Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Eaton Corporation

Robert J Tedesco

Kurt A Grunert

James Gerard Maloney

John A Wafer

Michael Jerome Whipple

Stephen A Mrenna

Henry Anthony Wehrli, Iii

Ronald Dale Hartzel

Joseph F Changle

Michael Joseph Erb

William David Munsch

Melvin A Carrodus

Ronald A Cheski

Lawrence M Hapeman

David L Haggerty

An electrically insulated turbulator for use in an electrical device for automatically interrupting an overload current is a one-piece molded assembly with an arcuate portion arranged around a terminal screw and a downwardly turned flange for shielding the terminal from the ionized gases in the arc chute. The arcuate portion has several fins and spaced-apart planar portions, both of which are located in the path of the ionized gases. The planar portions have surfaces which cooperate with the fins to create a turbulent flow pattern to decrease the length of the gas flow, and thereby optimize the cooling effect on the gases and for directing the gas flow in a desired direction. The turbulator is preferably made of a gassing material which contributes to the deionizing of the gasses, which lessens the buildup of gas pressure. It also preferably has a blowout membrane in order to limit the back pressure in the device.

Circuit breaker terminal tubulator protection assembly for diverting

A multipole circuit breaker, for example, a three pole circuit breaker, can detect a condition when less than all of the phases are open circuited to trip the circuit breaker. This reduces the tripping time and hence risk of damage to the electrical load. The circuit breaker includes a thermal trip unit and a phase sensitivity assembly that is interlocked with the bimetals included with the thermal unit. The phase sensitivity assembly includes one or more levers, responsive to the deflection of a bimetal corresponding to the open circuited phase resulting from cooling action of a bimetal relative to the other bimetals. The relative displacement of the cooling bimetal is used to either trip or reduce the tripping time of the circuit breaker.

Phase sensitivity

A trip interlock assembly trips a circuit breaker any time the circuit breaker is removed from its panel mounting. The trip assembly is adapted to be disposed about a load side terminal and cooperate with the circuit breaker tripping device. In one embodiment, the trip assembly includes a housing and a spring-loaded actuation arm, disposed generally perpendicular to the circuit panel surface. The actuation arm is formed with a cam surface which cooperates with a trip pin adapted to actuate said circuit breaker tripping device. The trip pin acts as a cam follower and rides along the cam surface formed in the actuation arm. When the actuation arm is in an inward position the trip pin is in a normal position. However, when the circuit breaker is removed from the panel, the actuation arm under the influence of a biasing spring moves outwardly. This causes the cam surface on the actuation arm to actuate the trip pin to trip the circuit breaker. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the trip interlock assembly includes a bell crank with a reciprocally mounted plunger which actuates an armature in the tripping device directly, instead of by way of the trip pin, anytime the circuit breaker is removed from its panel housing.

Trip interlock design

A molded case circuit breaker includes a highly integrated operating mechanism having an over-center, trip-free, pivot transfer toggle mechanism for opening and closing a pair of electrical contacts in response to overload and short circuit or fault current conditions. The toggle mechanism includes a pair of stationary, spaced apart links and a pair of movable, spaced apart toggle links. Each of the movable links includes an integrally formed, first or initial pivot point formed along its surface for engagement with a surface of one of the stationary links. Each of the stationary links includes a second pivot point formed along its surface for engagement by a surface of one of the movable links. The movable links are sequentially pivotably movable during a trip operation of the circuit breaker initially about the first pivot points and subsequently about the second pivot points. The movement of the movable links about the first pivot points effect a rapid separation of the electrical contacts at the beginning of the trip operation. The movement of the movable links about the second pivot points effect a rapid acceleration of a movable electrical contact during a subsequent portion of the trip operation to increase the arc voltage and thus rapidly extinguish any electrical arc between the electrical contacts.

