US3270171A - Extinguishing device for electrical arcs - Google Patents

Extinguishing device for electrical arcs Download PDF

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Publication number
US3270171A
US3270171A US441819A US44181965A US3270171A US 3270171 A US3270171 A US 3270171A US 441819 A US441819 A US 441819A US 44181965 A US44181965 A US 44181965A US 3270171 A US3270171 A US 3270171A
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United States
Prior art keywords
plates
unfurnished
symmetry
furnished
plate
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Expired - Lifetime
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US441819A
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English (en)
Inventor
Latour Andre
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Merlin Gerin SA
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Merlin Gerin SA
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Publication date
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H9/00—Details of switching devices, not covered by groups H01H1/00 - H01H7/00
    • H01H9/30—Means for extinguishing or preventing arc between current-carrying parts
    • H01H9/34—Stationary parts for restricting or subdividing the arc, e.g. barrier plate
    • H01H9/341—Barrier plates carrying electrodes

Definitions

  • This invention relates to extinguishing devices for electrical arcs drawn between separable contact members located in an arc formation chamber of an electrical circuit breaker, and more particularly to extinguishing devices of this type having an arc extinguishing chamber which comprises a set of at least two parallel plates of insulating material spaced apart from one another and disposed tranversely of the direction of separation of the contacts or the initial direction of the arc.
  • the spaced parallel plates of insulating material define narrow arc separating or extinguishing chambers and are furnished with open-ended conductive members which are generally V or U-shaped and whose legs or wings embrace or straddle the individual insulating plates each furnished plate having a vertical axis of symmetry.
  • Conductive members of this general type and configuration are disclosed in my US. Patent No. 2,707,739.
  • the web portion of the V or U-shaped conductive member straddles the side or edge of an insulating plate while the legs or wings of the conductive member extend along the faces of the insulating plates in a substantially parallel arrangement.
  • the opposed parallel wings of each conductive member are slightly offset or diverging relative to each other.
  • Conductive members or paths are thus provided on the faces of the insulating plates which attract and conduct the are drawn between the insulating plates in such a manner as to turn the arc to form expanding curved or looped configurations within the narrow spaces between the insulating plates.
  • the initial arc in contact with the conductive members is thus subdivided into a number of partial arcs which enter the extinguishing chambers where they are extended and developed into loops of substantially oblong form.
  • the partial are effectively cooled upon coming in contact with the adjacent parallel plates of insulating material and are thereby extinguished.
  • At least two unfurnished plates are disposed between two successive furnished plates, said unfurnished plate being of the type in which the notch is offset relatively to the vertical axis of symmetry of the plate, and the two unfurnished plates being disposed between the two successive furnished plates in such a manner that the notches of the unfurnished plates are not seen on the same side of the vertical plane of symmetry of the set of plates containing the axis of symmetry of the plates.
  • the notches of the unfurnished plates are to be disposed alternatively on one side and on the other side of said vertical plane of symmetry.
  • the notches of the unfurnished plates may be prolongated by a thin slot extending upwards, such an improvement is highly beneficial for the extinction of the are but it must be clear that said improvement has nothing to do with the lengthening of the arc which is only a consequence of the combination of the alternatively offset arrangement of the notches of the unfurnished plates and of the electrodynamic forces developed between the furnished plates.
  • the lengthening of the arc according to the invention has another advantage in the sense that the cooling surface for a divisional are be tween two furnished plates is considerably increased.
  • the notched portions of the insulating plates are provided with chamfered edges in order to facilitate the penetration of the initial arcs into the extinguishing chambers.
  • FIG. 1 shows on a reduced scale and diagrammatically a front view of elevation of an insulating plate provided with conductive members known per se in the prior art and utilized in the combination according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment showing the lower part of a notched spacer plate known per se in the prior art and utilized in combination according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a second embodiment showing the lower part of a notched spacer plate known per se in the prior art and utilized in combination according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a third embodiment showing the lower part of a notched insulating plate known per se in the prior art and utilized in combination according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 shows a stack of four successive insulating plates according to the invention, but the furnished plates only being represented by their straddling conductors traced in discontinuous dashes.
