US2506763A - Mercury switch - Google Patents

Mercury switch Download PDF

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Publication number
US2506763A
US2506763A US623279A US62327945A US2506763A US 2506763 A US2506763 A US 2506763A US 623279 A US623279 A US 623279A US 62327945 A US62327945 A US 62327945A US 2506763 A US2506763 A US 2506763A
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Prior art keywords
mercury
envelope
conductor
main body
refractory
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Expired - Lifetime
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US623279A
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English (en)
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Babler Egon Benedikt
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Individual
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Individual
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H29/00—Switches having at least one liquid contact
    • H01H29/18—Switches having at least one liquid contact with level of surface of contact liquid displaced by non-electrical contact-making plunger

Definitions

  • Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 19, 1945, Serial No. 623,279 In GreatBritain October 1-7, 1944 Section 1, Public-Law 690, August s, 1946 Patent expires October 17, 1964 4 Claims. 1
  • This invention relates to mercury switches.
  • the object of the invention is the provision of an improved mercury switch whose moving parts are entirely sealed, so that it can for example, be employed for an indefinite period under water, and which moreover can be used for very long periods without deteriorating or requiring attention.
  • the invention consists broadly of an electric switch of the mercury type, comprising a sealed envelope, a main body of mercury contained. in said envelope, a movable device located in said envelope, said movable device comprising insulating material and magnetic material, and having formed in the insulating material a cup.
  • said movable device means outside said container for magnetically controlling said movable device through the magneticmaterial thereof, in such a way that said movable device can be alternatively positioned with the mercury in the cup or recess in union with, or out of contact with, the main body of mercury, a conductor passing in sealed relation in said envelope so that it dips in the mercury in the cup or recess throughout the movement ofsaid device, and another conductor in electrical connection with said main body of mercury, so that electrical connection is established or disestablished between the two conductors, according to whether the mercury in the cup is in union with, or out of contact with, the main body of mercury.
  • Figure 2 is a similar view of the same at the closed position
  • Figure 3 is a similar view of an alternative form of a part of the preceding Figures.
  • FIG. 4 is a similar view of another switch in accordance with the invention at the open position
  • Figure 5 is a section on line V-V of Figure 4.
  • Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of an alternative form of a part'of Figure 4.
  • Figure '7 is a section on line VII-VII or Figure 6;
  • the switch comprises a fiied outer envelope l of glass which is of roughly cylindrical form and is disposed with its axis vertical.
  • This envelope has a quantity of mercury 2a in it, and, floating in this mercury; is
  • a vertical upper conductor 5 is sealed in the upper end of the envelope l and eXtends axially downwards into the incr cury 2b in the said cupped recess 4, and a lower conductor 5 is sealed in the lower end of the en velope and has its inner end immersed in the mercury 2a in the envelope.
  • the refractory body 3 Normally the refractory body 3 fioatsas m Figure 1 with its upper end well above the level of the mercury 2a in the envelope, andtherefore the two quantities of mercury 2a and 2b are out of contact, and no contact is established between the two conductors 5 and 6.
  • the refractory body 3 has a cylindrical piece of iron 1 or other magnetic material attached coaXially to it at its lower end so as to form a continuation of it, and means are provided such as a solenoid 8, outside the envelope I for setting up a magnetic field which will pull said piece of iron I, and therefore the refractory body 3, downwards until said refractory body is under the surface of the mercury in the envelope as shown in Figure 2.
  • the inside surface thereof is lined with refractory material l0 extending at least over theregi'on opposite to where contact is made and broken.
  • Any suitable refractory material may b'e'em ployed for the refractory body 3 and the refractory lining In, for example alumina, magnesia berillia, thoria. At the moment the preferred material is alumina.
  • mag netic extension I is made tubular so as to D vide a bore into which the lower conductor 3 projects.
  • the lower part of the envelope I, which is surrounded by the solenoid 8 is of reduced diameter as shown. Even when the floating unit is at its upper position the magnetic extension I just projects into this reduced diameter portion into which it fits fairly closely, and thus the centering of said unit is ensured. At the same time considerable clearance is provided around the upper portion at which the make-and-break takes place.
  • FIG 3 this illustrates an alternative in which the magnetic element 1a of the floating unit is completely embedded and hermetically sealed in the cylinder 3a of refractory material.
  • the cylinder 3a is extended further downwardly than the equivalent cylinder 3 of Figures 1 and 2, and is formed with a coaxial bore hole H in its lower end, in which the conductor 6 extends.
  • the magnetic element 1a is formed as a tube and is completely embedded in the annular wall surrounding the bore hole I I. This is done by boring an annular reces in the lower end of the said annular wall, of dimensions to just receive the tubular magnetic element la, and, when the latter is inserted, covering the open end of said recess with a suitable cement.
  • FIGs 4 and 5 show a somewhat modified construction in which the envelope I2 is of magnetic steel.
