US2651694A - Electric fuse switch construction - Google Patents

Description

p 8, 1953 s. 1. LINDELL 2,651,694

I ELECTRIC FUSE WITCI-I CONSTRUCTION Filed April 26. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

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Sept. 8, 1953 s. I. LINDELL 2,651,694 ELECTRIC FUSE SWITCH CONSTRUCTION Filed April 26, 1950 4 SheetsSheet 4 HVVENTDR.

Patented Sept. 8, 1953 ELECTRIC FUSE SWITCH"CONSTRUCTION Sigurd I. Lindell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to S & 0. Electric Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application April-26, 1950, Serial No. 158,264-

17 Claims. 1

Thisinventionrelates. generally, to automatically disconnecting high voltage high interrupting; capacity electric fusev switches and it has particular. relation to such devices having relatively great size. andweight arranged for mounting, on an insulator bushing whose strength is relatively slight, .such as the bushing of a transformer containing a high voltage terminal, although its application isnot so limited.

Among the objects ofthis invention are: To flexibly and pivotally mount on-the high voltage terminal insulator. bushing of a transformer an automatically disconnecting high voltage high interrupting capacity. fuse; to arrange the fuse so as to be spring biased from a generally hori-- zontal c-losedposition to a generally vertical open position; to limit the; impact incident to arrestin the fuse in the open position to a practically attainable minimum; toaccomplish this in part by arresting; it in a substantially vertical position; to bias the fuse as aforesaid by a-spring having a non-linear torque characteristic generally corresponding to the torque characteristic of gravity actin on the fuse to bias it toward the closed-positionasit moves therefrom to the open position; to construct the biasing mechanism so that it is capable of breaking loose from.

ice that. might Otherwise interfere-with or prevent opening of the fuse switch; to apply the principal biasing torque. for opening the fuse switch at its pivot end by a main spring; to

pretension the main spring; to provide a biasing action at the other end of the fuse switch by an auxiliary or; kicker spring to assist mini.- tiating its opening movement and in overcoming. the force of gravity; to pivotally mount the fuseswitch on a hinge member and provide inter engageable shoulders thereon for, limiting theopening movement of the former; to resiliently mount the hinge member on the end of the bushing; to interpose a resilient stop between the fuse andthe hinge member; to latch the fuse. switchin the closed position by latchmeans' on. the end opposite the pivot end; and-to. elevate.

the latch end-slightly above thepivot end.

Other objects of this-invention will, in part;

b obvious and-in part appear hereinafter.

This invention isdisclosed in the embodiment. thereof: shown inthe accompanying drawings: and itcomprisesithe features of constructiom. combinationof elements; and arrangement of parts, which willbe exemplified in the constructionjhereinaftenset forth and thescopeof the application ofwhich. will beindicatedin theappended claims.

arrester, and both arranged to carry at their upper ends a fuseswitch;

Figure 2 is a view, similar to Figure 1, illustrating only the upperends of the insulator bushing and insulator support and showing how a fuse which forms a part of the fuse switch is mounted thereon, the fuse switch being shown closed;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showthe fuse in the position which it occupies immediately after it is unlatched from the closed position andv starts to swing to the open position;

Figure 4 is aview, in side elevation, of the fuse in the position to which it is swung in the opening movement, the position here shown being atv the extreme limit of travel permitted in the openingdirection, about 20 past the vertical position;

Figure-51s aview, similarto Figure. 4, showing thefuse inthe open position and at rest after recoil;

Figure 6 is. a perspective view of the fuse switch construction in whichthe present invention is.

so that the fuse in its closed position lies in a.

generally horizontal position;

Figure Tie a view in side elevation, at an enlargedi scale, showing in more detail the construction. of the latch terminal, certain parts beingbroken away; and

Figure 8'is aview, at an enlarged scale, showing. the .detailsof. construction of the hinge. terminal and operating assembly, certain parts being broken away.

Referring now particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings, it. will be observed that the reference character. llll designatesv a portion of a trans.- former tank from which a vertical insulator bushing or. support member I l-extends upwardly. Within theinsulator bushing H there isprovided ahighvoltage terminal l2 which may be in the form-cf aroclorin the form: of anexible 0011-. ducton. for connection toone orthe high voltage terminals Ofthe-tTanSfOrmeras will be understood.

