A power circuit breaker has a housing defining a first passage and a cross passage through the housing. A bus bar extends through the cross passage and is configured to transmit electric power and/or break transmission of the electric power through the housing. The bus bar includes at least an input section, a coin or center section, and an output section that are separable from each other. The housing aligns a solenoid piston within the first passage of the housing. The solenoid has a piston with two opposite ends, and one of the ends operates as a plunger to separate the sections of the bus bar when the solenoid is actuated. The plunger moves the coin or center section of the bus bar out of contact with the input section and the output section of the bus bar to break electrical transmission across the bus bar.

A switching apparatus including one or more electric poles. For each electric pole, the switching apparatus includes a first pole terminal, a second pole terminal, a ground terminal, and a plurality of fixed contacts spaced apart one from another. For each electric pole, the switching apparatus further includes a movable contact and a vacuum interrupter. The vacuum interrupter includes a fixed arc contact and a movable arc contact reversibly movable along a corresponding translation axis between a coupled position with the fixed arc contact and an uncoupled position from the fixed arc contact. For each electric pole, the switching apparatus further includes a motion transmission mechanism operatively coupled to a contact shaft coupled to the movable arc contact. The motion transmission mechanism is actuatable by the movable contact to cause a movement of said movable arc contact along said translation axis, when said movable contact moves about said rotation axis.

A current switch arranged between a first power line segment and a second power line segment, including: a first switch element, including a main contact and a secondary contact rigidly connected to the main contact, mounted so as to be mobile on the first power line segment so as to follow a separating travel between a closed position and an open position and a second switch element mounted so as to be freely mobile on the second power line segment and forced towards a rest position by elastic loading.

Disclosed herein is a switching apparatus for medium voltage electric systems, said switching apparatus including one or more electric poles. For each electric pole, said switching apparatus includes: a first pole terminal, a second pole terminal, and a ground terminal; a first fixed contact member and a first movable contact member, said first fixed contact member being electrically connected to said first pole terminal and including a first fixed contact, said first movable contact member being electrically connected to said second pole terminal and including a first movable contact; a second fixed contact member and a second movable contact member, said second fixed contact member being electrically connected to said first pole terminal and including a second fixed contact, said second movable contact member including a second movable contact; a vacuum chamber, in which said second fixed contact and said second movable contact are enclosed; and a motion transmission mechanism.

A high voltage electric switch includes contacts with graphite carbon electrode forming the arc gap. In addition, the carbon contacts are located in a chamber containing at least 60% carbon dioxide (CO2) as a dielectric gas to achieve improved arc interrupting performance. In conventional switches, the metallic contacts introduce metallic vapors into the arc plasma that inhibits the ability of the dielectric gas to interrupt high voltage, high current arcs. As the element carbon is inherently present in CO2 gas, the addition of vapors from the carbon electrodes into the dielectric gas does not significantly interfere with the dielectric arc-interrupting performance of the CO2 dielectric gas.

An arrangement and a method for switching high currents include at least one vacuum switching path and at least one rated-current contact switching path. The at least two switching paths are electrically connected in parallel. One current path for a rated current is routed over at least one rated-current contact of said rated-current contact switching path, and a parallel current path for a short-circuit current is routed over at least one contact of a vacuum tube of the vacuum switching path.

A high voltage electric switch includes contacts with graphite carbon electrode forming the arc gap. In addition, the carbon contacts are located in a chamber containing at least 60% carbon dioxide (CO2) as a dielectric gas to achieve improved arc interrupting performance. In conventional switches, the metallic contacts introduce metallic vapors into the arc plasma that inhibits the ability of the dielectric gas to interrupt high voltage, high current arcs. As the element carbon is inherently present in CO2 gas, the addition of vapors from the carbon electrodes into the dielectric gas does not significantly interfere with the dielectric arc-interrupting performance of the CO2 dielectric gas.

A switching device having a pole assembly, a drive unit, and a kinematic linkage arrangement is provided. The pole assembly includes interrupter units operably connected via an interlink arrangement representing a circuit breaker and a grounding switch, respectively. The drive unit operates the interrupter units. The kinematic linkage arrangement includes at least a lever member operably connected to the interlink arrangement and the drive unit, a cam member rigidly connected to the drive unit, and an elastic member adjustably connected to the cam member. The kinematic linkage arrangement transfer a predefined torque to the drive unit to maintain the circuit breaker in an open state.

A switching device having a pole assembly, a drive unit, and a kinematic linkage arrangement is provided. The pole assembly includes interrupter units operably connected via an interlink arrangement representing a circuit breaker and a grounding switch, respectively. The drive unit operates the interrupter units. The kinematic linkage arrangement includes at least a lever member operably connected to the interlink arrangement and the drive unit, a cam member rigidly connected to the drive unit, and an elastic member adjustably connected to the cam member. The kinematic linkage arrangement transfer a predefined torque to the drive unit to maintain the circuit breaker in an open state.

A current switch arranged between a first power line segment and a second power line segment, including: a first switch element, including a main contact and a secondary contact rigidly connected to the main contact, mounted so as to be mobile on the first power line segment so as to follow a separating travel between a closed position and an open position and a second switch element mounted so as to be freely mobile on the second power line segment and forced towards a rest position by elastic loading.