Square D Company

Square, Inc.

Teresa I Hood

Joel L Miller

John M Winter

Randall L Siebels

James V Fixemer

Donald R Venzke

Dale W Bennett

Douglas Paul Van Waart

Christopher K Goble

Charles E Netolicky

Tamara L Schultz

W Russell Emerick

A blade suspension assembly for a circuit breaker comprises a pivot pin, a torsion spring, an elongated blade, and a blade carrier. The torsion spring includes a lateral middle section, a pair of end legs disposed on opposite sides of the middle section, and a lateral hole extending therethrough. The blade includes an electrical contact mounted thereto, a lower bearing surface, and a lateral circular aperture. The blade carrier includes first and second pairs of bearing surfaces. To assemble the blade suspension assembly, the torsion spring is placed over the blade with the lateral middle section abutting the lower bearing surface of the blade, with the end legs disposed on opposite sides of the blade, and with the lateral hole in the torsion spring disposed in line with the circular aperture in the blade. Next, the pivot pin is inserted through the lateral hole in the torsion spring and through the circular aperture in the blade. The combination of the blade, the torsion spring, and the pivot pin is then inserted into the blade carrier with the pair of end legs abutting respective ones of the first pair of bearing surfaces and opposite ends of the pivot pin abutting respective ones of the second pair of bearing surfaces.

Blade suspension assemlby for a circuit breaker

An arc stack for receiving a circuit breaker blade moveable between a closed position and an open position, includes a plurality of arc plates positioned substantially parallel to one another and arranged in a plurality of adjacent groups. Each of the groups includes one or more arc plates having substantially similar respective arc throats formed therein. The respective arc throats progressively decrease in size from group to group along the length of the arc stack in a direction extending away from the closed position of the blade. A connecting support maintains the plurality of arc plates substantially parallel to one another.

Arc stack for a circuit breaker

A handle assembly for a circuit breaker comprises a handle, a handle arm, an inner shield, and an outer shield. The handle includes a base, a shaft, and a first pair of locking members. The shaft extends from an upper surface of the base and the first pair of locking members extend from a lower surface of the base. The handle arm includes a pair of legs and a lateral plate bridging the pair of legs. The pair of legs include a respective second pair of locking members. The second pair of locking members are constructed and arranged to interlock with respective ones of the first pair of locking members so as to lock the handle to the handle arm. The inner and outer shields include respective apertures therein to permit the shields to be disposed over the shaft against the upper surface of the base.

Handle assembly for a circuit breaker

An arc stack for receiving a circuit breaker blade moveable between a closed position and an open position, includes a plurality of generally rectangular are plates having substantially similar length and width dimensions and positioned substantially parallel to one another. The straight edges of the arc plates are in line with one another so that the are stack is generally rectangular in shape. The arc plates have respective arc throats formed therein having a plurality of sizes so as to form a longitudinal passageway extending through the arc throats following the arc generated by the blade moving between the closed and open positions. The arc plates include sets of arc plates with the arc plates in each set having identical arc throats. The sets of arc plates are arranged in order of decreasing arc throat size with the set having the largest arc throats being positioned adjacent the circuit breaker blade in the closed position. The arc stack is formed in two sections with each section including a selected number of arc plates. The arc plates in each section are interconnected by a pair of side fibers engaging associated edges of the arc plates. The two sections are connected to form the arc stack by engaging the inner edges of the pair of side fibers of one section with mating inner edges of the pair of side fibers of the other section.

A latch mechanism for a circuit breaker comprises a pair of longitudinal legs, a lateral section bridging the pair of longitudinal legs, and a longitudinal section extending from the lateral section in an opposite direction relative to the pair of legs. The lateral section includes a lower bearing surface for releasably engaging a cradle of the circuit breaker. The lower bearing surface includes a coined radius for facilitating engagement and disengagement of the cradle. The longitudinal section includes a protrusion for supporting a latch spring. The latch mechanism is manufactured in a single stamping operation, during which the protrusion is formed by cold extrusion.

Latch mechanism for a circuit breaker

A blade suspension assembly for a circuit breaker includes a first electrical contact, an elongated contact arm having a second electrical contact adjacent a first end of the contact arm, a compression spring, and an elongated lever. The second electrical contact is movable about a first pivot axis between a contacts-closed position and at least one contacts-open position with respect to the first electrical contact. The lever has a first end adjacent a second pivot axis, a second end supported by the compression spring, and a contoured support surface between the first and second ends which supports a second end of the contact arm. The compression spring exerts a force against the second end of the lever so that the contoured support surface biases the second end of the contact arm about the first pivot axis in the contacts-closed position during normal operation and in the contacts-open position in response to the contact arm moving to the contacts-open position.

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Coralville, IA, United States of America

Teresa I Hood