Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Walter V Bratkowski

John A Wafer

William E Shoupp

Norman Davies

Walter W Lang

James P Ellsworth

Daun Bhasavanich

Alfred E Maier

Kurt A Grunert

Stephen A Mrenna

Ronald W Crookston

Dirk J Boomgaard

Suresh Krishnaji Bhate

Yun-Ko N Chien

Robert T Basnett

William I Stephenson, Jr

Marvin D Fisher

James W Miller

James W Barkell, Jr

James C Wilson

Altenhof, Jr James N

A molded case circuit breaker is provided with a pivotally mounted contact arm assembly, formed as a clinch joint. The contact arm assembly is a bifurcated assembly formed from two coextensive members fastened together at one end defining a surface for carrying a movable main contact. The other end of the members is bent outwardly defining spaced apart arm portions for receiving a pivot bracket. The pivot bracket is provided with an aperture and aligned with apertures in the spaced apart portions for receiving a pivot pin and defining a pivot axis. The pivot bracket is rigidly connected to a load conductor. The current that flows through the contact arm is transferred to bosses integrally formed adjacent the apertures in the pivot bracket. Screw adjustable spring members are provided for adjusting the friction and the electrical resistance between the contact surfaces of the contact arm assembly and the bosses.

Screw adjustable clinch joint with bosses

The relay of the present invention is economically adapted for nuclear and commercial applications. The reliability of the relay is enhanced by utilizing a split coil and a permanent magnet located therebetween. The so-called split coil/permanent magnet configuration supplements the upward forces generated by a kickout spring by positioning a permanent magnet so as to assist in holding the armature and contacts rigidly in the off position. The design of the present invention assures that the armature stays in the desired position even when the relay is subjected to shock and vibration forces present in the environment.

Universal relay

A circuit breaker contact operating structure characterized by a circuit breaker operating mechanism having separable contacts of which one is mounted on a contact carrying arm. The arm being mounted on a one leg of a U-shaped flexible conductor. A guide link is pivotally mounted and connected to the arm to maintain the contacts in alignment during their separation. The operating mechanism having a latch for latching the arm in the closed-contact position of the arm and having a trip device for unlatching the latch in response to an overcurrent condition. The mechanism link is so placed on the contact arm structure as to effect a blow-on force on the contact structure during the duration of high overcurrent. At a preset current level, the mechanism link is prevented from applying the balancing force to the contact structure, thus allowing the blow-off forces due to the current in the contact structure to separate the contacts rapidly, and to effect current limitation and subsequent circuit interruption.

Circuit breaker contact operating structure

A circuit breaker characterized by first and second main contacts and first and second arcing contacts. The first main and arcing contacts are mounted on a first contact carrying arm. The second arcing contacts are mounted on a second contact carrying arm. The second main contacts are mounted on a third contact arm. The first contact carrying arm is mounted on a first pivot and the second and third contact carrying arms are mounted on a second pivot. A spring for biasing the second main contact against the first main contact and in the closed position. A second spring for biasing the second arcing contact against the first arcing contact until after the first and second main contact separate.

Circuit breaker with low voltage contact structure

A current limiting circuit interrupter with insulating wedge characterized by a circuit interrupter structure within an insulating housing and having a mechanism for opening and closing separable contacts, the contacts being separately mounted on contact mounting arms that extend in substantially parallel spaced locations to effect current limiting relationship between the arms to cause any arc forming between the opening contacts to blow out of the contacts in a direction away from the spaced contact arms, a dielectric plate-like shutter in the plane extending between the contacts and in the direction opposite the contact arms, the shutter being movable into a gap formed between the separating contacts when the contacts separate, moving mechanism for moving the shutter when the contacts open and reset structure for retracting the shutter when the contacts close.

Current limiting circuit interrupter with insulating wedge

A circuit breaker for use in remote load energy management systems and characterized by an insulating housing including opposite side walls, end walls and edge walls with a circuit breaker structure contained therein; a manual operator including a handle extending through an edge wall for actuating the structure between open and closed circuit conditions; an electromagnetic within the housing and including an armature for opening the circuit which armature is movable in an axis substantially perpendicular to the edge walls.

Circuit breaker with remote control

An integral circuit interrupter characterized by an assemblage of interconnected electrical units including a circuit breaker, a thermal-magnetic overcurrent detector, an electromagnetic actuator, and a modular sensor; the circuit breaker comprising first and second separable contacts and a releasable lever for releasing the first contact to an open position when the detector trips the lever in response to a first predetermined current condition; the electromagnetic actuator for moving the second contact to an open position; the modular sensor for monitoring current flow and for actuating only the electromagnetic actuator in response to a second predetermined current condition; and the electromagnetic actuator being operable from a remotely controlled source.

