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Article #5763Re: Are switches supposed to spark?
From: Bruce R Koball
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 1990 02:32
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 1990 02:32
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re: the comments of other posters on strategies for arc suppression on switch contact opening....contactors (large switches used in industrial applications, usually for switching large inductive loads) have a number of interesting approaches.... arc chutes -- these are shaped pathways designed to extinguish large arcs and contain the hot gases generated. one strategy involves breaking the large arc into numerous smaller ones with an array of parallel plates in the chute blow out coils -- these are used in DC circuits. the current being carried is also routed through a short, heavy-gauge coil wound around a "blowout core." this core has pole piece extensions which bracket the contact area. when the contact is opened the magnetic field of the blowout coil forces the arc perpendicular to the direction of it's current flow (the ol' right hand rule) thus extinguishing it. Bruce Koball Motion West 2210 Sixth Street Berkeley, CA 94710 415-540-7503 bkoball@cup.portal.com
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!bkoball From: bkoball@cup.portal.com (Bruce R Koball) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Re: Are switches supposed to spark? Message-ID: <33111@cup.portal.com> Date: 23 Aug 90 02:32:52 GMT References: <27155@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <1990Aug22.171934.24558@zoo.toronto.edu> <3964@kitty.UUCP> Organization: The Portal System (TM) Lines: 23