  • FIG. 6 is a cross-section along line VI-VI of FIG. 5 the furnished plates being fully represented.
  • FIG. 7 is a cross-section along line VIIVII of FIG. 5 but supposing two unfurnished plates according to FIGS. 2 and 3 are sandwiched between two furnished plates.
  • numeral 1 designates an insulating support plate for a conductive member 11.
  • Numerals 2, 3 and 4 designate insulating plates which do not carry a conductive member.
  • Insulating plate 1 supports a substantially U- shaped conductive member 11, the connecting web portion of which straddles the edge or side of the insulating plate while the legs or wings of the conductive member each extend parallel to each other along the opposite faces of the plate and diverge from each other transversely of the plate.
  • All the plates have a peripheral flange or reinforcing rib 13 provided with a groove 14 in which a suitable sealing member 30 is disposed.
  • flame arresters 15 are connected to the insulating plates.
  • Ribs 16 which constitute spacer means for the adjacent plates are mounted on the flame arresters.
  • Plates 2, 3 and 4 are respectively provided with cut-out portions or notches 17, 18 and 19 which extend from the lower edge upwardly and which terminate into a point which is extended preferably further upwardly by narrow slots substantially like saw cuts indicated respectively by numerals 20, 21 and 22.
  • the edges of the notches are provided with chamfered portions 23, 24 and 25 which are provided on the two converging edges of each notch so that the chamfered portions are inconfronting or matching relation.
  • two of the unfurnished plates are inserted between each two support plates furnished with the conductive members so that, in particular reference to FIG. 7, the two notched plates 2 and 3 which do not carry a conductive member are inserted between the two plates 1 each of which carries a conductive member 11.
  • the extinguishing device comprises thus a stack of insulating plates in the order 1-2-31-23-1 and so forth as seen in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.
  • the are having its root or base on two successive conductive members rises into the notches of the unfurnished plates and guided by the chamfered portions 23, 24, and 25 is formed into portions respectively located in the subdivisional chambers defined by adjacent plates 1 and 2, 2 and 3 and 3 and 1, due to the displaced or offset arrangement of the apex of the notches.
  • the upward movement of the arc portions is stopped by the slots 20 and 21 because the arc is not able to penetrate into these slots as long as the current intensity remains substantial.
  • the diameter of the arc column decreasing with the current intensity allows the arc to penetrate into the slots. Consequently the arc comes in contact with supplementary cooling surfaces which achieve the deionization of the hot gases.
  • such divisional chamber is divided, by means of the unfurnished plates, into three subdivisional chambers each contatining an arc portion which extends into a loop by action of the electrodynamic forces, that is, a portion between the conductor of each furnished plate and the saw cut of the adjacent unfurnished plate and a third portion between the saw cuts of the unfurnished plates each of the three portions being extended in a loop by action of the electrodynamic forces.
  • each set including two intermediate plates with offset notches carrying no conductive elements may be inserted between two plates which carry conductive elements, maintaining, however, the alternance of the successive notches respectively in the plane of symmetry of the device.
  • a third unfurnished plate shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings designated by reference numeral 4 may be inserted between unfurnished plates 2 and 3 of the above described arrangement.
  • This intermediate plate 4 has a symmetrical triangular configuration relative to the longitudinal axis of the plate with the object to divide the portion of the loop between the unfurnished plates 2 and 3 into two half loops, but it is obvious that, if such a plate secures the advantage disclosed in my said Patent 2,750,476, it is practically inoperative relatively to the lengthening of the arc.
  • the notched portions of the two unfurnished plates have preferably a common base or starting width, the apex of the notches being offset relatively to the vertical axis of the plates, according to the invention.
  • An arc extinction chamber for extinguishing an electric are drawn between two separable contacts, comprising a plurality of parallel plates of insulating material and having an axis of symmetry disposed transversely of the direction of separation of said contact members and each of said plates being furnished with an open-ended conductive element straddling the bottom part of the plates and extending along the faces of the corresponding plate in opposite directions relatively to said axis of symmetry, in which said plurality includes at least a set of two furnished plates, said set having a plane of symmetry containing said axis of symmetry of the plates and including at least two unfurnished plates disposed intermediate between two furnished plates, each of said unfurnished plates having a notched portion of substantially triangular configuration extending upwardly from the lower edge of said unfurnished plates, the apex of said triangular notches being displaced at a distance apart to each other and offset in opposite direction relatively to said plane of symmetry whereby an arc loop is formed between each said plate.

