US2901573A - Fuse cutouts - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 25, 1959 Filed May 18, 1956 R. A. GESELLSCHAP FUSE CUTOUTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [N VENTOE Foes/2 TA. GEJELLSC/MP Aug. 25, 1959 FUSE CUTOUTS Filed May 18, 1956 R. A. GESELLSCHAP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A705,? T/A. sagas 4p Ivor/2463a",

.a suitable support, a cross-arm, for instance.

United States Patent FUSE CUTOUTS Robert A. Gesellschap, Florissant, Mo., assignor to James R. Kearney Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application May 18, 1956, Serial No. 585,897

4 Claims. (Cl. 200-114) This invention relates generally to electrical cutouts and more specifically to an electrical cutout of the type having a cartridge which contains a fusible link that is ruptured on the occurrence of an electrical fault on the line protected by the cutout which is of sufficient magnitude to rupture the fuse link, the predominant object of the invention being to provide a cutout of the type described which is provided with improved means for quickly exhausting the gases that are formed as a result of the rupture of the fuse link and thereby avoiding the undesirable results which are incident to confinement of such gases, or at least the failure to quickly exhaust the gases from the cartridge.

Heretofore a tubular member was included as a part of the cartridge of each fuse cutout through which a fuse link was extended and this same tubular member was employed as the passageway through which the gases resulting from rupture of the fuse link were exhausted to atmosphere. However, in accordance with this invention, the cartridge of the fuse cutout is provided with a tubular member through which a fuse link is extended as heretofore, but in addition thereto the cartridge of the fuse cutout of this invention is provided with a second tubular member, the interior of which is arranged in communication with the interior of the firstmentioned tubular member to provide a path through which the gases produced by the rupture of the fuse link within said first-mentioned tubular member may be quickly exhausted to atmosphere.

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of an electrical fuse cutout constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, vertical section taken through the cartridge of the cutout shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing the cartridge hinge in top plan;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the stationary part of the caritridge hinge; and

Fig. 5 is an end View of the movable part of the cartridge hinge taken from the end which interlocks with the end of the stationary part shown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings wherein is shown for purposes of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates the improved electrical fuse cutout, generally.

'The cutout A comprises an insulator 1 which preferably,

though not necessarily, is of the well known petticoat type, said insulator 1 having a smooth portion 2 which is embraced by a member 3, said member 3 being suit- .ably secured to an element 4 forming a part of a hanger structure 5 which is adapted to mount the cutout A on Adjacent to the lower end of the insulator 1 is located a stationary hinge member 6, said hinge member being secured to a :saddle member 6', said saddle member straddling the low- 2,991,573 Patented Aug. 25, 1959 her 6 thereby to hold said hinge member in place. The forward portion of the hinge member 6 is bifurcated, the spaced side portions 6 thereof being joined by the rear wall 6 of said hinge member. Each of the spaced side portions 6 of the hinge member 6 is provided with a slot 9, the slots 9 of the two side portions 6 being aligned with each other and each slot is provided with a mouth 10 which provides a passageway into and out of the slot. Alsothe hinge member 6 is provided with flared wings 11 which serve a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

The cutout A includes a fuse cartridge C which unlike the ordinary fuse cartridge of electrical fuse cutouts is provided with two tubes 12 and 13, instead of one of such tubes as heretofore. The fuse cartridge is provided with a lower member 14 which receives the lower portions of the tubes 12 and 13, said tubes being open at the lower face of said lower member 14, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower member 14 of the fuse cartridge C is provided with a rearwardly projected extension 15 which is provided with a recess 15 formed therein that is open at the bottom face of the extension. The recess 15 of the extension 15 receives the outer end portion of an arm 16 of a pivot member 16, said arm being pivotally secured by a pivot pin 17 to the wall portions at opposite sides of the recess 15 in the extension 15 of the member 14. The pivot member 16 is provided with a portion 18 which extends rearwardly and upwardly and is provided with spaced rear portions having arcuate faces 18 at each side. Also extended outwardly in opposite directions from the pivot member 16 is a pairof trunnions 19 which are disposed in the slots 9 of the hinge member in order to support the cartridge C for downward and outward pivotal movement relative to the insulator 1.

Interposed between the saddle member 6 and the hinge member 6 is the upper portion of a terminal 20, said terminal being the outgoing terminal of the cutout A. The terminal 20* is held in place by the bolt of the bolt and nut assembly 7 which extends through an opening formed through said upper portion of said terminal, said bolt extending also through an opening formed through a spring finger member 21 which rides upon with the arcuate faces 18 of the pivot member 16 and tends to move the forward end portion of said pivot member downwardly.

