Interchangeable chemically operated circuit breaker

摘要

A circuit interrupter includes a pair of separable contacts, an operating mechanism for causing separation of the contacts, and a drive mechanism for causing movement of the operating mechanism. The drive mechanism includes a pressure generating propellant charge in communication with an operating cylinder which contains a piston and a piston rod, which piston rod is operatively connected to the operating mechanism. Either or both the propellant charge and the operating cylinder are preselected from a plurality of similar and interchangeable components which have different amounts of effective charge or cross-sectional interior areas respectively, to thereby modify the performance characteristics of the operating mechanism.