US3018354A - Means for preventing contact sticking in mercury contact switches - Google Patents
Means for preventing contact sticking in mercury contact switches Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3018354A US3018354A US848028A US84802859A US3018354A US 3018354 A US3018354 A US 3018354A US 848028 A US848028 A US 848028A US 84802859 A US84802859 A US 84802859A US 3018354 A US3018354 A US 3018354A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- mercury
- contact
- tin
- copper
- switches
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H1/00—Contacts
- H01H1/06—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved
- H01H1/08—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved wetted with mercury
Definitions
- This invention relates to electric switches and particularly to such switches in which metallic material in liquid form is used as a medium through which circuit contina ty is effected.
- Switches of the kind under consideration are often called mercury switches because of the common use of this material as the liquid contact medium.
- a mercury switch may take several forms, there is disclosed for illustrative purposes one of the mercury contact type as in Patents 2,609,464 to J. T. L. Brown and C. E. Pollard, Jr. and"2,868,926 to C. E. Pollard, Jr.
- This object is attained in accordance with a feature of this invention by using a solution of mercury, copper and tin as the contact medium.
- the reed switch illustrated comprises an envelope or housing 10, which may be of glass.
- envelope or housing 10 which may be of glass.
- spaced pole-piece terminals 11 and 12 of magnetic material are sealed.
- the facing inner ends of the terminals 11 and 12 are provided with contacts 13 and 14, respectively, which may be of platinum or platinum and nickel.
- the opposite end 10b of the envelope 10 has a metal tube 20 extending through and sealed therein.
- a part of the tube within the envelope has a flared or cup-like portion 20a. Contained within this cup portion and designated 21 is a quantity of the mercury-copper-tin solution previously noted. There may be an excess of this solution surrounding the cup.
- a reed or swinger of magnetic material such as Permalloy, is secured to the cup a as at 15a and has a looped portion 15b within the cup.
- the reed 15 may atent O 3,018,354 Patented Jan. 23, 1962 ICC be advantageously coated with nickel to improve its mercury wettability.
- An energizing coil 22 shown schematically in the drawing, surrounds the envelope 10.
- the liquid contact medium may comprise the mercury, tin and copper in various proportions.
- suitable nonsticking contacts have been made with 6.0 milligrams of tin and 0.3 milligram of copper in 0.1 cubic centimeter of mercury.
- the lower limit of copper useful for the intended purpose is not clearly defined, although 0.25 milligram of tin and 0.3 milligram of copper in 0.1 cubic centimeter of mercury attained the desired result.
- the upper limit for copper appears to be 0.05 percent and that for tin about 0.5 percent by weight.
- the lower limit for tin appears to be about 0.01 percent by weight.
- the maximum amount of tin and of copper or less of either or both down to a minimum beyond which the desired effect is not achieved.
- the minimum of copper may be none at all provided sufficient tin is used.
- an agent for wetting the con tacts comprising a mercury-tin-copper solution.
- an agent for wetting the contacts comprising a mercury-tincopper solution.
- An electric switch having movable circuit controlling elemenrts housed in a sealed insulating envelope, and a pool of mercury-tin-copper solution in said envelope.
- An electric switch in which circuit continuity is maintained by way of contacts wetted by a liquid contact material comprising tin in an amount up to 0.5 percent by weight and copper in an amount up to 0.05 percent by weight dissolved in mercury.
Landscapes
- Contacts (AREA)
- Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
Priority Applications (7)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NL255854D NL255854A (US08080257-20111220-C00005.png) | 1959-10-22 | ||
NL126656D NL126656C (US08080257-20111220-C00005.png) | 1959-10-22 | ||
US848028A US3018354A (en) | 1959-10-22 | 1959-10-22 | Means for preventing contact sticking in mercury contact switches |
DEW28451A DE1147647B (de) | 1959-10-22 | 1960-08-26 | Elektrischer Schalter mit durch eine Quecksilber-Loesung benetzten Kontakten zur Verhinderung des Kontaktklebens |
FR839791A FR1274696A (fr) | 1959-10-22 | 1960-09-28 | Interrupteur à contacts mouillés non collables |
GB34136/60A GB929669A (en) | 1959-10-22 | 1960-10-05 | Improvements in or relating to electric switches |
BE596077A BE596077A (fr) | 1959-10-22 | 1960-10-17 | Dispositifs pour empêcher le collage dans des contacts a mercure. |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US848028A US3018354A (en) | 1959-10-22 | 1959-10-22 | Means for preventing contact sticking in mercury contact switches |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US3018354A true US3018354A (en) | 1962-01-23 |
Family
ID=25302148