It extends into-the transformer tank Hi.

actress readily. The terminal 12 extends through the upper end of the bushing it and is threaded for receiving a nut l3 which serves, in part, to clamp a hinge terminal and operating assembly, shown generally at it, in place on the upper end of the threaded bushing ii.

In Figure 2 a fuse is illustrated, generally, at it that is arranged to be pivotally mounted on the hinge terminal and operating assembly It. At its other end the fuse i5 is carried by a latch terminal and auxiliary operating assembly that is indicated, generally, at it; A tubular conductor I? is provided for carrying the latch terminal and auxiliary operating assembly 16 at its upper end. At its lower end the tubular conductor if is carried by a vertical porcelain insulator or support member it which, as illustrated, is spaced horizontally from the bushing ii. The tubular conductor it is employed to elevate the end of the fuse l5 carried thereby slightly with respect to the other end so that it will be more weatherproof. Generally, however, the fuse i5 is mounted in what is considered to be a horizontal position although, as illustrated in Figure 2 and described above, the fuse l5 in the closed position is inclined slightly to the horizontal.

Any suitable means such as a mounting frame is may be employed for supporting the lower end of the vertical insulator is. A terminal pad 28 is located at the lower end of the tubular conductor it to permit connection of a line conductor thereto.

The fuse it: together with the hinged terminal and operating assembly l6 and the latch terminal and auxiliary operating assembly it together constitute a fuse switch which, as shown in Figure 1, is arranged to close and open the circuit to one terminal of the high voltage winding of a transformer. The details of construction of the fuse l5 form no part of the present invention. For illustrative purposes the fuse construction disclosed in application Serial No. ($63,83 filed April 22, 1946, now U. S. Patent No. 2,599,186, dated June 3, 1952, and assigned to the assignee of this application may be used. However, it will be understood that other fuse constructions can be employed if desired. Any suitable contact construction can be used. For example, the contact construction disclosed in application Serial No. 57,346, filed October 29, 1948, now U. S. Patent No. 2,578,255, dated December 11, 1951, and assigned to the assignee of this application may be used. It will be understood also that other types of contact construction can be employed as may be desired.

The fuse it includes a fuse tube 23 of insulating material having a terminal 22- at its lower end which is provided with trunnions 25 that are arranged to interfit with the lower end portion 26, Figure 8, of longitudinally extending slots 2? in upwardly extending arms 28 of a generally U shaped hinge member, shown generally at 23. The hinge member 29 is formed preferably of good electrical conducting material such as red brass. Its lower central portion 80 is secured by bolts iii to an upper arm 32 of a generally U- shaped resilient mounting adapter that is indicated, generally, at 31-3. Preferably the mounting adapter 33 is formed of a resilient conducting material such as Phosphor bronze or hard drawn copper. Its lower arm 23d may be secured by bolts 35 to the upper end of the insulator bushing ll where a metallic cap H is provided for this purpose. In addition, as shown in Figure l, the nut is on the threaded upper end of the 4 terminal l2 also serves to hold the lower arm 34 in position on the cap ll.

Where the insulator bushing H is merely another insulator, such as shown in Figure 6, the high voltage terminal l2 would be omitted. In such case the lower arm 3 1 may have an extension in the form of a terminal pad 36 to permit connection of another conductor thereto The provision and resilient construction of the mounting adapter 33 are important. It will be noted that the upper and lower arms 32 and 34 extend generally horizontally with the intermediate portion providing a flexible section therebetween. This flexible construction cushion to a considerable extent the shock that is incident to the stopping of the fuse i5 in the open position as shown in Figure Insulator bushing ll of the type shown in Figure l have different allowable cantilever loads which they are capable of withstanding. lhese are in the neighborhood of '75 to 100 pounds. For a fuse 55 designed for use in a circuit energized at a voltage of 69,000 volts the fuse l5 may weigh from 18 to 20 pounds with the terminals and fittings mounted thereon. This weight may be increased as much as 25 per cent where the fuse is coated with ice. While provision must be made for swinging the fuse 15 from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 4, so that it will be operated alone or in the iced condition, it will be appreciated that a considerable amount of kinetic energy must be dissipated when the fuse is stopped in the generally vertical position. By employing the resilient mounting adapter 33, some of this energy is absorbed in further flexing it and thus the force to which the upper end of the insulator bushing H is subjected is reduced to within allowable limits.