Integral circuit interrupter with separable modules

A current limiting solenoid operated circuit breaker characterized by an arc quenching chamber having spaced arc guide rails along opposite sides of the chamber, stationary and movable contacts in an arcing zone adjacent to the chamber and electrically connected to corresponding guide rails, and a conductor around the arcing zone to generate a transverse magnetic field through an arc to drive the arc from the contacts and along the guide rails to the arc quenching chamber.

Current limiting solenoid operated circuit breaker

A manually and remotely operated circuit breaker for use in energy management characterized by a manually operable overcenter toggle linkage mechanism for opening and closing a circuit, electromagnetic actuating current limiting means for opening the circuit in response to a short circuit, a bimetal in response to overload currents, and electromagnetic pulse actuated means for opening and closing the circuit in response to a control signal from a remote location when the manually operable means is open.

Remotely controlled solenoid operated circuit breaker

A circuit breaker having an integral handle cover assembly for manual operation of the circuit breaker. The handle assembly comprises a cap segment and a base segment. The base segment removably engages with the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker with the cap segment positioned exterior to the circuit breaker cover and engaged with the base segment such that the handle assembly is attached to the cover while being movable in the opening thereof during the opening and closing of the circuit breaker allowing the cover to be removed from the circuit breaker without the detachment of the handle assembly from the cover.

Circuit breaker having integral cover/handle assembly

A vacuum contactor having a compact DC electromagnet with an improved force watts ratio. The DC electromagnet consisting of a dual pickup coil and holding coil winding assembly and a solid U-shaped core having removable legs secured to a base with an adhesive backed aluminum shim positioned intermediate the legs and base, the ampere turns of the pickup coil being approximately 7.5 times those of the holding coil with the legs of the core being approximately 1/3 the length of those in a conventional DC electromagnet having substantially the same force watts ratio. The shorter legs of the core reduce magnetic losses and provide increased magnetic coupling with the moving armature of the contactor closing mechanism. This allows the smaller magnet to exert a greater force upon the armature during closing of the vacuum interrupter. With decreased magnetic losses, the size of the windings can be reduced, facilitating removal of the heat generated therein and producing a small, efficient magnet.

Vacuum contactor having DC electromagnet with improved force watts ratio

A circuit breaker characterized by a toggle lock means for holding toggle springs in a charged condition ready for closing a circuit through the circuit breaker contacts when necessary.

Circuit breaker with stored energy toggle-lock structure

A multiphase circuit breaker structure characterized by stationary and movable contact means for each phase, a cross bar operatively connected to the movable contact means, a stop plate for stopping movement of the cross bar during opening of the contacts, and shock absorbing means on one of the stop plate and cross bar for absorbing energy released when the cross bar moves to the open position of the contacts.

Circuit breaker structure with shock absorbers

A molded case current limiting circuit interrupter includes a pair of pivoting contact arms each supporting a contact and being connected to wiring terminals such that current flows through the contact arms in opposite directions. One of the contact arms has a movable pivot point. A magnetic drive slot motor device is provided to generate electrodynamic contact opening force upon the contact arms during short circuit conditions. A high-speed magnetic trip device releases the operating mechanism under short circuit conditions to move the arm pivot point before the contact arms reclose. A spring latch may be provided to latch the upper contact arm in a contact-separated position during short circuit conditions until such time as the overcurrent flow through the breaker operates a thermal and magnetic trip mechanism to move an operating mechanism to the tripped position. Alternatively, a cam may be provided which is connected by a link to the upper contact arm and positioned such that upon short circuit conditions the contact opening motion of the upper contact arm caused by electrodynamic repulsion forces will cause the connecting link to rotate the cam and move the armature of the magnetic trip device to actuate the trip mechanism and release the operating mechanism to the tripped position, thereby preventing reclosing of the contact arms before the operating mechanism is able to trip. The operating mechanism includes a bracket to allow normal contact reset yet provide a positive closed contact indication if the contacts are welded together. An anti-rebound contact arm shock absorber is provided which is made of material having a high mechanical hysteresis loop to provide maximum energy dissipation.

Current limiting circuit breaker

A current limiting contactor characterized by stationary and movable contacts, an elongated conductor supporting the movable contact, the conductor being fixedly mounted at a position spaced from the movable contact, the conductor having a looped portion including a pair of overlapping segments for conducting current in opposite directions of each other, the movable contact engaging the stationary contact when conducting a current up to a predetermined current value, and the conductor being comprised of a flexible material and the overlapping portions being separable to move the movable contact away from the stationary contact when the current exceeds said predetermined value.

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McKeesport, PA, United States of America

Walter V Bratkowski