METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A THIMBLE OF CONTACT FINGERS, AND A THIMBLE MADE BY THE METHOD

摘要

A method of manufacturing a thimble of contact fingers from a blank constituted by a tube of material having good conductive properties and good elasticity, the tube including a thin-walled portion provided with longitudinal parallel slots and terminated by a ring of material having good electrical conductivity and that is good at withstanding the effects of electrical arcing, wherein the method comprises the following operations: the said blank is placed around a cylindrical core of diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the blank and of length equal to the length of the blank, the end of the core coming into abutment against the ring; an annular section block is disposed around the blank over the slots, the inside diameter of the block being close to and slightly greater than the outside diameter of the blank and the axial length of the block being substantially equal to the axial length of the slots, the block being made of an elastomer material; and pressure is exerted on the end surfaces of said block, thereby tending to reduce the inside diameter of said block until the desired slot width is obtained.