\\ f v. wv w w mmm w l i f 271/51?? Dr UVP/LJ. FOSTER Patented Dec. 14, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TERMINAL MEMBER Application May 14, 1943, Serial No. 486,933

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a terminal member and assembly and more particularly to an electric terminal member and assembly which is particularly well adapted for use on electrical devices such as condensers, transformers, chokes, etc. which are enclosed in metallic or plastic housings containing oil, wax, tar or other insulating gas, fluid or semi-iiuid.

Many small electrical devices are housed in a closed container which is iilled or partially lled with a liquid or gaseous insulating substance. One or more electrical leads must be brought through the wall of the container for an exterior connection. Accordingly, some provision must be made to prevent the escape of the liquid or gaseous insulating substance at each point where a conductor passes through the container wall. Each conductor should also preferably be insulated from the container Wall.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel seal and terminal member possessing the above desired characteristics.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel combination rivet, seal and terminal member.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel terminal member assembly.

Another and further object of the present invention is to provide a novel plastic gasket cr washer for a terminal member assembly.

Another and still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel method f-or forming an electric terminal and assembly.

Still another and further object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and means for securing a conductor to an electric terminal.

The novel features which I believe to beV characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. My invention itself, however, both as to its manner of construction and method, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a container for an electric element having a pair of terminal members extending from the side thereof and embodying novel features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a terminal and rivet member which forms one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the termi.- nal and rivet member oi Figure 2 in a die press about to be assembled on a wall member.

lil

Figure 4 shows the terminal member riveted in place and shows the upper end of the terminal member sealed 01T Figure 5 is a partial sectional view of the terminal member assembly taken in a vertical plane at right angles to that of Figure 4 as taken along the line V-V;

Figure 6 is a top view of the terminal member and assembly as shown in Figure 4;

Figure is a sectional view of a terminal member and assembly showing a modified form of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the terminal member and assembly of Figure 7 after it has been removed from a die press and sealed off;

Figure 9 is a view of the upper portion of the terminal member and assemblyas shown in Figure 8 as taken along the lines IX-IX thereof;

Figure 10 is a sectional view of a modied form of terminal member assembly; and

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 with an outside conductor sealed thereon.

In order to indicate the general environment of the present invention I have illustrated in Figure 1 a container IU having a pair of terminals II and I2 on one of the walls thereof. I-Ioused within the container I0 is an electric element I3 such, for example, as a condenser, which is electrically connected to the terminals II and I2 by conductors I4 and I5 respectively. The container I0 provides a fluid-tight housing for the element I3 and may contain any suitable insulating fluid, and the terminal members I I and I2 completely seal oi the respective openings in the wall of the container through which the electrical conductors I4 and I5 extend.

The present invention relates primarily to a terminal member and seal which before it is assembled on the wall of the container has the shape illustrated by way of example in Figure 2 of the drawings. This terminal member and seal as shown in Figure 2 and as generally indicated by the reference character I6 is in the form of a double shank, tubular, rivet-like member having two shank or stem portions I'I and I8 with an integral head portion I9 lying therebetween. The member I6 has a tubular passageway 20 oxtending through both shank portions I8 and I'I as shown. The counterbore 2I is provided in the shank portion II and thus provides a thinning ot the material in that region which enables it to be readily and easily upset to rivet the member I6 in its assembled position on a container wall. For a reason which will be more fully explained hereinafter the exterior diameter of the shank portion I8 is substantially the same as the interior diameter of the counterbore 2l. It will thus appear that the exterior or outer diameter of the shank portion I1 is greater than the outer diameter of the shank portion I8.

The member lt is preferably made of a soit metal such as softsteel or Copper.

To assemble themember i8 on a wall portion 22 of the container lil an opening 23 is provided in the wall 22 which is larger than the outside.

diameter of the shank portion Il. A group. of washers are then placed on either side of the opening 23, which group of washers includes a metal washer 24, a washer 250i insulating. material such as fiber, rubberor Bakelite having a small raised end portion 2li which extends partly into the opening 23 andl centersv the. terminal member it therein, a second insulating washer 2l on the outer side of the wallA portion 22 and a third washer of rubber or other suitable material. 281 This grouper washers Sie, 25, andu 2534 are'assembled 'together with the shank portion li of the member i6 on .the wall portion 2li of'the container It. The entire assembly is theny placed in a Ydie press having an upper dievmember 29 anda lower die member 30, the lower die member 3d being provided with a central stud. Cilwhich extends up into the tubular portion 2li of the member ltto center the assembly on theiower die member. The upper diemember Zf'is arranged to be seated directly on the head E9 of the memberit and thus is directly above the wall of the counterbored portiony 2l of shank ll'. Since the outer diameter of shank i8 isA not greater than the inner diameter of counterbore 2l?, the compression force oi vthe die members isapplied directly and lengthwise oi the counterbore wall portion oi shank l'l. As the die members 2Q and Si! are moved toward each other the lower end of the shank portion ifi. is rolled outwardly as at 32' which securely rivets the terminal member I6 and the washer assembly to the wall `portion 22 of container lil.