  • the vertical upper conductor I3 is sealed in the upper end In of theenvelope I 2 in such a way that it is insulated from the steel.
  • the other conductor does not need to be sealed in the lower end of the envelope l2 but is simply connected to the outside of said envelope.
  • a bush M of porcelain is sealed in an opening in the top l2a of said envelope, and the conductor is passed through, and sealed in, this bush.
  • this bush I4 both to the steel of the envelope and to the copper of the conductor, the appropriate parts of said bush may be coated with silver and solder l5 may be added to elfect the seals.
  • the lower end 13a of the conductor is which actually dips into the mercury is made of tungsten, and the copper portion l3b of the conductor and also the silver for eifecting the aforesaid seals is protected from mercury vapour by means of a pad it of refractory cement, such as talcum powder and a silicate binder covering the underside of the top portion I2a of the envelope .l and also the bottom of the bush l4, and sealed round the conductor I3.
  • the conductor l3, the bush I4 and the pad iii are united to form a unit with the top portion l2a of the container, and this top portion is then welded to the main portion.
  • the level of the pad I6 is below the upper end of the tungsten portion l3a of said conductor.
  • one or more fine arcing holes l8 are formed from the outer periphery of the refractory body 3 into the cupped recess 4 in the upper end of said refractory body, said holes extending at an angle upwardly.
  • the said arcing holes 18 When the floating body is at the up, or circuitbreaking, position, the said arcing holes 18 will be above the level of the outside mercury 2a and will be at least partially empty.
  • the floating body When the floating body is drawn down to the contact-making position, its speed of movement is such that contact will be made as before described, above the annular top surface 9 of the refractory material, before the mercury has time to fill the fine arcing holes i8, which it subsequently does.
  • said floating body again floats up to its circuit-breaking position, the circuit will be maintained through the mercury in said arcing holes I8, after the mercury has separated above the annular top 9 of the refractory material.
  • vents IQ of capillary magnitude are provided extending upwardly from the holes 58 at about the mid points of the latter.
  • the refractory material is built up around the vents so as to form narrow chimneys 20 extending upwardly from the upper end of the refractory body.
  • These chimneys 26 extend up sufficiently far to ensure that the upper ends of the vents are always out of the mercury.
  • the purpose of the vents I9 is to permit of the escape of entrapped gas, which might in some cases, prevent the joining of the mercury inside the arcing channel l8 during subsequent operation.
  • the floating unit flts fairly closely in the lower end of the envelope as described with reference to Figure 1.
  • the solenoid 8 fits fairly closely around the said lower end of the envelope the best magnetic efficiency is obtained. This necessitates the provision of means for permitting the mercury to pass freely to and from the more or less trapped space at the bottom of the container when the floating unit rises and falls.
  • the means consist of one or more openings 24 formed in the upper edge of the tubular piece of iron '5.
  • they take the form of a number of passages 2
  • they take the form of radial grooves 22 in the upper end of the tubular piece of iron 1, and in Figures 6 and 7 they are shown as taking the form of longitudinal grooves 23 in the outer periphery of the iron piece 7, which in this case is not necessarily tubular.
  • the envelope it is usually desirable to evacuate the envelope, or it may be filled with an inert gas.
  • An electric switch of the mercury type comprising a sealed envelope containing a main body of mercury, a member of insulating material at one end portion and magnetic material at the opposite portion having a recess in the insulated end portion opening to said end and containing a secondary body of mercury and a series of holes of small diameter in the wall of the insulated end portion communicating with the recess, said member normally floating in the main body of mercury with the holes positioned above the main body of mercury and the secondary body of mercury out of contact with the main body of mercury, a pair of electric conductors, one of said electric conductors being in permanent connection with the main body of mercury and the other conductor being in constant connection with the secondary body of mercury, and means to attract the magnetic end portion of the member and move said member into the main body of mercury to position the opening to the recess below the surface of the main body of mercury, the movement of the member into the main body of mercury causing the main body of mercury to contact the secondary body of mercury through the opening to the recess before the series of holes are filled with the mercury
  • An electric switch of the mercury type comprising a sealed envelope containing a main body of mercury, a member of insulating material at one end portion and magnetic material at the opposite end portion having a recess in the insulated end portion opening to said end and containing a secondary body of mercury and said member provided with a passage in the wall of the insulated end portion communicating with the recess and a vent hole extending longitudinally of and in the wall of the member with one end communicating with the passage and the op posite end opening through the end of the insulated end portion of the member, said member normally floating in the main body of mercury with the secondary body of mercury out of contact with the main body of mercury, a pair of electric conductors, one of said electric conductors being in permanent connection with the main body of mercury and the other conductor being in constant connection with the secondary body of mercury, and means to attract the magnetic end portion of the member and move said member into the main body of mercury to position the opening to the recess below the surface of the main body of mercury, the movement of the member into the main body

