US1221894A - Safety repair device for high-voltage transmission-lines. - Google Patents

Description

e. SK NEELEY. SAFETY REPAIR DEVICE FOR HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1916.

1,221,894. Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. NEELEY, 0F OVERLAND PARK, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO THOMAS O. MOLONEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAFETY REPAIR DEVICE FOR HIGH-VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION-LINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

original application filed September 30, 1915, Serial No. 53,394. Divided and this application filed July 19,

' 1916. Serial No. 110,189.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen S. NnnLnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at @verland Park, St. Louis county, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improve-merit in Safety Repair Devices for High-Voltage Transmission-Lines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-, scription, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates generally to the art of overhead electric transmission and distribution. lines, and more particularly to safety devices in the nature of insulators, insulator supports, and wire clamping and holding means which are adapted to be utilized by workmen in effecting repairs to the overhead lines and the supports therefor, my present invention being a division of the subject-matter disclosed in my application for patenton safety repair device for high voltage transmission lines, filed September so, 1915, Serial No. 53,394.

-The principal object of my invention is to provide comparatively simple inexpensive means which can be readily manipulated with minimum danger to the lineman for handling live wires and for effecting either a temporary or permanent connection between the line wire and its support, which latter under the present practice generally takes the form of an insulator of glass, porcelain, or earthen material.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a new and improved form of wire gripping member which can be easily and quickly applied to insulators of the type now in general use, and which wire gripping member can be advantageously utilized for temporarily engaging and gripping a live wire and holding the same in proper position until permanent repairs can be made.

to said live wire or its supporting insulator.

It will be understood that overhead lines utilized for the transmission and distribution of electricity generally embody a support comprising a pole and one or more cross arms, insulators applied to the cross arm on opposite sides of the pole, and the line wires which are secured to said insulators.

For various causes, insulators are frequently broken and an important feature in the maintenance of overhead. transmission lines and those utilized in high tension or high voltage service, resides in the renewal or replacement of such insulators as may become broken or damaged.

Heretofore it has been the practice to effect the replacement of the broken or damaged insulators while the lines are dead, that is, during the time the current is cut ofi' in certain of the lines, it being understood that the current is directed through certain of the lines for a given period of time and then switched to certain other of the lines for a like period. This practice of waiting until the wires are dead before making repairs is objectionable for the reason that when an insulator becomes broken, continued service through the line supported by said broken insulator is attended with danger, owing to the breaking down of the insulation of the system at this particular point. Where the insulation is thus broken,

there is necessarily danger to life and prop-' erty, and where service is interrupted, there is more or less dissatisfaction among con sumers of current. v

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a wire gripping device of my improved construction applied to an insulator.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention, 10 designates the usual type of glass or porcelain insulator, the same being provided with one or more aprons 11, a line wire receiving groove 12 in its top, an annular tie wire receiv ng groove 13, and a threaded recess 14 which receives the threaded upper end of a supporting pin 15.

The body of my improved wire gripping device is in the form of an inverted cupshaped member 16, the same being adapted to be positioned over'the upper portion of the insulator and passing through the lower portion of the wall of this body is a series of screws 17, the inner ends of which are adapted to enter the groove 13, thereby firmly securing the body of the device to said insulator. The top of the body 16 is provided on one side with an integral jaw 18 having an inset notch or recess 19, the same constituting a line wire receiving seat.

Formed on top of the body 16 opposite the jaw 18 is a transversely disposed rib 20, the same being preferably dove-tail in cross section and arranged for sliding movement thereupon is a clamping jaw 21 with which are formed integral side pieces 22, which lie to the sides of the dove-tail rib 20.. The rear portions of these side pieces 22 are united by a cross piece 23, the same overlying the dove-tail rib 20.

Disk 24 is positioned between the rear side of jaw 21 and cross piece 23, said disk being pivoted on an eccentrically disposed pin 25, the same being seated in the body 16.

Formed integral with the disk 21 is an outwardly projecting arm 26 which serves as a handle for manipulating the disk, and consequently moving the gripping jaw 21 toward or away from fixed jaw 18.

A device of this character is particularly adapted for temporarily engaging and holding a live line wire which has broken away from the insulator or where an insulator has become broken, and to make the neces sary repairs while the wire is live or carrying a high voltage current, a lineman first places an insulator on the pin 15, after which the inverted cup-shaped member 16 is applied to said insulator and firmly positioned thereon by a proper manipulation of the screws 17., Handle 26 is now manipulated so as to draw jaw 21 away from jaw 18 and the live line wire is now engaged by a suitable insulated hook and lifted into position in recess 19. Handle 26 is now manipulated with a suitable insulated tool to shift disk 24 on its eccentrically posed pivot, thus forcing jaw 21 against the wire in recess 19 and thus said Wire is firmly clamped and held in proper position upon the support.

It will be understood that this'operation can be accomplished while the line wire is connecting naeneee in service, that is, while it is carrying a high voltage current, and after the line has n. my copending application, Serial No.

Repair devices of my improved construction are comparatively simple, can be easily applied for use, and aliord a comparatively igh degree of safety to linemen who are obliged to make repairs to high tension lines while the same are carrying current of high voltage.

It will bere adily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

ll claim:

In a repair device of the class described,

the combination with an insulator, of an inverted cup-shaped member removably positioned on top ofsaid insulator, a jaw mtegral with the top of said cup-shaped memher, which jaw is provided in one of its side faces with a wire receiving notch, a dovetailed rib formed on the inverted cupshaped member in front of and at right angles to-the wire receiving notch, a jaw arranged for sliding movement on the dovetailed rib, a pair of side members integral with said sliding jaw, a transverse member the outer ends of said members, and an eccentric pivotally mounted on the dove-tailed rib between the sliding jaw and the transverse member for moving saidjaw toward and away from the fixed aw.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signaturein the presence of two witnesses, this 5th day of July, 1916. 1

GEORGE S= NEELEY.

Witnesses:

M. P. Sm'rH, M.'A. NDEL.

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