US3127468A

US3127468A - Adjustable conductor support

Info

Publication number: US3127468A
Application number: US48616A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bradshaw Edward Frederick
Original assignee: Burndy Corp
Current assignee: FCI USA LLC
Priority date: 1960-08-10
Filing date: 1960-08-10
Publication date: 1964-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 1981-03-31

Description

March 31, 1964 E. F- BRADSHAW ADJUSTABLE CONDUCTOR SUPPORT Filed Aug. 10, 1960 I N VEN TOR. [OM20 flame/ca 64m United States Patent Ofilice 3,127,468 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 3,127,468 ADJUSTABLE CONDUCTOR SUPPORT Edward Frederick Bradshaw, Markham, Ontario, Canada, assignor to llurndy Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 48,616 6 Claims. (Oi. 174-40) This invention relates to a support for a plurality of conductors, and especially to a support which is adjustable as to the spacing of, and the tension on the conductors.

Electrical power transmission in the past has commonly involved three phase high voltage lines operated in the range of 110 kilovolts to 230 kilovolts. In such installations it has been customary to utilize multi-strand single conductors for each phase of the line. When transmitting electric power by such single conductors, however, there is a practical upper limit to the voltages that may be transmitted due to the problems of skin and corona efifect.

Tests are currently being made on the practicability of utilizing 460 kv. and transmitting the same by means of bundled conductors comprising a plurality of spaced conductors for each phase line.

One of the problems in utilizing bundled conductors involves the correct spacing of each of the plurality of conductors in each phase line. Each of the conductors must be separately positioned relative to the other com ductors comprising the phase line, and the bundle of conductors has to be positioned relative to the other phases. This positioning is often quite inconvenient because the original center axis of the bundle is not maintained and the tension in each conductor must be adjusted individually. Furthermore, this handling of the conductors is undesirable in that it reduces or eliminates the aging due to corona of the conductors surfaces.

An object of this invention is to provide a support for a bundled conductor which may be conveniently adjusted for conductor spacing about a central axis without individually positioning the conductors.

Another object of this invention is to provide a support which may be conveniently adjusted for bundled conductor tension without individually tensioning the conductors.

Yet another object is to provide a support which is adapted to the use of but a single insulator for a plurality of conductors in a bundled conductor.

Still another object is to provide a support which will have an inherently low corona loss.

A feature of this invention is a threaded shaft, on which is mounted for longitudinal movement a collar, having pinned thereto a plurality of legs, which are connected by linkages to a fixed point on the shaft, so that movement of the collar will affect a pivoting of the free ends of the legs to or from the end of the shaft.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of the variable spacing yoke of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the variable spacing yoke;

FIG. 2A is a detail view of part of FIG. 2 illustrating an arrangement suitable for remote control; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional end View taken along line 33 in FIG. 1.

In the drawings, reference character 1 indicates a threaded shaft. A rider nut 2 having a reduced and partially threaded neck 3 is mounted on the shaft and adapted to be screwed along the shaft. A collar 4 having a plurality of arms, as at 5, 6, '7, and 3, is mounted for free rotation upon the neck. A nut 9 having a set screw 10 is screwed upon the threaded portion of the neck 3 to retain the collar 4 on the neck. The end of each arm has a hole therethrough, as at 11, 12, 13, and 14, to which is mounted, e.g., by means of a clevis and pin,

long arms

15, 16, 17, and 18. At the other end of the shaft 1 is mounted a second collar 19 having a plurality of arms, as at 21), 21, and 22. Each of the arms has a hole therethrough, as at 24, 25, and 26. Rotatably pinned to the arms of the second collar 19 and to a mediate point on the long arms are a plurality of respective links as at 28 and 3d. On either side of the second collar 19 are mounted

nuts

32 and 33 which, when screwed against the collar, serve to fixedly locate the collar with respect to the shaft 1. At the free ends of the

long arms

15, 16, 17, and 18 are pinned means, such as dead end connectors 3d, 35, and 36 to retain the conductors of the line bundle. Screwed to the end of shaft 1 adjacent to collar 4 is an eye 38 which may be attached to a single insulator 39; which in turn may be mounted to a support, tower, etc. Obviously, the eye 38 might be directly connected to the tower, while the free ends of

long arms

15, 16, 1'7, and 18 might each be connected to an insulator; which insulator is connected to a conductor by means of a dead end connector. A lock nut 49 may be provided to fixedly locate nut 2 with respect to the shaft 1.

