General Electric Company

Daniel Schlitz

David Arnold

Shridhar Champaknath Nath

Ramesh Kempanna Babu

Joseph F Noonan

Dennis C Zuffelato

Robert A Wall, Jr

Palani Krishnan Doma

Michael Thomas Gerken

A contact arrangement for a circuit breaker is disclosed. The movable and the stationary contacts within the breaker are each split and angled such that one contact forms a female V cross sectional shape and the other forms a mating male V cross sectional shape. Together, these contacts split the current in a manner which reduces the popping force.

Split and angled contacts

A multiple pole sub-feed for a panel board is disclosed. The sub-feed of the present invention includes extension bus bars which connect to the bus bars of the panel board and preferably linearly extend the length of the sub-feed. The sub-feed further includes bus connectors supported generally perpendicular to the extension bus bars and preferably extending the width of the sub-feed. The design allows for a plurality of poles of sub-feed to be accommodated by adding bus connectors to the end of the sub-feed, where each bus connector includes an opening for electrically connecting to one of the extension bus bars. Current passes from the extension bus bars to a metal retainer connecting the bus connector to the extension bus bars, to a current carrying strap in the bus connectors, to a current carrying spool located in a turret on the bus connectors, and then to a circuit breaker positioned above the bus connector about the turret.

Multiple poles of sub-feed in lighting panel

A circuit breaker rotary contact arrangement is disclosed in which the ends of the line and load straps supporting the fixed contacts are hook-shaped to control the angle of the repulsive force exhibited between the fixed contacts and the movable contacts arranged at the opposing ends of the rotary contact arm. The fixed contacts face outwardly away from the central pivot of the contact arm such that a horizontal component of the popping force acts away from the center of rotation keeping the contact arm in tension for avoiding a buckling effect allowing contact arms with smaller cross sectional area to be used to increase contact arm mobility and reduce the cost.

Circuit breaker rotary contact arrangement

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Burlington, CT, United States of America

Daniel Schlitz