Another factor that must be taken into consideration in swinging a fuse from the enerally horizontal position shown in Figure 2 to the generally vertical position shown in Figure 4 is the change in torque applied thereto by gravity which varies as the fuse it; approaches the vertical position. Specifically the torque applied by gravity varies as the cosine of the angle between the fuse l5 and the horizontal from a maximum at zero degrees to a minimum at In order to avoid overshooting of the fuse l5 much beyond the vertical position, it is desirable that the biasing means which swings it to this position have a non-linear characteristic which approaches that applied by gravity to the fuse E5 in opposing its movement from the horizontal to the vertical position.

In accordance with this invention a non-linear U-shaped main spring 40 is employed for this purpose. It may be formed of Phosphor bronze wire and for use with fuses 15 having a rating of 69,000 volts it may have a diameter of 5's inch. Apertured bosses M, Figure 8, are provided on opposite sides of the hinge member 29 for receiving the free straight end portions 42 of the main spring i6. These end portions 42 may be secured in the bosses il by suitable pins 43. As shown more clearly in Figure 8 of the drawings, the main spring 40 is curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of the hinge member 2t away from the insulator or support member It. In order to provide the non-linear characteristic, the general center of curvature of the spring 40 is offset from the axis of rotation of the fuse l5 through the trunnions 25. Further, intermediate portions of the arms of the U-shaped main spring ii! are curved on different radii. For example in asst-pea 'the-spring'construction referred to above the portion indicated at '44 may have'a radius of 6% inches when the main spring 40 is completely unstressed. The portions -45, 46 and 4'! have radii respectively as follows: 75% inches, 5%, and 4%,;- inches. The joined end portions 48 of the U -shaped main spring 40 are interconnected by a central portion 49 which extends underneath stop shoulders 50 that are formed integrally with the upwardly extending arms '28 of the hinge member 29 on the side toward the vertical insulator "or support member Hi. In the position of the main spring '40, as shown in Figure 8, where the central portion 49 is in engagement with the stop shoulders 50, the spring 40 is in a prestressed condition. That is, if the stop shoulders '50 were removed, the central portion 49 would occupy a position substantially higher and to the right of the position shown in Figure 8. By prestressing the main spring 46 it is possible to employ it in a region where the torque exerted thereby is at a maximum for initiating the movement of the fuse '15 from the generally horizontal position while requiring a minimum of movement of the central (portion 49 and flexing of the main spring 40 to store energy for effecting this operation.

By providing the main spring 40 with a relatively large free length, the breaking loose under icing conditions is facilitated. When ice collects on the arms of the main spring 49, as soon as it begins, to hex for swinging the fuse to the open position, the ice thereo'n is cracked and falls away. Thus there is substantially no interference in the operation of the fuse 15 under icing conditions when the main spring 58 of the character and construction described herein is employed. Abutments in the form of bosses 5! are located on the outer sides of the upwardly extending arms 28 and bear against the straight end portions 42 of the main spring ii? for holding them in position. The bosses 5| are formed integrally with the hinge member 29.

As shown in Figure 4 an abutment 52 is formed on the terminal 24 and, as shown in Figure 2,

is arranged to engage the central portion 39 of the main spring 50. It is through the abutment 52 that the main spring transmits its operating torque to the fuse :5. In the open position, as shown in Figure 5, the abutment 52 engages the central portion 49 which, in this position, is restrained by the stop shoulders 50 in the prestressed condition of the spring 40. When the fuse l 5 is swung from the open position, shown in Figure 5, to the closed position, shown in Figure 2, the central portion 49 of the spring 50 is picked up'b'ythe abutment 52 and is carried downwardly to further tension the main spring 48.