When collar 19 is fixedly located with respect to shaft 1, screwing nut 2 and associated collar 4 up or down the shaft 1 will result in the pivoting of the free ends of

arms

15, 1d, 17, and 18, and their associated dead end connectors and conductors, towards or away from the free end of shaft 1 with a symmetrical movement. The conductors are at all times uniformly spaced from the central axis established by shaft 1.

When collars 19 and 4 are uniformly moved with respect to the shaft 1, the tension on the conductors will be varied while their spacing will be held constant.

Any combination of conductor spacing and tension may thus be affected by suitable movement of collars 19 and 4.

It should be noted that

arms

15, 16, 1'7, and are at the same electrical potential as shaft 1, and act as a corona ring for the entire assembly. This effectively removes the problem of corona discharge from any sharp projections on the shaft or the associated assembly.

It should also be noted that this support conveniently lends itself to remotely controlled operation. As shown in FIG. 2A a small electric motor A, which may be radio controlled, may be located within the corona ring formed by the

arms

15, 16, 17, and 1S, and have a shaft B with a worm gear C which will mesh with rack teeth formed on nut 9 which may be made circular in periphery. The motor may then be used to control the position of collar 4 on the shaft 1. Collar 19 may be similarly controlled.

The invention has thus been described but it is desired to be understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or usages shown and described. The same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore, the right is broadly claimed to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appendent claim, and by means of which objects of this invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the partciular embodiments here shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to obtain these objects and accomplish these results.

I claim:

1. A support device adapted to be mounted to a fixed tower or the like for supporting a plurality of electrical conductors having parallel longitudinal axes, comprising: a central shaft member; mounting means on said shaft 6.9 for engaging said tower to prevent axial movement of said shaft relative thereto; a first support means and a second support means each disposed on said central shaft and adapted to be adjustably spaced axially apart thereon; a plurality of support arms disposed in equally spaced angular relationship about said central shaft, each pivotally connected at one end thereof to said first support means; means at the other end of each of said arms for pivotally coupling a conductor thereto; and a plurality of link members each pivotally attached at one end thereof to said second support means and at the other end thereof to a corresponding one of said plurality of arms, whereby relative adjustment of the spacing between said first and second support means varies the spacing between said electrical conductors at the ends of said arms while maintaining the axes of said conductors parallel.

2. A support according to claim 1 wherein said arms are pivotally connected at one end thereof to said first support means and at a mediate portion thereof to said link members, and said conductor coupling means is disposed at the other end thereof.

3. A support according to claim 1 wherein said central shaft and said first support means are threaded, said first support means being adapted to be threaded on said shaft.

4. A support according to claim 1 wherein said central shaft and said second support means are threaded, said second support means being adapted to be threaded on said shaft.

5. A support means according to claim 4, further including a rotatory motive power means, said motive means being operatively connected to said first support means, whereby said support means may be adjusted on said central shaft.

6. A variable spacing support for electrical conductors comprising: a central shaft having threads thereon; a first collar coaxial with and threaded on said shaft; a second collar carried by said first collar, and adapted to rotate axially about said first collar; a plurality of fixed arms upstanding from said second collar; a plurality of legs,

.each having two ends, one leg pivoted at one of its ends to each of said fixed arms, and being adapted at its other end for coupling to a conductor; a third collar mounted on said central shaft having upstanding therefrom a plurality of fixed arms; and a plurality of links each link pivoted at one end to one of the fixed arms of said third collar and pivoted at the other end to a mediate portion of one of said legs.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims

1. A SUPPORT DEVICE ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED TO A FIXED TOWER OR THE LIKE FOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS HAVING PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL AXES, COMPRISING: A CENTRAL SHAFT MEMBER; MOUNTING MEANS ON SAID SHAFT FOR ENGAGING SAID TOWER TO PREVENT AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SHAFT RELATIVE THERETO; A FIRST SUPPORT MEANS AND A SECOND SUPPORT MEANS EACH DISPOSED ON SAID CENTRAL SHAFT AND ADAPTED TO BE ADJUSTABLY SPACED AXIALLY APART THEREON; A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT ARMS DISPOSED IN EQUALLY SPACED ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP ABOUT SAID CENTRAL SHAFT, EACH PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END THEREOF TO SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEANS; MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF EACH OF SAID ARMS FOR PIVOTALLY COUPLING A CONDUCTOR THERETO; AND A PLURALITY OF LINK MEMBERS EACH PIVOTALLY ATTACHED AT ONE END THEREOF TO SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEANS AND AT THE OTHER END THEREOF TO A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF ARMS, WHEREBY RELATIVE ADJUSTMENT OF THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT MEANS VARIES THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS AT THE ENDS OF SAID ARMS WHILE MAINTAINING THE AXES OF SAID CONDUCTORS PARALLEL.