MOLDED CASE CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH PRESSURE RELEASE MECHANISM

摘要

A CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER (10A) INCLUDING AN OPERATING MECHANISM (11) AND SEPARABLE MAIN CONTACTS (13) INTERCONNECTED WITH LOAD AND LINE TERMINALS HAS AN INTERFACE REGION (50A) BETWEEN THE TOP (18A) AND BOTTOM (14A) PORTIONS OF THE COMPLETED HOUSING THEREOF, WHICH MAY BE OF REDUCED CROSS SECTION RELATIVE TO THE REMAINDER OF THE SIDE WALLS (15A) OF THE CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER (10A) FOR BEING MOVED OR PUSHED OUTWARDLY UNDER THE PRESSURE OF EXPANDING GAS G DURING A CIRCUIT INTERRUPTION OPERATION. TO MORE EASILY CLEAR OR SEPARATE ABUTMENT SURFACES (42A) BY NEAR LATERAL MOVEMENT THEREOF TO PROVIDE A SMALL OPENING FOR PRESSURIZED GAS G TO ESCAPE THE ELASTICITY OF THE SIDE WALL IS UTILIZED FOR THIS PURPOSE. PROVIDED THAT THE ELASTICITY LIMIT IS NOT EXCEEDED, THE WALL (15A) WILL RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION SEALING THE INTERNAL PORTIONS OF THE CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER (10A) FROM THE EXTERIOR ONCE THE GAS PRESSURE HAS DROPPED BELOW A PREDETERMINED LEVEL. (FIG. 4)