Adjacent the abutment 52 there is provided a convex contact engaging portion 53 on the terminal24 that is arranged to be engaged by a contact finger 54 which is carried by the hinge member '29. The construction of these contact members is set forth in more detail in the application'referred to above.

As a further means of decreasing the-shock in- 'cident to the stopping of the fuse l5 in the position shown in Figure 4, a rubber bumper 55, Figure 8, is provided on each of the upwardly extending arms 28 on the inner side thereof. Each rubber bumper '55 is held in position by a bolt '55. It will be understood that, when the fuse I5 is swung to the position shown in Figure 4, it engages the bumpers 55 which act as shock absorbers. Since they are carried by the rela- 6 'tively rigid and heavy hinge member 29 that iri turn is resiliently mounted on the resilient mounting adapter -33, the shock absorbing action of the mounting is further enhanced.

With a view to preventing the fuse [5 from being thrown out of the hinge member 29 when it is stopped in the position shown in Figure 4, shoulders 51, Figure 4, are provided on opposite sides of the terminal 24 and they arearranged to engage shoulders 58, Figure 8, which extend inwardly from the upper ends of the arms 28 of the hinge member 28. In the position shown in Figure 4, the shoulders 51 are inengagement with the shoulders 58 and the trunnions 25 have been moved out of the lower end portions 26 of the slots 21'. However, the construction is such that the trunnions "25 bear against the left hand side of the slots 21, as viewed in the drawings, and they, together with the interengaging shoulders 57 and '58, prevent the fuse l5 from being thrown out of the hinge member 29. As described hereinbefore, the shock, incident to the stopping of the fuse l5 in the position shown in Figure 4 is absorbed partly by the rubber bumpers 55, partly by the resilient mounting adapter 33 and the balance is absorbed by the insulator bushing II or its equivalent insulator, such as that shown in Figure 6.

Provision is made at the upper endof the fuse :5 for latching it to the latch terminal and auxiliary operating assembly 16. For this purpose a terminal 88 is positioned at the upper end of the fuse tube 28. Extending from the terminal as shown in Figure 4, is a latch hook 5! which carries a roller 62 at its outer end. The roller 62 is arranged to engage behind a roller Figures 2 and '7, that is carried by a latch lever '64 which is pivoted at 65 on a base member 66. As shown in Figure 7 the base member 65 is positioned on the upper end of the tubular conductor IT. A spring 67 cooperates with the latch lever 54 to bias the roller 63 so that it will engage the roller 62 and latch the fuse 23 in the closed position shown in Figure 2.

In order to move the roller 63 out of lockin engagement with the roller 62 a pry out lever 58 is pivoted on the latch lever "54 near its forward end and it has nose portions "69 that are arranged to be engaged by a flange ill for lifting the pry out lever '68 and thereby the latch lever 6 The flange T6 extends radially outwardly from a latch tube II that is slidably mounted on the upper end of the fuse 15. A described in more detail in U. S. Patent No. 2,599,186, referred to above, provision is made within the fuse i 5 for causing the latch tube II to move from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3 on the occurrence of a predetermined overload for swinging the pry out lever 68 and the latch lever 64 to the unlatched position. This operation may be accomplished manually by means of a fork 72 which is arranged to engage the underside of the flange 1s. The fork l2 constitutes a part of a hook stick release member 13 that is pivoted at M on the terminal 60. The hook stick release member l3 has an eye 15 for receiving the prong of a hook stick which permits the member 33 to beswung in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2, to cause the ends of the fork 72 to engage 'the underside of the flange T0 and move the latch tube ll to the unlatching position.

Any suitable means can be employed for making good electrical contact between the base member 65 and the terminal-65. For this pur pose a U-shaped contact member 18 may be employed having a U-shaped reinforcing spring 79 as described in U. S. Patent No. 2,578,255, referred to herelnbefore. The U-shaped contact member 78 and correspondingly shaped reinforcing spring 19 may be secured to the upper side of the base member 66 by bolts 80, Figure 7. In addition a stop pin 8! is employed for determining the closed position of the fuse 15.