With the terminal member assembly in this position we now have a member whichis substantially like' that shown in Figure 3 with the exception that 'the die members have not been removed and the lower end of the shankmember l'l has been rolled over as shown by the dotted linerJ in Figure 3. In this position a conductor 33 which extendsfrom the electrical element within the container lll is inserted up through the en tire length of the tubular passageway 20 of the member it. Now with the wire extending en'- tirely'through the passageway 2li the upper portion of 'the 4shank i8 is compressed in a vise or other suitable compression means until this up per portion ci thel shank l is mashed completely flat. This causes the upper end of the terminal member i6 to be completely sealed 01T as is shown in Figure 4. I have found that when a terminal member is composed of a soft material such as soft steel or copper that the two confronting innery that shown in Figuref whereinsides of theup'e' per portion have been notched out as at 34, an aperture provided as at 35 and the tip portion rounded as at 3E.

From the above description it will be apparent that by providing a double shank hollow, rivetlike member with an intermediate head portion, I have provided a member 'which acts as 'a rivet, a terminal' member,` and a huid-tight seal'for an opening in a container wall.

The general appearance of the top of the assembly after it has been completely formed and assembled is shown in Figure 6 of the drawing.

In Figures '7, 8 and. 9 of the drawings I have illustrated a modiiied form of the present invention. In this form. of the invention a plastic sleeve (His employed instead of the washer assembly previously described in connection with Figures 2 to 6 of the drawings. More particularly a sleeve oi some suitable thermoplastic material is inserted through an opening 38 in a container wall portion 39; The shank portion I7' of theiterminal member lG. is then inserted throughthe sleeve 37. press and under pressure the'lower end portionI 4U" or the terminal member I 5 is rolled back over the lower end of the sleeve' and at the same time sleeve 3l' is compressed lengthwise. This compression of the sleeve lengthwise causesthe plastic material to ow back over the adjacent edge of the wall portion 39/ which denes the opening 38. After compression, the plastic sleeve member 38 has the shape as shown in ligurel or the drawings. It will thus'be-seen that the plastic member 3'! forms its own insulating washe er assembly since it extends over the. edge of the opening on both sides of the wall portion. InFigure 7 of the drawing I have shown in dotted lines the position cfa conductor 4l coming from the.

electrical element housed within the container Il).l An intermediate portion of the upper shank i8' of the terminal member IS is then crushed under. pressure to cause the two confronting facesof the passageway the shank l8` to be bonded together along with the upper endofthe, conductor di. This compression of .-theintermediate portion may be, made ina die. having a sharp..

edge portion which will leave. theupper: portion. 42 of theshank .Idin its original tubular wall form as shown inv Figure 8.' An exterior conductorf43 may then. be extended down. through this upper tubular portion 42 andhooked over the inner edge Theconductordt may then be` thereof as at lill. soldered orfotherwise suitably secured to-the upper portion 62er the terminal member I6;

The third embodiment of thepresent invention!- is shown in Figures 10 and 1l of the drawings. In this'form of the invention theV head'porti'on portion i8.

trical element' YwithinV the container extending entirely through the upper shank portion IB 'of the terminal member. When an exterior conductor'lli is to beconnected lto the terminalrmember the end of such a conductor 48 is'insertedin the l upper portion 9 of the'terminal member so that" 'it lies alongside of and against the upper" end of shank alongwith the'two conductors'lll.l and 48" together. Theassembly after they upper portion Thisvassembly is then placed ina die 49 has been crushed then has the appearance as shown in Figure 11.

This third embodiment of the invention has the distinctive advantage of making a very satisfactory type of connection between the inner con ductor 41 and the outer conductor 48 Without the means of solder and at the same time provides a complete seal for a container on whiich the terminal member is mounted. By providing a head portion 45 whose upper surface makes an obtuse angle with respect to the shank portion I8, danger of shearing at this point is greatly reduced.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention it will, of course, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto so that many modications may be made and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claim to cover all such modications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

A terminal member and seal for an apertured container housing an electric element comprising a tubular member having an intermediate ilange with stem portions extending from either side thereof and having an interior passageway therein, a conductor connected to said electrical element disposed in said passageway one of said stem portions being inserted through said housing aperture, an annular mass of deformable, uid impervious, electrically insulating material surrounding said one stem portion and disposed intermediate said flange and one side of the housing, an additional annular mass of deformable, uid impervious, electrically insulating material surrounding said one stem portion and abutting the other side of the housing, the outer end of said one stem portion being deformed outwardly and compressed axially to compress said masses of insulating material into fluid sealing engagement with the aperture dening walls of the housing, the other of said stem portions having an intermediate portion thereof Whose opposite Wall portions are completely collapsed to form a bond with each other and with said conductor therein suiciently for hermetically sealing olf the interior of said container and also electrically connecting said conductor to said terminal member, the remaining tubular end portion of said last stem having the end of said conductor lying therein, an exterior connecting conductor having an end disposed Within said end portion of said last stem alongside of and against said first conductor, the opposite Wall portions of said end portion being collapsed to form a bond with each other and With both of said conductors therein.

CYRIL J. FOSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 650,862 McTighe June 5, 1900 1,011,439 Kaisling Dec. 12, 1911 1,643,150 Conner Sept. 20, 1927 1,657,208 Greaves Jan. 24, 1928 1,677,968 Hughes July 24, 1928 1,927,382 Andrew Sept. 19, 1933 1,937,431 Mendel Nov. 28, 1933 1,953,188 Norviel Apr. 3, 1934 2,034,090 Douglas Mar. 17, 1936 2,052,700 De Lange Sept. 1, 1936 2,071,164 Galvao Feb. 16, 1937 2,095,045 Webb et al Oct. 5, 1937 2,164,311 Doran July 4, 1939 2,211,659 Johanson Aug. 13, 1940 2,368,548 Kalstein Jan. 30, 1945 2,374,084 Dubilier Apr. 17, 1945