Spring Contact Arrangement for Ice-Resistant Isolating Switches
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-voltage circuit breakers face challenges in maintaining reliable electrical and mechanical contact, especially in adverse weather conditions like snow and ice, leading to increased electrical losses and potential uncontrolled disconnection.
Innovation Solution
A contact arrangement featuring a strip-shaped spring element as the first contact element, which provides a resilient and cost-effective solution by enabling the stripping or flaking off of ice, snow, and dirt, ensuring stable contact between the contact arm and mating piece, even in unfavorable weather conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the contact arm and mating contact are made with simple cylindrical or rectangular metal tubes, then the device complexity is reduced and manufacturing cost is lowered, but the contact area is small leading to increased electrical loss and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The contact arm is divided into a profile body (structural support) and a separate contact element (electrical contact), allowing optimization of each part independently. The contact element can be made with a specific cross-sectional shape (rectangular, oval, or circular) to maximize contact area with the mating contact, while the profile body provides mechanical strength. This segmentation enables better electrical contact without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the contact arm have different properties optimized for their specific functions. The contact element has a shape optimized for electrical contact (rectangular, oval, or circular cross-section) to maximize contact area, while the profile body has a shape optimized for mechanical strength and stability. This local differentiation of properties allows the system to achieve low electrical loss without requiring the entire structure to be complex.
2Reliability
If the contact elements are made with fixed rigid structures, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates under adverse weather conditions like snow and ice accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The contact element is designed with elastic properties, allowing it to deform under load from snow and ice accumulation. This dynamic behavior enables the contact element to maintain electrical contact even when deformed by external forces, and to return to its original position when the load is removed. The elastic deformation absorbs the impact of adverse weather conditions, maintaining reliability without requiring complex active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact element's physical parameters (shape, material properties, cross-sectional area) are optimized to provide the right balance between rigidity and elasticity. By carefully selecting these parameters, the contact element can withstand mechanical loads from snow and ice while maintaining sufficient electrical contact pressure. This parameter optimization achieves reliability in adverse weather without adding device complexity.
3Loss of energy
If the contact area between contact elements is increased to reduce electrical loss, then the electrical loss is reduced, but the mechanical stability and ease of operation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the profile body from the contact element, the design allows the contact element to have a shape optimized for electrical contact area (such as rectangular or oval cross-section) without compromising the mechanical properties of the overall contact arm. The profile body maintains structural integrity and operational ease, while the contact element maximizes electrical contact area, thus reducing electrical loss.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a reliable, low-loss current flow across the isolating switch, reducing energy and maintenance costs while maintaining safe and controlled disconnection and connection operations.
Implementation Method 1
the first contact element is a strip-shaped spring element
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a contact arrangement and to a method for an isolating switch, comprising at least one contact arm (1) and comprising at least one mating contact piece (6). The contact arm (1) comprises at least one profile body (2) and at least one first contact element (4). The at least one first contact element (4) is in electrical contact with the at least one profile body (2) and is designed to produce electrical contact with the at least one mating contact piece (6). The at least one first contact element (4) is a strip-like spring element. The method comprises electrical contact being made with at least one contact arm (1), in particular one contact arm pair of a pantograph isolator, by at least one mating contact piece (6), wherein at least one first strip-like contact element (4) of the contact arm (1) makes electrical and/or mechanical contact with the at least one mating contact piece (6), and a surface of the first contact element (4), which surface is directed toward the mating contact piece (6), elastically deforms, in particular resiliently deforms, when electrical and/or mechanical contact is made with the mating contact piece (6).