The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 12, 1985
Filed:
Dec. 05, 1983
Paul G Slade, Penn Hills, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
An axial magnetic field vacuum-type circuit interrupter. Provided in an evacuated housing is a pair of opposed contacts at least one of which is movable with respect to the other and is movable between a closed position in engagement with the other contact to an open position spaced apart from the other contact to form an arcing gap therebetween during circuit interruption. Each contact includes a disc-shaped backing plate having at least two radially spiraling slots therethrough and a contact and arcing ring secured to and positioned about the face of the backing plate. The backing plates are substantially parallel to one another with the direction of the spiraling slots therethrough being reversed with respect to those of the opposing contact. Because of the reversed direction of spiraling in the opposed faces of the backing plates, an axial magnetic field is created by the flow of current through the contact structure which causes the arc to remain diffuse during the circuit interruption. In a further embodiment, the contact and arcing ring is provided with a plurality of axially skewed closed end radially slots extending therethrough. The slanted slots provide a transverse component to the magnetic field which drives any columnar arc formed around the rim of the contact and arcing rings.