While the main spring 46 may be provided and arranged so that, when the fuse i is unlatched from the latch terminal and auxiliary operating assembly Is, it can by itself swing the fuse [5 to the open position shown in Figure 4, it is preferable to provide additional mechanism for assisting it in initiating the movement of the fuse IE to the open position. Such assistance may be required when the mechanism is covered with ice and must be broken loose. For this purpose a generally U-shaped auxiliary or kicker spring, shown generally at 8'1, Figure 2, can be used. The free ends 85 of the spring 86 are secured by bolts 83 to the upper side of the base member 56. The intermediate portions 81, Figure 7, of the arms forming the spring 8 2 are curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of the latch terminal and auxiliary operating assembly H5 away from the insulator bushing l5. These intermediate portions 8'5 have straight portions 88 extending therefrom which terminate in end portions 89 that are joined by a central curved portion 90. As shown more clearly in Figure 6, the central curved portion Q8 bears against the underside of the fuse tube 23 adjacent the terminal 60. When the fuse i5 is closed, as shown in Figure 2, the straight portions 88 of the spring 8 are inclined downwardly toward the free ends 85. In the open position of the fuse E5, the straight portions 38 are generally parallel to the free ends 85 as shown in Figure '7. For illustrative purposes it is pointed out that the auxiliary or kicker spring 841 may be formed of Number f Phosphor bronze wire. The intermediate portion 8? in the unstressed condition may have a radius of i inches. The straight portions 88 are about 4% inches long. The inclined end portions 85 are about 2% inches long. The arms of the U-shaped auxiliary or kicker spring 84 may be spaced about 4 inches apart.

In Figure 6 of the drawings, the alternate construction referred to hereinbefore is illustrated. A second insulator 93 is employed which may be a duplicate of the vertical insulator i8. As shown the insulators l8 and 93 may be mounted on a channel base 94. Of course, it is possible to have the insulator ii in Figure 6 longer than the insulator 93 and to then dispense with the tubular conductor ll which is employed to 10- cats the fuse in the inclined position. However, since the insulator 93 must be long enough to withstand the rated line voltage, the addi tional insulation provided by the longer insulator I8 is unnecessary and is more expensive than it is to provide the tubular conductor l'l.

Since certain further changes can be made in the foregoing construction and different embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter shown in the accompanying drawings and described hereinbefore shall be considered as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A fuse arranged to be moved automatically from a generally horizontal closed position to a generally vertical open position, comprising, in combination, horizontally spaced insulating support members, a fuse pivotally mounted on one support member to swing upwardly and latched to the other support member, and spring means reacting between said one support member and said fuse to swing it upwardly on unlatching of the same from said other support member, said spring means being characterized by applying to said fuse a diminishing torque corresponding generally to and opposing the torque applied to said fuse by gravity and acting principally in a vertical direction on said fuse to swing it from closed to open position whereby the torque exerted by said spring means in opening said fuse decreases generally in the same proportion that the torque exerted by gravity biasing said fuse closed decreases.

2. A fuse arranged to be moved automatically from a generally horizontal closed position to a generally vertical open position comprising, in combination, horizontally spaced insulating support members, a fuse pivotally mounted on one support member to swing upwardly and latched to the other support member, generally C-shaped spring means reacting between said one support member and said fuse to swing it upwardly on unlatching of the same from said other support member, the effective center of curvature of said c-shaped spring means being offset from the pivot axis of said fuse so that the torque applied thereby to said fuse corresponds generally to and opposes the torque applied to said fuse by gravity and acts principally in a vertical direction on said fuse to swing it from closed to open position whereby the torque exerted by said O- shaped spring means in opening said fuse decreases generally in the same proportion that the torque exerted by gravity biasing said fuse closed decreases, and additional spring means reacting between said other support member and said fuse and acting to swing the same upwardly on unlatching thereof to provide a thrust thereon in addition to that applied by said C-shaped spring means for breaking said fuse loose under all operating conditions.