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  • Arc-Extinguishing Devices That Are Switches (AREA)
  • Breakers (AREA)
US441819A 1960-07-01 1965-03-22 Extinguishing device for electrical arcs Expired - Lifetime US3270171A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR4265A FR1269359A (fr) 1960-07-01 1960-07-01 Perfectionnements à un dispositif d'extinction d'arc

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3270171A true US3270171A (en) 1966-08-30

Family

ID=9692785

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US441819A Expired - Lifetime US3270171A (en) 1960-07-01 1965-03-22 Extinguishing device for electrical arcs

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3270171A (fr)
BE (1) BE605412A (fr)
CH (1) CH369808A (fr)
DE (1) DE1175318B (fr)
ES (1) ES268354A1 (fr)
FR (1) FR1269359A (fr)
GB (1) GB933498A (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4405847A (en) * 1980-12-23 1983-09-20 Whipp & Bourme (1975) Limited Arc chutes
US12396510B2 (en) 2018-05-30 2025-08-26 Paulson Manufacturing Corporation Blackbody radiation shield protective apparatus

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1186929B (de) * 1961-11-23 1965-02-11 Merlin Gerin Lichtbogenloeschvorrichtung mit Teilloeschkammern

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1398981A (en) * 1919-12-04 1921-12-06 Gen Electric Disruption of electric arcs
GB560257A (en) * 1942-09-03 1944-03-28 Reyrolle A & Co Ltd Improvements in or relating to air-break electric circuit-breakers and arc chutes therefor
US2584570A (en) * 1950-02-07 1952-02-05 Westinghouse Electric Corp Circuit interrupter
US2707739A (en) * 1949-10-13 1955-05-03 Merlin Gerin Extinguishing device for electrical arcs
US3139503A (en) * 1960-07-21 1964-06-30 Merlin Gerin Extinguishing device for electrical arcs

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE266745C (fr) *
DE256517C (fr) * 1910-09-15
US2749410A (en) * 1952-08-12 1956-06-05 Allis Chalmers Mfg Co Arc chute with perforated barrier plates having staggered slots
FR1132254A (fr) * 1955-09-22 1957-03-07 Merlin Gerin Perfectionnements aux chambres de coupure pour disjoncteurs
GB803189A (en) * 1955-11-04 1958-10-22 Reyrolle A & Co Ltd Improvements relating to arc chutes

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1398981A (en) * 1919-12-04 1921-12-06 Gen Electric Disruption of electric arcs
GB560257A (en) * 1942-09-03 1944-03-28 Reyrolle A & Co Ltd Improvements in or relating to air-break electric circuit-breakers and arc chutes therefor
US2707739A (en) * 1949-10-13 1955-05-03 Merlin Gerin Extinguishing device for electrical arcs
US2750476A (en) * 1949-10-13 1956-06-12 Merlin Gerin Method and device for extinguishing electrical arcs in circuit breakers
US2584570A (en) * 1950-02-07 1952-02-05 Westinghouse Electric Corp Circuit interrupter
US3139503A (en) * 1960-07-21 1964-06-30 Merlin Gerin Extinguishing device for electrical arcs

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4405847A (en) * 1980-12-23 1983-09-20 Whipp & Bourme (1975) Limited Arc chutes
US12396510B2 (en) 2018-05-30 2025-08-26 Paulson Manufacturing Corporation Blackbody radiation shield protective apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1175318B (de) 1964-08-06
GB933498A (en) 1963-08-08
FR1269359A (fr) 1961-08-11
BE605412A (fr) 1961-10-16
CH369808A (fr) 1963-06-15
ES268354A1 (es) 1961-12-01

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