US437533A - Support and insulator for suspended conductors - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

2 Sheets Sheet 1. C. J. VAN DEPOELE.

SUPPORT AND INSULATOR FOR SUSPENDED OONDUGTORS.

No. 437,533. Patented Sept. 30, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. J. VAN DEPOELE. SUPPORT AND INSULATOR FOR SUSPENDED OONDUGTORS.

No. 487,533. Patented Sept. 30, 1890.

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V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE, or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUPPORT AND INSULATOR FOR SUSPENDED CONDUCTORS...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,533, dated September 30, 1890.

Application filed April 8, 1890. Serial No. 346,394. (No model.) I I To all whom it may concern: 7

- Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAN DE- POELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supports and Insulators for Suspended Conductors, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in means for insulating and for sustaining the bare aerial conductors employed to convey the supply-current to electric railways of the type operating on what is known as the suspended-conductor system.

The invention comprises improvements upon the insulating devices shown in Letters Patent No. 393,317, dated November 20, 1888, and No. 396,312, dated January 15, 1889, together with sundry details of construction and arrangement, which will be fully hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of an insulating arched suspender. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the. insulating arched suspender shown in Fig. 1. Fig.

3 is an end view of the insulating arched suspender. Fig. 4 is a view in elevation, on a smaller scale, showing the means for connecting and insulating the arched suspenders carrying supply-conductors of opposite polarity. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing a sus pended conductor, means for connecting the same to its support, and portions of the crosswire by which the same is sustained in position. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a slightly different form of conductor-supporting device. Fig. 7 is a sectional end view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail of the cross-wire insulating and tension devices.

. claimed in my said Letters Patent No. 393,317,

dated November 20, 1888, and No. 396,312, dated January 15,1889. WVith the present form of construction, however, an improved insulation is secured, which, in connection central portion with an extended part, form-' ing an inverted cup 0, the walls of which should have sufficient structural strength to form, with the arms I) b of the suspender, a

strong arch capable of withstanding the pull of the cross-wires. The cup 0 is also desirably provided with an extended lower portion or flange for deflecting water.

The conductor A may be supported by any of the devices shown and described in'my prior patents; but I find that a thin metallic clip a, passing around the exterior of the conductor, may be so arranged as to form an exceedingly strong, durable, and efficient support, which will be at the same time economical and inconspicuous.

The clip a is secured to a piece D, which I may have an extended flange d, and is furthermore provided with a shank E, which may be screw-threaded or not, as desired. The shank E is adapted to be screwed into or otherwise secured to a nut e, and the nut e is embedded in an accurately-formed insulator F, which is preferably of glass, porcelain, 8o

lava, or some other hard and durable insulatin g materialinclosed in a metal envelope spun over or otherwise attached to the insulating body.

The insulator F, when constructed of the hard brittle insulation mentioned, would be easily broken were the screw f driven in too tightly, and therefore, in order to utilize material having very high insulating capacity and without fear of breaking the same, I put 0 around the insulator F a thin band or coating of ductile metalsuch as brass-which should be spun or otherwise fitted into the groove or depression f. The insulator F fits within the inverted metal cup 0 of the arched 5 metal envelope being pressed in the recess in the insulator. This will allow it to turn around in the cup and at the same time secure strength-and durability in the insulator. In this manner a very high degree of insu- The arched sus- 5 5 lation is permanently secured bet Ween the conductor-support and the arched suspender. The downwardly-projecting portion of the insulator F should also have an extended edge'or flange f for the purpose of deflecting moisture and preventing the same from dripping upon the co'nductor-supporting devices.

The arched suspender B may with advantage be so constructed that the side arms I) b are formed of separated ribs united by metal-connecting their upper edges. with this arrangement the said side arms are ex tended at their lower extremities, so as to form separate lugs, between which is placed an insulatingavasher G of glass, porcelain, or some good insulating material not affected by the weather. When in position, the cross-wires ordinarily used are secured to the insulators G.

In manyinstances it is desirable to employ a double set of suspended conductorsin close proximity, and Where this is required the inner extremities of the suspending device B are mechanically connected bya strong insulating-link H, which may be especially made or made out of insulated wire, the wire giving the necessary tensile strength and the insulation thereon serving to effectually separate the conductors should there be any leak between them and their support.

Various forms of insulating material might be employed in this connection, but on account of their strength and small cost I find it particularly desirable to use a strong insulating composition G at the extremities of the arches, and, moreover, it is frequently desirable to make these connections after the conductors have been suspended at or near their working positions, and, therefore, I find a strong link of Well-insulated conductor to be admirably suited to the purpose, it being further apparent that the use of a ductile wire for this purpose decreases the difficultyof making a suitable connection, when, as is frequently the case, these connections have to be made or changed after the conductors have been suspended in Working positions. An additional form of insulation may also be employed in the cross-Wire between the arched suspender or suspenders and the poles or other support, and this I construct from a strip or piece of any suitable insulating material, such, for ex ample, as wood.

