General Electric Company

Cge Compagnia Generale Elettromeccanica Spa

Cge Compagnia Generale Electtromeccanica S.p.a.

Franco P Pardini

Joseph M Palmieri

James I Smith

Linda Yvonne Jacobs

Francesco De Vizzi

Claudio Banfi

Tonino Benetti

Falchi Fiorino

An arc gas controller-insert is used with molded case circuit breaker covers to direct the flow of arc gases that occur during intense overcurrent circuit interruption. The gas controller-insert provides access to the line and load terminal lugs for connection with and disconnection from an associated electrical power distribution system while controlling the egress of the arc gases.

Molded case circuit breaker arc exhaust gas controller

An emergency push-button comprises a housing and a support rigidly connected to a movable actuation knob and axially movable therewith. The support acts on a releasing mechanism, operated by rotation of the knob about an axis parallel to the movement direction of the movable slider. The button further includes an axially movable member provided with at least one retaining tooth, which, upon lowering of the movable knob, rotates about an axis parallel to the moving direction of the knob, compelling the retaining tooth to release at least one protrusion provided on the housing and, once the movable member has cleared through a tripping action, it also rotates in a tripping manner carrying the retaining tooth to the position under the protrusion, preventing the movable member from moving back to a raised position thereof. The release of the retaining tooth may be obtained just through a rotating movement of the knob in a reversed direction with respect to the retaining movement. A cylinder lock may be provided within a knob.

Tripping emergency push-button

An electrical contact mechanism for low power circuits includes a pair of movable contacts which can be pressed against fixed contacts. The movable contacts are mounted on a conductive bridge which is movable by a slider. The motion of the movable contacts is imparted in two directions, of which one is parallel to a motion direction of the slider carrying the conductive bridge, and another direction is approximately perpendicular with respect to the first direction due to a wedging action between the movable and fixed contacts which are positioned obliquely to the direction of movement of the slider.

Electrical contact structures specifically suited for low power circuits

Electric switch mechanism for relays and contactors comprises a slider movable within a fixed housing and provided with cams which convert the movement of the slider into contact movement of contact pairs of the switch. The action of the slider with the cams to induce movement to the contacts is opposite to that of springs which apply closing forces to contact pairs.

Electric switch mechanism for relays and contactors

A current limiting circuit interrupter consisting of a modular unit housed in an insulating case and provided with two fixed contact arms and two movable contact arms. The movable contact arms can be actuated automatically by means of a rod coupled to an operating mechanism as well as by means of an electromagnetic actuator. The operating mechanism includes a lever and a rotating bracket arranged to hold the movable contacts in an open condition when the electromagnet within the electromagnetic actuator is de-energized.

Contact arrangement for a current limiting circuit breaker

A current limiting circuit breaker having a pair of separable contacts closely spaced for electrodynamic repulsion upon the occurrence of a short circuit overload condition utilizes an arc chute to cool and extinguish the arc that occurs when the contacts become separated. The arc chute contains a plurality of metal arc plates supported by side plates which also assist in cooling and extinguishing the arc. The side plates are formed from a two-layer configuration wherein the first layer has excellent arc extinguishing properties while the second layer has good mechanical support strength. The side plates are oriented such that the first layers face the contacts.

Electric circuit breaker arc chute composition

A contact arrangement for a current limiting circuit breaker wherein two movable contact arms are interconnected by means of a pair of connecting arms and a manually operable push rod. An electromagnet is operatively coupled with one of the contact arms for holding in an open condition when the electromagnet is de-energized. The disclosed contact arrangement allows the circuit breaker to be multifunctionally employed as an integrated combination motor starter.

A circuit breaker contact configuration reduces the occurrence of contact bounce by providing a reverse force to the contacts during contact closure. This reduces the contact closing shock energy, while keeping the contact bias force constant. In one embodiment, the reverse force is obtained by means of a counteracting spring which engages one of the contact arms at a point along the rebound path. Another embodiment comprises transferring the pivot point of one of the contacts from a first to a second position at a point along the rebound path.

Circuit breaker contact structure

A current limiting circuit breaker contains a pair of electrical contacts within separate chambers arranged side-by-side and isolated by means of an insulated barrier. The contacts are electrically connected in series such that the arcs formed between the contact pairs are magnetically motivated by the sum of the current paths through both contact pairs.

Current limiting circuit-breaker having an improved contact arrangement

An arc motivating assembly positioned on both sides of a pair of circuit breaker contacts is coated with electrical insulating material arranged in alternate layers of two different compositions. The first is selected to have good electrical insulation and high arc resistance, and the second is selected for vaporizing and generating gases to assist in arc blow out and extinction.

Arc motivating assembly for circuit breakers

A rapid arc extinguishing assembly includes an arc chute comprising a large number of essentially parallel deionizing plates each in form of thin magnetically permeable, electrically conductive plates bent in U-shape, with the curve of the U facing the circuit breaker contacts and the arms thereof insulated from each other by a thin insulation sheet. To promote arc extinction by the arc chute and accelerated breaker contact separation, the breaker contacts are flanked by a magnetic assembly comprising opposed columns of parallel, spaced ferromagnetic plates embedded in an insulating material. The columns may be magnetically coupled by a yoke to create a closed slot in which the breaker movable contact travels.

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Milan, Italy

Franco P Pardini