3. A fuse arranged to be moved automatically from a generally horizontal closed position to a generally vertical open position comprising, in combination, horizontally spaced insulating support members, a fuse pivotally mounted on one support member to swing upwardly and latched to the other support member, spring means reacting between said one support member and said fuse to swing it upwardly on unlatching of the same from said other support member, said spring means being characterized by having more energy stored therein than is necessary to swing said fuse past its vertical position, and stop means cooperating with said spring means to limit the movement thereof and cause the same to disengage said fuse in advance of its reaching the vertical position thereof and before said energy stored in said spring means has been released completely whereby said fuse thereafter continues to swing substantially only under the influence of the momentum previously acquired from said spring means.

4. A fuse arranged to be moved automatically from a generally horizontal closed position to a generally vertical open position comprising, in combination, horizontally spaced insulating support members, a fuse pivotally mounted on one support member to swing upwardly and latched to the other support member, spring means re- 9 acting between said one'support memberand said fuse to swing it upwardly on unlatching of the same from said other support member, said spring means being characterized by having more energy stored therein than is necessary to swing said fuse past itsvertical position, stop means cooperating with said spring means tolimit the movement thereof and cause the same to disengage said fuse in advance of its reaching the vertical position thereof and before said energy stored in said spring means has been released completely whereby said fuse thereafter continues to swing substantially only under the influence of the momentum previously acquired from said spring means, and additional spring means reacting between said other-support member and said fuse and acting to swing the same upwardly on unlatching thereof to provide a thrust thereon in addition to that applied by the first mentioned spring means for breaking said fuse loose under all operating conditions likely to be encountered.

5. A fuse arranged to be moved automatically from a generally horizontal closed position to a generally vertical open position comprising in combination, horizontally spaced insulating support members, a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter with the arms thereof extending generally horizontally one above the other and one arm secured to one of said support members, a fuse pivotally mounted on the other arm of said mounting adapter to swing upwardly and latched to the other support member, and spring means reacting between said other arm of said adapter and said fuse to swing; it upwardly on unlatching of the same from said other support member.

6. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating support members, a hinge member carried by one of said support members, a generally U-shaped main spring with the free endsof its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member and the-intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said hinge member away from said other support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending downwardly; a fuse including.- a fuse tube having terminals at its ends, one of said terminals being pivotally mounted on said hinge member and being arranged andadapted to cooperate with said joined ends of said main spring to tension the same when said fuse is swung to its generally horizontal closed position and whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and

the other terminal on said fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means;. and terminal means carried by said other support member including latch means for cooperating. with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position.

'7. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating. support members, a generally U-shaped hinge member having its lower central portion secured to one of said support members, stop means on the upwardly extending arms of said' U-shaped hinge member on the side thereof facing the other support member, a. generally U-shaped main spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member adjacent its central portion and the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said arms'of said. hinge member away from said other support member and to- Ward the same with the joined end portions extendingdownwardly and underneath said stop means and adapted to be restrained thereby with said main spring in prestressed condition; a fuse including a fuse tube having terminals at its ends, one of said terminals being pivotally mounted on said arms of said hinge member and being arranged and adapted to cooperate with said joined ends of said main spring to further tension the same when said fuse is swung to its generally horizontal closed position and whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and the other terminal on said fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means; and terminal' means carried by said other support member including latch means for cooperating with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position.

8. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating support members, a generally U-shaped hinge member having longitudinally slotted upwardly extending arms with shoulders extending inwardly at their upper ends and its lower central portion secured to one of said support members, stop means on said upwardly extending arms on the side thereof facing the other support member, a generally U-shaped main spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member adjacent its central portion and: the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly onthe side'ofsaid arms of said hinge member away from said other support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending downwardly and underneath said stop means and adapted to be restrained thereby with said main spring in prestressed condition; a removable fuse including a fuse tubehaving terminals at its ends, one of said terminals having trunnions for interfitting with the slots in said arms of said hinge member to removably hingedly mount said fuse and shoulders for engaging said shoulders on the upper ends of said arms of said hinge member to limit the opening movement of said fuse, said one terminal having an abutment for cooperating with said joined ends of said main spring to further tension the same when said fuse is swung to its generally horizontal closed position and. whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and theother terminal onsaid fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means; and terminal means carried by said other support member including, latch means for cooperating with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position.

9. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating support members, a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter with the arms thereof extending generally horizontally one above the other and one arm secured to one of said support members, a generally U-shaped hinge member having its lower central portion secured to the other arm of said mounting adapter, stop means on the upwardly extending arms of said U-shaped hinge member on the side thereof facing the other support member, a generally U-shaped main spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member adjacent its central portion and the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said arms of said hinge member away from said other support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending downwardly and underneath said stop means and adapted to be restrained thereby with said main spring in prestressed condition; a fuse including a fuse tube having terminals at its ends, one of said terminals being pivotally mounted on said arms of said hinge member and being arranged and adapted to cooperate with said joined ends of said main spring to further tension the same when said fuse is swung to its generally horizontal closed position and whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and the other terminal on said fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means; and terminal means carried by said other support member including latch means for cooperating with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position.

10. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating support members, a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter with the arms thereof extending generally horizontally one above the other and one arm secured to one of said support men bers, a generally U-shaped hinge member having longitudinally slotted upwardly extending arms with shoulders extending inwardly at their upper ends and its lower central portion secured to the other arm of said mounting adapter, a generally U-shaped main spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member adjacent its central portion and the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said arms of said hinge member away from said other support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending downwardly; a removable fuse including a fuse tube having terminals at its ends, one of said terminals having trunnions for interfitting with the slots in said arms of said hinge member to removably hingedly mount said fuse and shoulders for engaging said shoulders on the upper ends of said arms of said hinge member to limit the opening movement of said fuse, said one terminal having an abutment for cooperating with said joined ends of said main spring to tension the same when said fuse is swung to its generally horizontal closed position and whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and the other terminal on said fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means; and terminal means carried by said other support member including latch means for cooperating with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position.

11. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating support members, a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter with the arms thereof extending generally horizontally one above the other and one arm secured to one of said support members, a generally U-shaped hinge member having longitudinally slotted upwardly extending arms and its lower central portion secured to the other arm of said mounting adapter, stop means on said upwardly extending arms on the side there of facing the other support member, a generally U-shaped main spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member adjacent its central portion and the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said arms of said hinge member away from said other support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending downwardly and underneath said stop means and adapted to be restrained thereby with said main spring in prestressed condition; a removable fuse including a fuse tube having terminals at its ends, one of said terminals having trunnions for interfitting with the slots in said arms of said hinge member to removably hingedly mount said fuse and having an abutment for cooperating with said joined ends of said main spring to further tension the same when said fuse is swung to its generally horizontal closed position and whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and the other terminal on said fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means; and terminal means carried by said other support member including latch means for cooperating with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position, and a generally U-shaped auxiliary spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said terminal means, the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said terminal means away from said one support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending upwardly underneath said fuse tube adjacent said other terminal and engaging said fuse for biasing the same upwardly.

12. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating support members, a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter with the arms thereof extending generally horizontally one above the other and one arm secured to one of said support members, a generally U-shaped hinge member having longitudinally slotted upwardly extending arms with shoulders extending inwardly at their upper ends and its lower central portion secured to the other arm of said mounting adapter, stop means on said upwardly extending arms on the side thereof facing the other support member, a generally U-shaped main spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member adjacent its central portion and the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said arms of said hinge member away from said other support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending downwardly and underneath said stop means and adapted to be restrained thereby with said main spring in prestressed condition; a removable fuse including a fuse tube having terminals at its ends, oneof said terminals having trunnions for interfitting with the slots in said arms of said hinge member to removably hingedly mount said fuse and shoulders for engaging said shoulders on the upper ends of said arms of said hinge member to limit the opening movement of said fuse, said one terminal having an abutment for cooperating with said joined ends of said main spring to further tension the same when said fuse is swung to its closed position inclined slightly to the horizontal and whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and the other terminal on said fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means; and terminal means carried by said other sup port member including latch means for cooperating with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position.

