Switchgear conductors and mounting arrangements therefor

• US 6,040,976 A
• Filed: 11/09/1998
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Bruner, Rodney William, Wilkie, William Edward II
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, GREGORY D
• Application Number:
  US09/188,721
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 174/68.2, 174/70 B, 174/71 B, 174/72 B, 174/88 B, 174/99 B, 174/129 B, 174/133 B, 361/611, 361/614, 361/624, 361/637-638, 361/639, 361/648-649, 361/650, 439/114, 439/212-214
• US Class Current: 361/611
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/20 Bus-bar or other wiring layouts, e.g. in cubicles, in switchyards installations of bus-bars H02G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/21 Bus-bar arrangements for rack-mounted devices with withdrawable units

Abstract

Hollow risers in switchgear are preferably formed by a confronting pair of spaced apart U-channels. Stab conductors for connecting switching apparatus in the switchgear to the risers have a pair of flat members straddling and secured to the two U-channels by mounts which include backing plates bearing against the inner surfaces of the confronting legs of two U-channels and bolts extending through the stab conductors and U-channel legs and engaging threaded apertures in the backing plates. To accommodate a range of current ratings, the confronting channels can have first and second leg thicknesses t₁ and t₂, which can be different but the outer widths of the channels are all the same. The backing plates have a first surface with a third thickness in one section and a fourth thickness in a second section. This first surface bears against the U-channel legs when the legs are of different thicknesses and t₁ plus t₃ is made equal to t₂ plus t₄. The second face of each backing plate is planar and bears against the inner surface of the legs of the U-channels when t₁ is equal to t₂.

Claims

1. Switchgear comprising:

a cabinet;

at least one electrical apparatus mounted in said cabinet;

a set of risers vertically mounted in said cabinet and each comprising a pair of confronting electrically conductive U-channels;

stab members; and

mounting means mounting said stab members to project laterally from at least some of said risers in alignment for engagement with said at least one electrical apparatus to electrically connect said at least one electrical apparatus to said at least some risers.

2. The switchgear of claim 1 wherein said confronting U-channels of each riser are laterally spaced from each other.

3. The switchgear of claim 1 wherein said stab members each comprise a pair of stab elements having spaced apart flat sections straddling both U-channels of an associated riser and terminal sections joined to form a stab connector for said at least one electrical apparatus, and said mounting means comprises means securing said flat section of each stab element against both U-channels of the associated riser.

4. The switchgear of claim 3 wherein said pair of U-channels in said associated riser comprises a first channel with a bight and a pair of legs extending from said bight in spaced parallel relation, and a second channel with a bight and a pair of legs extending from said bight in spaced parallel relationship toward said pair of legs of said first channel, said stab elements bearing against said outer surfaces of said legs of said first channel and said second channel, and wherein said mounting means comprises backing plates bearing against inner surfaces of said legs of said first and second channels and threaded fastener means extending through said stab elements and legs of said first and second channels and engaging tapped holes in said backing plates.

5. The switchgear of claim 4 wherein each said backing plate has the same cross sectional dimensions.

6. The switchgear of claim 5 wherein said first and second U-channels of said risers are horizontally spaced by a gap, and said backing plates span said gap between said legs of said first and second channels.

7. The switchgear of claim 5 wherein said legs of said first channel have a first thickness, the legs of said second channel have a second thickness and wherein said backing plate for each of said stab elements has a first face which bears against said inner surfaces of said legs on said U-channels when said second thickness is less than said first thickness and a second, planar face which bears against said inner surfaces of said legs on said U-channels when said first and second thicknesses are substantially equal, said first face of said backing plates having a first section with a third thickness which bears against said inner surface of said legs of said first channel and a second section with a fourth thickness which bears against said inner surface of said leg of said second channel, said first thickness plus said third thickness being substantially equal to said second thickness plus said fourth thickness.

8. The switchgear of claim 7 wherein said backing plates comprise a planar member with projections on a first surface in said second section, which with said planar member, provide said fourth thickness.

9. A riser assembly for switchgear comprising:

a pair of electrically conductive, elongated U-channels each comprising a bight and a pair of legs extending from said bight in spaced, substantially parallel relationship;

support means supporting said pair of U-channels in confronting parallel relationship with said legs of each U-channel extending toward said legs of the other U-channel; and

wherein said support means comprises a stab member joining said pair of U-channels and extending generally laterally of said U-channels.

10. The riser assembly of claim 9 wherein said support means further comprises main bus taps joining said pair of U-channels and extending generally laterally of said U-channels.

11. The riser assembly of claim 9 wherein said stab member comprises a pair of stab elements each having a flat section straddling said pair of U-channels and terminal sections extending generally laterally from said U-channels and joined to form a stab connector, and said support means further includes mounting means mounting each of said flat sections of said stab elements flat against confronting legs of said pair of U-channels.

12. The riser assembly of claim 11 wherein said mounting means comprises a pair of backing plates with threaded apertures each bearing against inner surfaces of said confronting legs of said U-channels and fasteners extending through said stab elements and legs of said U-channels and engaging said threaded apertures in said backing plates.

13. The riser assembly of claim 11 wherein said legs of a first of said U-channels have a first thickness and said legs of a second of said U-channels have a second thickness but said first and second U-channels have a common width between outer surfaces of said legs, and said backing plates have a first face which bears against inner surfaces of said confronting legs on said U-channels when said second thickness is less than said first thickness, and a second, planar face which bears against said inner surfaces of said confronting legs on said U-channels when said first and second thicknesses are substantially equal, said first face of said backing plates having a first section with a third thickness which bears against said inner surface of said leg of said first channel and a second section with a fourth thickness which bears against said inner surface of said leg of said second channel, said first thickness plus said third thickness being substantially equal to said second thickness plus said fourth thickness.

14. The riser assembly of claim 13 wherein said backing plates are planar members with at least one projection on said second section of said first surface having a thickness which with said planar member provides said fourth thickness.

15. The riser assembly of claim 14 wherein said backing plates are of a length which laterally spaces said first channel from said second channel.

16. A riser assembly for switchgear comprising:

a pair of electrically conductive, elongated U-channels each comprising a bight and a pair of legs extending from said bight in spaced, substantially parallel relationship;

support means supporting said pair of U-channels in confronting parallel relationship with said legs of each U-channel extending toward said legs of the other U-channel; and

wherein said support means comprises main bus taps joining said pair of U-channels and extending generally laterally of said U-channels.