As indicated in Figs. 5 and 8, a section of wood or other strong insulating material, say, between one and two feet in length and an inch or two in diameter, is provided at each end with a metal ferrule 11, which is strongly attached thereto, as by transverse rivets, and this insulator is connected to the cross-wire so as to make an effective break therein, and thereby to prevent the grounding of the circuits in case of a leak during Wet weather.

As a means of attaching the conductors to their supports and thereby sustaining them in working position, I employ suspenders or clips formed of thin metal plates or, which are preferably of tempered copper or phosphorbronze, since such a material will not wear rapidly under the friction of the passing cone edges of said clip in a gradual manner instead of striking them full in the first instance, as this would jar the contact device downwardand result in a temporary separation and a heavy spark between the traveling contact and the conductor, or that part of the con ductor surrounded by the clip. By sloping the extremities of the clip this difficulty is. avoided, and, if desired, the edges of theclip. may be beveled to an extreme thinness.

As indicated in Fig. 6, a single clip is employed, whereas in Fig. 5 twosuch are seen,

one at each extremity of an extended ear J, to which they are secured by rivets j, passing through the clips and through the ears.

The conductorA is not permanently secured by soldering or the like into grooves formed in the under edges of the ears J, as set forth. and claimed in my Patent No. 331,585, but ismerely. held up against the underside or groove of said ears, which may be grooved or not, (grooved is better,) as desired. When the clips have been secured in position the conductor is entirely supported thereby. The

ear J is also provided with a very effective means of insulation, the same comprising a hard rubber, wooden, or other sheath K, placed upon the exterior of the cross-wire and inserted in a transverse tubular extension L, formed integral with the body of the ear J. The insulator K should project far enough from the ear J on both sides thereof to prevent current escaping therefrom to the cross-wire during wet weather. 7

In attaching the supply-conductors A to their sustaining devices, two methods maybe practiced, the one being shown in detail in Fig. 2, and in which the conductor A is clipped to the part D, after which the part D is screwed into or otherwise attached to the insulator F, which is then placed in position and secured by the set-screws f. As seen in Fig. 5, for example, the cars J may be first placed in position upon the cross-wire and the conductor then placedin position by bending the clips around it and then riveting or bolting the said clip to the. ears, as indicated. By this means the troublesome and difficult process of soldering or brazing is entirely dispensed With,'and a very strong, durable, and inexpensive support provided.

Various changes and modifications maybe IIO made in the hereinbefore-mentioned devices without departing from the invention, and I therefore do not limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement set forth.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. A support. for suspended bare electric conductors, comprising a support sustained above the conductor and a thin metal clip formed with sloping edges and extending under the conductor and secured to said support.

2. A support for suspended bare electric conductors, comprising a support sustained above andgrooved to receive the upper side of the conductor, a thin metal clip or clips, having sloping extremities and passing around under the conductor and secured to the support, thereby sustaining the conductor in working position.

3. A support for suspended bare electric conductors, comprising an insulated support to carry the conductor, and a thin metallic clip or clips formed with sloping extremities and extending under andembracing the lower side of the conductor and detachably secured to the support.

4. The combination of a bare conductor, an insulated support above the conductor, a cross-wire connected to said support but in sulated therefrom, and a thin metal clip or clips having sloping edges and secured to the support and extending under the conductor.

5. Ihe combination of a bare conductor, an insulated support above the conductor, a cross-wire connected to said support but insulated therefrom, and a thin metal clip or clips having sloping edges and detachably connected to the support and extending under and sustaining the conductor.

6. A support for bare suspended conductors, comprising an inverted arch having a'recess at its upper portion, a protected insulated body adapted to be removably secured in said recess, and means for connecting a conductorsupport to the said insulating body.

7. A support for bare working-conductors, comprising an inverted arch crossing the conductor and formed with an inverted recess in its upper portion, a detachable insulator sustained in said recess, and means, substantially as described, for securing the conductor to the detachable. insulator.

8. A support for a bare suspendedconductcross wire or Wires extending from the ex-.

tremity orextremities of the suspending devices to supports along the line of way.

10. An insulator for suspended-conductor supports, comprising a body of hard refract ory material of high insulating capacity, having a conductor-sustaining device embedded therein, and provided also with an exterior protection of softmetal, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with the supports, of a pair of adjacent conductors of opposite polarity, of an insulated metallic connection comprising a flexible metallicband or wire coated with insulating material and connected to form a link between the adjacent extremities of the conductor-supporting devices.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

Witnesses:

J OHN W. GIBBONEY, W. J. PLUMSTEAD.

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