US1919663A - Safety device for overhead electric lines - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1933. I M E. MATH|EU SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES Filed March 8, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l July 25, 1933. M. E. MATHIEU SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES Filed March8, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I July 25, 1933. MATHlEU 1,919,663

SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES Filed. March 8, 1933 3 Sheet S-Sheet 5 C C C U U D U D D ,M E? I //f Patented July 25, 1933 SAFETY Device F 01: ween e-Emanuele Lines *M-y invention relates "to overhead electric lines and its chief object is to provide a safety device for such lines 'tha't is f 'capa'Lbl'e v 1 of-preventing theoccurrence of anyeacci dent that Inightbe causetl by-an accidental breale, ing' of the line. 1 v

Another object ofun'y invention is to provide a safety device of thatkindthatis fur the-adapted to-be 'used 'forcutting off the c ur'rentin the-line.

In order to obtainthese results, the electric 'line is divided into a certainnuniberof'sec- 'tions, and two adiacent sections 'are electri Preferred embodiments of "my invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merebyway'of'exainple. and in'which: N Fig. l'isa diagrammatical side elevationa l *Viexv of the safety device"accordingtd my i v ienr 'FigIQ'is a correspondingel'evation'alfview at right 'anglesto Figll j I "j I Fig's. 8 and 4 are elevatio'nal' "views similar to igs. 1 andf2 respectirfelvillustrating a siinplified embodiinent'of' my invention. iIn' the'deviceshown inFig. 1, twobar's 1,

carried by supports 2. fron1 which'they-Ta're' insulated by insulatorsf8. Said bars-1 su'pkport,- through;arrns 4;, connectingbars 5 piy oted at 6 to the ends of said arms' i. Said connecting bars areele ctricallv connected to the line 7 and their upper ends 8 are applied against each other, thus electrically connecting together two sections of the line.

The end of a section 7 of the line is mechanically connected to a chain 9 wound around a pulley 10 journalled on bar 1. The

: other end of said chain 9 carries a. counterweight ll electrically insulated from chai s With a 1 stop 13. of a diameter' greater tha'n the width offsaidslot. i r t Counterwei'ght 1'1 is sochosenas to norm a-ll ibalance the tension of 'the section -;o'f the lineto which it corresponds. I

ilheioperation of the device is as follows: If, under 4 certain variations of temperature or weather;the lineis subjectedto-certain add itio'nal stres e the counterweights nove "within certain.-1imits, thus ensuring a *su'bstantia-lly constant"mechanical tension o'if the line. for any reason' whatever, one or -more of the conductors of the line is broken, the action of the corresponding counterweight is, no longer balanced by the I tension 70 of 'the line. "Saidcounterweight therefore 'Inov'es doWn,"driving chain 9 together with "it. Stop 13 is "thus brought into contact "with the edges of-slot 14 and bar is -s"11b ]ected' to the action of --counterweight- 11 7-5 which causes 'it to pivot about pointfi so v that it is no longer in contact withfthe connecting bar 5 of the adjacentsection of the line. lc'ctricconn'ection istherefore cut i on between the broken section of the line and #790 '-the othe1-sect ions connected {to a" source of -'cu'nent. The J arrangement above described -might I not 'he-suliicient if, one conductor ofthe l-i'ne being broken, for"instance-the middle one' in C Fig. 2, the two other conductors remained "connectedto -the source 'of"current; ,The' broken conductor might then come 1 into contact-With anyo'f' thet'wo other conductors-and accidents would still be possible. I In order to obviate thisdr avs' back, the con- 7 nectinbars 5* of the conductors correspond 'in'g= respect1vely to the three F phases cf: the current are mechanically connected together and electrically insulated from one another. We

' Under these conditions, when one of the conductors is broken, the action of its counterweight causes the three bars to pivot out of contact with the respective corresponding bars of the adjacent section.

An example of such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 2. It consists of rods 16 rigidly connecting together the three connecting bars 5, insulators 15 being inserted between said rods so as to electrically insulate said bars from one another.

The length of a section of electric line provided with the device according to my invention depends on the length of the displacements that the counterweight is allowed to have, on the diameter and on the nature of the conductors. It may vary between 3 and 5 kilometers.

An operating chain 17' is fitted to the middle connecting bar, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Said chain is provided with insulators 18. It serves to cut off at will the circuitof the line. y

The safety device according to my invention can be adapted to overhead electric lines made according to the methods. Such an embodiment is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The connecting bars are dis posed as in the preceding example. The ends of the conductors are adapted to slide in their supports. The ends of eachconductor has, attached to it, a counterweight 11 bearing against thesupport and the weight of which is sufiicient for causing, in case of the ,conductor being broken, stop 18 to act on the lower end of the connecting bar. so as to rotate it and cut off the electric connection between the two adjacent sections of the line.

While I have described what I deem to be preferred embodiments ofmy invention, it shouldbe well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition, and form of the parts without departing-from the principle of my invention as comprehended within the scope of thejappended claims.

What I claim is:

-1.,A safety device for overhead electric lines which comprises in combination, a conductor forming a section of the line, pivoting contact means for electrically connecting said section of theline to another conductor, a counterweight mechanically connected to said section of the line, and means, operatively connected with said counterweight, for causing said contact means to pivot out of contact with the second mentioned conductor when the counterweight has moved a distance greater than a predetermined value. v i 2. A safety device for overhead electric lines, which comprises in combination, a conductor forming a section of the line, a pivotordinary ing bar for electrically connecting said section of the line to another conductor, a pulley, a chain passing round said pulley and fixed at one end to the first mentioned conductor, the lower end of said pivoting bar being provided with an opening through which said end of the chain passes freely, a stop on said chain adapted to butt against the edges of said opening, and a counterweight fixed to the other end of said chain.

3. A safety device according to claim 1 further comprising at least another conductor corresponding to another phase of the current, pivoting contact means for the last mentioned conductor, rigid means for mechanically connecting the last mentioned pivoting contact means with the first mentioned pivoting contact means, and means for electrically insulating the last mentioned pivoting contact means from the first mentioned contact means.

4. A safety devlce according to claim 2 :further comprising at least another conductor corresponding to another phase of the current, a pivoting bar for the last mentioned conductor, rigid means for mechanically connecting together the two bars, and means for electrically insulating from each other said two bars.

5. A safety device according to claim 1 further comprising means for manually operating said pivoting contact means.

6. A safety device according to claim 2 further comprising a chain operatively connected with saidbar, and at least an electrical insulator provided in said chain, where- 'by said pivoting bar can be manually operated.

'7. A safety device for overhead electric lines which comprises incombination, a support, a conductor forming a section of the line, the end of said conductor being slidably mounted in said support, a pivoting bar for electrically connecting said section of the line to another conductor, the lower end of said pivoting bar being provided with an opening through which said end of the conductor passes freely, a stop on said conductor adapted to butt against the edges of said opening, and a counterweight fixed to the end of the conductor and butting against said support.

8. A safety device according to claim 7 further comprising a chain fixed to the lower end of said pivoting bar, and at least one electrical insulator provided in said chain, where by said pivoting bar can be manually operat- MAR-IE ERNEST MATHIEU.

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