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  • Arc-Extinguishing Devices That Are Switches (AREA)
US623279A 1944-10-17 1945-10-19 Mercury switch Expired - Lifetime US2506763A (en)

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GB2506763X 1944-10-17

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US (1) US2506763A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE461308A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2640890A (en) * 1950-04-28 1953-06-02 Howard R Johnson Multipositioned liquid switch
US2935587A (en) * 1958-10-07 1960-05-03 Adlake Co Mercury switch with overload protection
US2980778A (en) * 1958-08-01 1961-04-18 Mercoid Corp Plunger type mercury switch
US3290553A (en) * 1966-02-24 1966-12-06 Gen Electric Triggered vacuum discharge device having a liquid cathode
US4642593A (en) * 1984-04-17 1987-02-10 Elenbaas George H Impulse mercury relay with magnetic interlock switch

Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE111171C (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) *
US1010620A (en) * 1905-04-03 1911-12-05 William J Crumpton Electric switch.
US1228058A (en) * 1914-10-19 1917-05-29 Time Systems Company Electric relay.
DE443289C (de) * 1926-06-11 1927-04-26 Friedrich Jung Elektrischer Quecksilber-Zeitschalter
US1786018A (en) * 1928-05-28 1930-12-23 Ira E Mccabe Delayed-action mercury-tube switch
US1861630A (en) * 1928-05-08 1932-06-07 Gen Electric Mercury switch with plunging core
US1930094A (en) * 1931-05-01 1933-10-10 Gen Electric Electric switch
US2003260A (en) * 1933-03-06 1935-05-28 Duncan Electric Mfg Co Circuit controller
GB473603A (en) * 1936-04-15 1937-10-15 Adlake Co Improvements in mercury tube switches
US2232874A (en) * 1939-01-12 1941-02-25 Adlake Co Mercury switch
US2396956A (en) * 1943-06-25 1946-03-19 Adlake Co Apparatus for fabricating mercury switches and the like

Patent Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE111171C (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) *
US1010620A (en) * 1905-04-03 1911-12-05 William J Crumpton Electric switch.
US1228058A (en) * 1914-10-19 1917-05-29 Time Systems Company Electric relay.
DE443289C (de) * 1926-06-11 1927-04-26 Friedrich Jung Elektrischer Quecksilber-Zeitschalter
US1861630A (en) * 1928-05-08 1932-06-07 Gen Electric Mercury switch with plunging core
US1786018A (en) * 1928-05-28 1930-12-23 Ira E Mccabe Delayed-action mercury-tube switch
US1930094A (en) * 1931-05-01 1933-10-10 Gen Electric Electric switch
US2003260A (en) * 1933-03-06 1935-05-28 Duncan Electric Mfg Co Circuit controller
GB473603A (en) * 1936-04-15 1937-10-15 Adlake Co Improvements in mercury tube switches
US2232874A (en) * 1939-01-12 1941-02-25 Adlake Co Mercury switch
US2396956A (en) * 1943-06-25 1946-03-19 Adlake Co Apparatus for fabricating mercury switches and the like

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2640890A (en) * 1950-04-28 1953-06-02 Howard R Johnson Multipositioned liquid switch
US2980778A (en) * 1958-08-01 1961-04-18 Mercoid Corp Plunger type mercury switch
US2935587A (en) * 1958-10-07 1960-05-03 Adlake Co Mercury switch with overload protection
US3290553A (en) * 1966-02-24 1966-12-06 Gen Electric Triggered vacuum discharge device having a liquid cathode
US4642593A (en) * 1984-04-17 1987-02-10 Elenbaas George H Impulse mercury relay with magnetic interlock switch

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BE461308A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

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