Molded case circuit breaker with an improved operating mechanism having

A molded case circuit breaker includes a movable lower electrical contact assembly having a formed stationary conductor member, a movable lower contact arm, a lower contact secured to the upper end of the movable lower contact arm for physically and electrically contacting separate upper electrical contacts, and a lower contact arm torsion spring. An integral longitudinal end of the stationary conductor member extends from the base of the circuit breaker to form an external terminal of the circuit breaker. The opposite longitudinal end of the stationary conductor member receives a rotatable pin fixedly secured to the movable lower contact arm for rotation therewith. The lower contact arm torsion spring has an elongated torsion spring arm disposed in contact with an elongated inclined cam surface located on the underside of the movable lower contact arm to bias the lower contact secured thereto into engagement with the upper electrical contact. A groove is provided along the elongated cam surface of the lower contact arm within which a torsion spring arm of the torsion spring may be releasably received. Upon the occurrence of a high level short circuit or fault current condition, as the movable lower contact arm separates from the upper electrical contact the torsion spring arm moves along the elongated inclined cam surface of the arm which is so contoured that the force of the torsion spring opposing the movement of the movable lower contact arm is minimized, thereby enabling the rapid separation of the upper and lower electrical contacts.

Molded case circuit breaker with a movable lower electrical contact

A molded case circuit breaker includes a movable upper electrical contact carried by a movable arm having an end portion with an arcuate cam surface formed thereon for engaging an outwardly projecting cam surface of a spring-loaded clip that is disposed in a recess formed in a rotatable cross-bar of an operating mechanism of the circuit breaker. At least one compression spring is retained within the recess between the cross-bar and the spring clip. The spring clip is configured to transfer sufficient biasing force to the end portion of the movable upper electrical contact end to enable the upper electrical contact arm to move in unison with the cross-bar when the circuit breaker is tripped. Upon the occurrence of a high level short circuit or fault current of sufficient magnitude, the upper electrical contact arm and contact rotate independently of the cross-bar and the arcuate cam surface of the arm is moved against the then stationary spring clip cam surface. The outwardly projecting surface of the spring clip and the arcuate cam surface of the end portion of the movable contact arm are configured to provide decreased biasing force as the upper electrical contact rotates to its BLOWN-OPEN position. A detent or groove is formed along the arcuate cam surface of the end portion for receiving an outwardly projecting surface of the spring clip to retain the movable upper electrical contact and arm in a BLOWN-OPEN position, thereby minimizing the possibility of contact restrike.

Molded case circuit breaker with a movable electrical contact positioned

A molded case circuit breaker includes a highly integrated operating mechanism having an over-center toggle mechanism for opening and closing a pair of separable electrical contacts. A pivotable, one-piece cradle coupled to the breaker handle includes a cradle latch surface for latching with a trip arm of a trip mechanism, a contact stop surface for limiting the movement of one of said electrical contacts and an arcuate cam surface for engaging a cradle cam pin during a reset operation. The arcuate cam surface of the cradle is contoured to enable the resetting of the operating mechanism after a trip operation by applying a relatively low, substantially constant reset force to the breaker handle.

Molded case circuit breaker with an improved contoured cradle

Apparatus for loading fuel pellets into fuel rods for a nuclear reactor including a base supporting a table having grooves therein for holding a multiplicity of pellets. Multiple fuel rods are placed in alignment with grooves in the pellet table and a guide member channels pellets from the table into the corresponding fuel rods. To effect movement of pellets inside the fuel rods without jamming, a number of electromechanical devices mounted on the base have arms connected to the lower surface of the fuel rod table which cyclically imparts a reciprocating arc motion to the table for moving the fuel pellets longitudinally of and inside the fuel rods. These electromechanical devices include a solenoid having a plunger therein connected to a leaf-type spring, the arrangement being such that upon energization of the solenoid coil, the leaf spring moves the fuel rod table rearwardly and downwardly, and upon deenergization of the coil, the spring imparts an upward-forward movement to the table which results in physical displacement of fuel pellets in the fuel rods clamped to the table surface.

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Coraopolis, PA, United States of America

Robert J Tedesco