13. A fuse switch comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced insulating support members, a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter with the arms thereof extending generally horizontally one above the other and one arm secured to one of said support members, a generally U-shaped hinge member having longitudinally slotted upwardly extending arms with shoulders extending inwardly at their upper ends and its lower central portion secured to the other arm of said mounting adapter, stop means on said upwardly extending arms on the side thereof facing the other support member, a generally U-shaped main spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said hinge member adjacent its central portion and the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said arms of said hinge member away from said other support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending downwardly and underneath said stop means and adapted to be restrained thereby with said main spring in prestressed condition; a removable fuse including a fuse tube having terminals at its ends, one of said terminals having trunnions for interfitting with the slots in said arms of said hinge member to removably hingedly mount said fuse and shoulders for engaging said shoulders on the upper ends of said arms of said hinge member to limit the opening movement of said fuse, said one terminal having an abutment for cooperating with said joined ends of said main spring to further tension the same when said fuse is swung to its closed position inclined slightly to the horizontal and whereby said fuse is biased by said main spring to a generally vertical open position, and the other terminal on said fuse tube having latch means and latch releasing means; and terminal means carried by said other support member including latch means for cooperating with said latch means on said other fuse tube terminal to hold said fuse in closed position, and a generally U-shaped auxiliary spring with the free ends of its arms secured to opposite sides of said terminal means, the intermediate portions of its arms being curved outwardly and upwardly on the side of said terminal means away from said one support member and toward the same with the joined end portions extending upwardly underneath said fuse tube adjacent said other terminal and engaging said fuse for biasing the same upwardly.

14. A fuse arranged to be mounted on a post type insulator having limited cantilever load resisting characteristics comprising, in combina- I tion, a hinge member, a fuse pivoted to said hinge member to swing between closed and open positions, stop means for arresting said fuse in the open position where it constitutes generally a prolongation of said insulator, and a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter with the arms thereof extending generally normal to the longitudinal axis of said insulator, one arm fast thereon and the other arm carrying said hinge member, said adapter being arranged to flex on 14 engagement of said fuse with said stop means whereby to dissipate a substantial portion of the energy applied thereto as a result of the momentum of said fuse.

15. Means for rockably mounting a fuse on a support comprising, in combination, a relatively rigid and heavy hinge member for pivotally supporting said fuse, a first resilient means mounting said hinge member on said support, and a second resilient means supported wholly by said hinge member and arranged to be engaged by said fuse when it swings to open position to receive the kinetic energy thereof whereby said relatively rigid and heavy hinge member is disposed between said first and second resilient means and acts mechanically in series therewith to reduce the shock imparted to said support.

16. Means for rockably mounting a fuse on a support comprising, in sombination, a relatively rigid and heavy hinge member for pivotally supporting said fuse, a generally U-shaped resilient mounting adapter having one arm carrying said hinge member and the other arm mounted on said support, and a rubber bumper on said hinge member arranged to be engaged by said fuse when it swings to open position, said resilient mounting adapter and said rubber bumper and said hinge member acting in series to absorb the shock incident to arresting said fuse in the open position.

17. A fuse arranged to be moved automatically from a generally horizontal closed position to a generally vertical open position comprising, in combination, horizontally spaced insulating support members, a relatively rigid and heavy hinge member for mounting on one of said support members, a fuse pivotally mounted on said hinge member to swing upwardly and latched to the other support member, spring means reacting between said hinge member and said fuse to swing it upwardly on unlatching of the same from said other support member, a resilient mounting adapter interposed between said hinge member and said one of said support members and constituting the sole support of the former and acting as a shock absorber between said hinge and support member, and stop means on said hinge member cooperating with said spring means to cause the same to disengage said fuse in advance of its reaching its vertical position.

SIGURD I. LINDELL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,940,203 Bowie Dec. 19, 1933 1,965,391 Pittman et al. July 3, 1934 2,074,913 Johnson Mar. 23, 1937 2,118,270 Schultz et al May 24, 1938 2,166,782 Lemmon July 18, 1939 2,178,650 Schultz Nov. '7, 1939 2,230,955 Johnson Feb. 4, 1941 2,318,817 Triplett May 11, 1943 2,485,221 Turnham et al Oct. 18, 1949

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