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US848028A Expired - Lifetime US3018354A (en) | 1959-10-22 | 1959-10-22 | Means for preventing contact sticking in mercury contact switches |
Country Status (6)
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3114811A (en) * | 1961-11-16 | 1963-12-17 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Reduction of sticking of mercury-wetted contacts |
US3343110A (en) * | 1965-05-28 | 1967-09-19 | Int Standard Electric Corp | Adhesive relay |
US3356813A (en) * | 1965-06-02 | 1967-12-05 | Nippon Electric Co | Mercury sealed contact switch |
US3431377A (en) * | 1967-03-03 | 1969-03-04 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Mercury contact switch having an alloy contact |
US4311769A (en) * | 1979-02-21 | 1982-01-19 | Andreev Oleg M | Mercury contact |
US6979789B1 (en) | 2005-03-21 | 2005-12-27 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Switches having wettable surfaces comprising a material that does not form alloys with a switching fluid, and method of making same |
US11309140B2 (en) * | 2019-01-04 | 2022-04-19 | Littelfuse, Inc. | Contact switch coating |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2319259A (en) * | 1941-10-29 | 1943-05-18 | Wilson H A Co | Contact |
US2732459A (en) * | 1953-09-21 | 1956-01-24 | pollard | |
US2796495A (en) * | 1953-12-23 | 1957-06-18 | Baker & Co Inc | Electrical contact elements |
Family Cites Families (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2547536A (en) * | 1951-04-03 | Formation of a surface easily |
-
0
- NL NL126656D patent/NL126656C/xx active
- NL NL255854D patent/NL255854A/xx unknown
-
1959
- 1959-10-22 US US848028A patent/US3018354A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1960
- 1960-08-26 DE DEW28451A patent/DE1147647B/de active Pending
- 1960-09-28 FR FR839791A patent/FR1274696A/fr not_active Expired
- 1960-10-05 GB GB34136/60A patent/GB929669A/en not_active Expired
- 1960-10-17 BE BE596077A patent/BE596077A/fr unknown
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2319259A (en) * | 1941-10-29 | 1943-05-18 | Wilson H A Co | Contact |
US2732459A (en) * | 1953-09-21 | 1956-01-24 | pollard | |
US2796495A (en) * | 1953-12-23 | 1957-06-18 | Baker & Co Inc | Electrical contact elements |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3114811A (en) * | 1961-11-16 | 1963-12-17 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Reduction of sticking of mercury-wetted contacts |
US3343110A (en) * | 1965-05-28 | 1967-09-19 | Int Standard Electric Corp | Adhesive relay |
US3356813A (en) * | 1965-06-02 | 1967-12-05 | Nippon Electric Co | Mercury sealed contact switch |
US3431377A (en) * | 1967-03-03 | 1969-03-04 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Mercury contact switch having an alloy contact |
US3491219A (en) * | 1967-03-03 | 1970-01-20 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Mercury switch having at least one contact preformed from an alloy containing nickel,copper and tin |
DE1690535B1 (de) * | 1967-03-03 | 1970-12-23 | Western Electric Co | Quecksilberschalter |
US4311769A (en) * | 1979-02-21 | 1982-01-19 | Andreev Oleg M | Mercury contact |
US6979789B1 (en) | 2005-03-21 | 2005-12-27 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Switches having wettable surfaces comprising a material that does not form alloys with a switching fluid, and method of making same |
US11309140B2 (en) * | 2019-01-04 | 2022-04-19 | Littelfuse, Inc. | Contact switch coating |
US20220122784A1 (en) * | 2019-01-04 | 2022-04-21 | Littelfuse, Inc. | Contact switch coating |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR1274696A (fr) | 1961-10-27 |
NL126656C (US08080257-20111220-C00005.png) | |
BE596077A (fr) | 1961-02-15 |
NL255854A (US08080257-20111220-C00005.png) | |
GB929669A (en) | 1963-06-26 |
DE1147647B (de) | 1963-04-25 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
USRE25988E (en) | Electrical switching device and method for making | |
US2264022A (en) | Relay | |
US2889424A (en) | Relay | |
US3018354A (en) | Means for preventing contact sticking in mercury contact switches | |
US3251121A (en) | Method of making reed-type switch contacts | |
US3300703A (en) | Pressure switch and apparatus incorporating same | |
US2732459A (en) | pollard | |
US2277215A (en) | Relay contact device | |
US3663777A (en) | Reed switch | |
US2250212A (en) | Liquid contact device | |
US3889098A (en) | Switching device having contacts of two or more layers | |
US3114811A (en) | Reduction of sticking of mercury-wetted contacts | |
US2247493A (en) | Mercury contact relay | |
US3431377A (en) | Mercury contact switch having an alloy contact | |
US3214558A (en) | Contact arrangement exhibiting reduced material migration | |
US3236965A (en) | Sealed switch for strong currents | |
US3699486A (en) | High voltage miniaturized relay | |
US2848661A (en) | Miniature electromagnetic relay | |
US4019163A (en) | Reed contact unit | |
US3307126A (en) | Encapsulated magnetic switch | |
US4085392A (en) | Reed switch construction | |
US2203321A (en) | Switching device | |
US3426302A (en) | Sealed reed switch with adjustable reed | |
US3296568A (en) | Miniature electromagnetic relay | |
US3274522A (en) | Bistable element |