A coil spring 17 surrounds pin 17 with one end hearing upon the front of member 16 and the other end hearing within recess 15*. Spring 17 thus also urges the front end of member 16 downwardly.

The cartridge has arranged at its top a member 22 which includes screwthreaded openings 23 and 2 4 that screwthreadedly receive the upper portions of the tubes 12 and 13, the opening 23 which receives the upper portion of the tube 12 being placed in communication with the opening 24 which receives the upper portion of the tube 13 by means of a passageway 25, as shown in Fig. 2 The member 22 is provided with an upwardly projected extension 26 which is provided with a passageway 27 having internal screwthreads, there being vertically aligned openings 23 which place the passageway 27, the passageway 25, and the interiors of tubes 12 and 13 in communication with each other. Also, the member 22 is provided with an eye 29 which serves to receive a finger of a switch stick when it is desired to operate the cutout manually as a disconnect switch. Arranged within the tube 12 is a fuse link L which is provided at its top with a button 30 that contacts with a seat 31 within the member 22, a screwthreaded element 32 being screwed into the passageway 27 of the extension 26 of the member 22 and into contact with said button 30 of the fuse link to confine said button between said screwthreaded element 32 and said seat 31 so as to secure the upper portion-of the fuse link in place. The fue link L is provided immediately adjacent to the button with a fusible section enclosed with a sleeve 33, and the lower portion of said fuse link is secured by a nut 34 to the forward'end portion'of the pivot member 16 so that when the fuse link is drawn taut, the front end of member 16 is moved upwardly about pin 17 and against the bias of spring 17 It will be noted that the fuse link L extends from the bottom of the tube 12 immediately across the open bottom of the tube 13 to the nut 34.

The insulator 1 is provided with a smooth annular portion 35 about which a band 36 is arranged, this band being provided with a pair of forwardly extended and spaced extensions 37 which are drawn together by a bolt 38 so that the band 36 is clamped about the smooth portion 35 of the insulator 1. The spaced extensions 37 are provided with inwardly bent, overlapping end portions 37 in contact with which a terminal 39 is arranged, and the cutout A includes a latching hood 40 which serves to lock the cartridge C in the closed-switch position. The latching hood is provided with a rear wall 40 and a top wall 40 said top wall having a downwardly projected protuberance 41 that serves as a latch for engaging the head portion of the screwthreaded element 32 and thereby locking the cartridge in its closed-circuit position. The top wall of the latching hood has a forwardly projected hook-shaped element 42 extending therefrom which is intended to facilitate raising the forward portion of the latching hood by means of a conventional switch stick. Adjacent the rear wall of the latching hood 40 is an L-s'haped member 43 having a curved outer end portion, said extension 43 serving as an abutment which limits rearward movement of the upper end portion of the cartridge C when being moved into closed-circuit position. A bolt 44 is extended through aligned openings formed through the overlapping end portions 37 of the extensions 37 of the band 36, said bolt extending also through an opening formed through a portion of'the terminal 39 and through openings formed through the rear wall 40* of the latching hood 4t and through the member 43. The bolt 44 is provided with a head portion 44 which is spaced a considerable distance from the end wall of the latching hood, and interposed between member 43 and'said head of bolt 44 is a coil spring 45.

In the operation of the cutout of this invention the cartridge C is in the position shown in Fig. 1 when the cartridge is fused and in use, the lower end portion of the fuse link L being fastened to the pivot member 16 by the nut 34. When the cartridge is disposed in the closedswitch position, as shown in Fig. 1, the fuse link L is held under constant tension, this by reason of the tendency of the pivot member 16 to turn about pin 17 under the influence of spring 17 and in addition, the force imparted by spring 45 acting upon hood 40 which tends to force the cartridge C downwardly. When the fuse link becomes ruptured, as a result of'passage of abnormal current therethrough, the pivot member 16, freed of restraint at its outer or link-engaging end and acting under the spring bias imparted thereto, turns rapidly about the two axes defined bythe trunnions 19 and the pin 17. Concurrently, as a result of the excesscurrent, gases are generated within the tube 12 and part of these gases pass by way of the passageway 25 and the lower opening '28 into the tube 13. Another portion of these gases pass downwardly through the open end of tube 12. Thus upon rupture of the fuse link, a sudden jet of gas is projected out of the lower ends of both tube 12 and tube 13. This jet impels the cartridge assembly in an upward direction against the bias of spring 45. The jet from tube 13 also impinges against the portion of the fuse link that extends across the lower end of said tube 13. These two actions of the gas jet cooperate with the spring bias upon member 16 to quickly separate the ruptured ends of the fuse link and extinguish any electrical are which forms between said ruptured ends of the fuse link.

