CUTOUT LIFE INDICATOR GAUGE

• US 20190317142A1
• Filed: 04/10/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Inventors: Wolf, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 11,561,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/007 Indication of measured value by tactile means
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/74 Testing of fuses
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2085/0216 Tools for controlling fuses or the line associated with the fuses
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/052 Controlling, signalling or testing correct functioning of a switch see also H01H2300/056 - H01H2300/066 and H01H11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/18 Casing fillings, e.g. powder
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/42 using an arc-extinguishing gas characterised by the composition of the gas H01H33/22

Abstract

A gauge for determining the operational viability of a device that requires that a consumable or otherwise erodible material for safe and/or efficient operation reside along or near an inside wall of a cavity, for example, a fuse tube containing an ablative arc-extinguishing material as found in a fused cutout, is provided, which gauge measures whether a sufficient quantity of the material to be consumed remains.

Claims

1. A gauge for measuring whether a device that requires a consumable material necessary for the safe and/or efficient operation of the device contains enough of the consumable material for safe and effective use, the gauge comprising a gauge portion extending from a handle portion,

the gauge portion comprising a gauge body, which gauge body has a distal end and one or more markings at selected distances from the distal end,

the gauge body being of a shape and size so that it may be inserted into and progress through a cavity in the device when none of the consumable material is present, but said progress is blocked by the presence of a sufficient amount of the consumable material,

wherein the markings comprise pass/fail markings that indicate a depth of insertion beyond which it can be concluded that insufficient consumable material remains, and/or hatch marks that measure the length of the gauge body inserted into the cavity.

2. The gauge according to claim 1, wherein the markings are pass/fail markings that indicate a depth of insertion beyond which it can be concluded that insufficient consumable material remains.

3. The gauge according to claim 1, wherein the markings are hatch marks that measure the length of the gauge body inserted into the cavity.

4. The gauge according to claim 1, wherein the distal end of the gauge body has a shape congruent with a shape defined by inner walls of the cavity in a region wherein the consumable material is needed.

5. The gauge according to claim 4 wherein the distal end has an outer perimeter smaller than the perimeter of the cross-sectional space defined by the inner walls of the cavity in a region wherein the consumable material is needed, and larger than the perimeter of the opening of the region when containing a full complement of consumable material.

6. The gauge according to claim 5 wherein the gauge body is cylindrical.

7. The gauge according to claim 6 for determining the presence of adequate amounts of ablative arc-extinguishing material within the cavity of a fuse tube, wherein the distal end has a circumference smaller than the circumference of the cavity in the absence of ablative arc-extinguishing material, but larger than the circumference of the cavity in the presence of an initial loading of ablative arc-extinguishing material.

8. The gauge according to claim 7 wherein the body is made from a metal or alloy.

9. The gauge according to claim 8 wherein the metal or alloy is a high hardness aluminum.

10. The gauge according to claim 9 wherein the markings are etchings.

11. The gauge according to claim 7 wherein the markings indicate a depth the gauge body shall not go past upon insertion if the tube is in working condition for a specific kV level.

12. The gauge according to claim 1 wherein the device is a fuse tube and the consumable material is ablative arc-extinguishing material.

13. The gauge according to claim 1 for determining the amount of ablative material in a fuse tube, the gauge comprising a gauge portion extending from a handle portion,

the gauge portion comprising a gauge body, which gauge body has a distal end and a plurality of markings at selected distances from the distal end,

the gauge body being of a shape and size so that it may be inserted into and progress through a cavity in the fuse tube when none of the consumable material is present, but said progress is blocked by the presence of an effective amount of the consumable material,

wherein the markings are hatch marks to measure how far the gauge has progressed through the gauge body.

14. The gauge according to claim 8 for determining the amount of ablative material in a fuse tube, the gauge comprising a gauge portion extending from a handle portion,

the gauge portion comprising a gauge body, which gauge body has a distal end and a plurality of markings at selected distances from the distal end,

the gauge body being of a shape and size so that it may be inserted into and progress through a cavity in the fuse tube when none of the consumable material is present, but said progress is blocked by the presence of an effective amount of the consumable material,

wherein the markings comprise hatch marks to measure how far the gauge has progressed through the gauge body.

15. The gauge according to claim 14 further comprising pass/fail markings on the gauge body.

16. A method for determining whether a device that requires a consumable material necessary for safe and/or efficient operation of the device contains enough of the consumable material for safe and effective use, the method comprising inserting a gauge according to claim 1 into a cavity of the device, in which cavity the consumable material resides, until progress of the gauge is blocked by remaining consumable material, then observing visibility or lack of visibility of the pass/fail markings, and/or the number of hatch marks that are visible, to determine whether enough of the consumable material remains for the safe and/or efficient operation of the device.