The aforesaid upward movement of the cartridge rocks hood 40 and member 43 against the bias of spring 45 and brings the lower end of member 43 into electrical contact with member 22, so as to draw an external are away from hood 40 and at the same time kicks member 22 outwardly over protuberance 41. When the upward movement of the cartridge has been arrested, spring 45 reacts to force the cartridge downwardly. The latter, being now free of restraint by the anchorage of the fuse .link, and aided by movement of the pivot member 16 about the trunnions 19 (which movement is accompanied by an endwise lowering of the cartridge C) falls clear of the protuberance 41 and swings under the influence of gravity to full open position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an electrical cutout of the character having a 'fuse cartridge arranged to discharge downwardly the gases generated as a consequence of rupture of the fuse link within the cartridge, said cartridge having a hinge for engagement with a lower fixed terminal at the bottom and being resiliently latched at the top to an upper fixed terminal but free to swing downwardly outwardly about its hinge when unlatched, the improvement comprising, the upper fixed terminal having a movable contact member, and a contact finger resiliently mounted for movement with respect to said movable contact member-and adapted to'engage the side of said cartridge upon upward movement of said movable contact member so as to propel said cartridge outwardly about its hinge, said cartridge being so latched at its top as to normally remain 'in'a position where the upper end thereof'is spaced from said-contact finger.

2. In an electrical cutout of the character having a fuse cartridge, a cartridge mounting member secured to the lower end of said cartridge, said cartridge mounting member being removably hinged to a fixed member, the improvement comprising, an intermediate member 'pivotally connected with said cartridge mounting member and having a separable rocking connection with said fixed member, a spring biasing said cartridge mounting member for inward movement with respect to said intermediate member about their pivotal connection, and a fuse link connected at one end to said cartridge and at its other end to said intermediate member, said fuse link when taut opposing the bias of said spring.

3. In an electrical cutout of the character having a fuse cartridge arranged to discharge downwardly the gases generated as a consequence of rupture of the fuse link within the cartridge, said cartridge having a hinge for engagement with a lower fixed terminal at the bottom and being resiliently latched at the top to an upper fixed terminal but free to swing downwardly outwardly about its hinge when unlatched, the improvement comprising, the upper fixed terminal having a contact element adapted to engage the side of said cartridge upon upward movement thereof so as to limit the upwardly inward movement of said cartridge about said hinge, said cartridge being so latched at its top as to normally remain in a position where the upper end thereof is spaced from said contact element, said hinge comprising a fixed member having an open slot, a cartridge mounting member, an intermediate member having a pivot pin removably received in said slot, said intermediate member having a pivotal connection with said cartridge mounting member, a spring biasing the pivoted parts oppositely about said pivotal connection, a fuse link anchored to said intermediate member and to the cartridge, said fuse link being tensioned against the bias of said spring, said spring acting to urge the cartridge upwardly upon rupture of the fuse link, and a-contact brush on the lower fixed terminal engaging said intermediate member through the amplitude of its movement during which arcs may be drawn at the upper end of said cartridge.

4. In an electrical cutout having a fuse cartridge hinged to a lower fixed terminal at its bottom end resiliently latched at its top to an upper fixed terminal but free to swing downwardly outwardly about its hinge when unlatched, the improvement comprising, the upper fixed terminal having a movable contact member, and a contact finger resiliently mounted for movement with respect to said movable contact member and adapted to engage the side of said cartridge upon upward movement of said movable contact member so as to propel said cartridge outwardly about its hinge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Pittman et al. Feb. 22, 1938 Pittman et al May 9, 1939 Triplett et a1 June 6, 1939 McCluskey et al. Nov. 14, 1939 Johnson Feb. 4, 1941 Smith July 22, 1941 Schultz Sept. 5, 1944 Schultz Dec. 12, 1944 Schultz et al. Apr. 16, 1946 Milne et al. Oct. 13, 1953 Curtis et al. Oct. 18, 1955 Edwards et a1. Feb. 14, 1956 Lindell May 15, 1956 Harder Apr. 1, 1958 Yonkers June 24, 1958

Images