Composite conductor bar and method of manufacturing

Claim 2

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a relatively large crosssectional area with a front wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls; a generally U-shaped steel cap positioned with its inner faces forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar; means in the aluminum bar providing for distortion of the bar to permit the steel cap to be forced onto the bar when the distance between the inner surface of the cap legs is initially slightly smaller than the corresponding distance between the sidewalls of the bar, said means permitting lateral movement of the aluminum bar sidewalls; and means for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap and the bar including a series of longitudinally spaced powerdriven nails extending through the steel cap and into the bar including deformed portions of the cap surrounding the nail and extending into a deformed recess in the bar.

Claim 3

The composite bar of claim 1 wherein said steel cap is hot rolled structural steel channel.

Claim 4

The composite conductor of claim 1 including: a first pair of elongated slots formed in said bar opening to the bar front wall, each slot having a closed end extending away from the front wall and spaced from a respective one of the opposite sidewalls of the bar; a second pair of elongated slots formed in the bar each adjacent to but spaced from a respective one of the first pair of slots, and each having a closed end which is closer to the front wall of the bar than the closed end of the adjacent slot of the first pair of slots, the other ends of said second pair of sloTs terminating at a point which is further from the plane of the front wall than the free ends of said cap legs.

Claim 5

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated bar of good electrically conductive material having a relatively large cross-sectional area, the bar having a front wall, a pair of opposite sidewalls, and a rear wall separated into two sections by a supporting column; a generally U-shaped cap made of a material which is electrically conductive but a poorer conductor than the material in the bar, the cap material being considerably harder than the material of the bar so that it is adapted to withstand the sliding contact of a mating conductor of an electrical distribution system, the cap being positioned with substantial portions of its inner surfaces forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar; slot means formed in the bar providing for distortion of the bar as the cap is forced onto the bar, the bar having a degree of springiness such that good electrical and mechanical contact is made between the cap of the bar, even when subjected to temperature extremes; and a series of longitudinally spaced power driven nails extending laterally through the legs of the cap and into the sidewalls of the bar for holding the cap on the bar.

Claim 6

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated bar of good electrically conductive material having a relatively large cross-sectional area, the bar having a front wall, a pair of opposite sidewalls, and a rear wall separated into two sections by a supporting column; a generally U-shaped cap made of a material which is electrically conductive but a poorer conductor than the material in the bar, the cap material being considerably harder than the material of the bar so that it is adapted to withstand the sliding contact of a mating conductor of an electrical distribution system, the cap being positioned with substantial portions of its inner surfaces forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar; slot means formed in the bar providing for distortion of the bar as the cap is forced onto the bar, the bar having a degree of springiness such that good electrical and mechanical contact is made between the cap of the bar, even when subjected to temperature extremes; and a series of longitudinally spaced power driven nails extending laterally through the legs of the cap and into the sidewalls of the bar for holding the cap on the bar.

Claim 7

The composite conductor of claim 4 wherein the means providing for distortion of the bar includes: a first pair of slots positioned adjacent each of the sidewalls of the bar in a direction generally perpendicular to the front walls of the bar, each slot opening to the top wall and having a closed end extending away from the front wall; and a second pair of slots adjacent the first pair and opening to the rear wall and having a closed end terminating closer to the front wall than the closed end of the slots opening to the front wall.

Claim 8

The conductor of claim 5 wherein the width of the slots tapers outwardly at an angle of about 5* from approximately one-eighth of an inch at the closed ends of the slots.

Claim 9

The conductor of claim 4 including a coating of conductive grease extending between the mating surfaces of the cap and the bar.

Claim 10

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a front wall, a rear wall separated into two sections by a supporting column, and a pair of opposite sidewalls tapered slightly outwardly towards the rear wall; said bar having a second pair of slots each formed adjacent opposite sides of the bar spaced inwardly from the first pair of slots, one end of each of the second pair of slots terminating spaced from the rear wall and the other end opening to the front wall; said bar having a first pair of slots each spaced slightly from a respective one of the opposite side walls, one end of each slot terminating spaced from the front wall and the other end opening to the rear wall; a generally U-shaped steel cap with its inner surface forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar, the inner surfaces of the cap side legs being slightly tapered outwardly towards the cap open end an amount initially slightly less than the taper on the bar and the width between the inner surfaces of the cap side legs being initially less than the corresponding width of the bar before the cap is installed so that the cap must be forced onto the bar with the slots providing for lateral distortion of the bar whereby good mechanical and electrical contact is made between the cap and the bar; and a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven steel nails extending laterally through the legs of the steel cap and into the sidewalls of the bar for holding the cap on the distorted bar.

Claim 11

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a front wall, a rear wall separated into two sections by a supporting column, and a pair of opposite sidewalls tapered slightly outwardly towards the rear wall; said bar having a second pair of slots each formed adjacent opposite sides of the bar spaced inwardly from the first pair of slots, one end of each of the second pair of slots terminating spaced from the rear wall and the other end opening to the front wall; said bar having a first pair of slots each spaced slightly from a respective one of the opposite side walls, one end of each slot terminating spaced from the front wall and the other end opening to the rear wall; a generally U-shaped steel cap with its inner surface forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar, the inner surfaces of the cap side legs being slightly tapered outwardly towards the cap open end an amount initially slightly less than the taper on the bar and the width between the inner surfaces of the cap side legs being initially less than the corresponding width of the bar before the cap is installed so that the cap must be forced onto the bar with the slots providing for lateral distortion of the bar whereby good mechanical and electrical contact is made between the cap and the bar; and a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven steel nails extending laterally through the legs of the steel cap and into the sidewalls of the bar for holding the cap on the distorted bar.

Claim 12

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a generally flat front wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls which taper outwardly away from the front wall; said bar having slot means formed therein to provide for the bar sidewalls being distorted inwardly; an elongAted steel cap having a generally U-shaped inner surface engaging substantial portions of the front and sidewalls of the bar, the inner surfaces of the cap engaging the sidewalls being tapered outwardly away from the front wall, the taper on the cap being initially less than the taper on the bar and the width of the open end of cap being initially large enough to start onto the bar but small enough to cause interference with a wider portion of the bar sidewalls so that the cap must be forced onto the bar causing good mechanical and electrical contact between the mating surfaces; and fastener means extending into the cap and the bar for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar.

Claim 13

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a generally flat front wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls which taper outwardly away from the front wall; said bar having slot means formed therein to provide for the bar sidewalls being distorted inwardly; an elongAted steel cap having a generally U-shaped inner surface engaging substantial portions of the front and sidewalls of the bar, the inner surfaces of the cap engaging the sidewalls being tapered outwardly away from the front wall, the taper on the cap being initially less than the taper on the bar and the width of the open end of cap being initially large enough to start onto the bar but small enough to cause interference with a wider portion of the bar sidewalls so that the cap must be forced onto the bar causing good mechanical and electrical contact between the mating surfaces; and fastener means extending into the cap and the bar for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar.

Claim 14

The conductor of claim 9 wherein: the taper on the bar sidewalls is initially considerably greater than the taper on the cap such that the legs of the cap tend to wipe the sidewalls of the aluminum bar as they are distorted inwardly thereby obtaining good contact between the cap and the bar; and the fastener means are power driven nails which extend into the cap legs and the bar sidewall.

Claim 15

The composite conductor of claim 9 wherein said slot means comprise a pair of elongated slots respectively located spaced from but adjacent to the opposite sidewalls of the bar, the slots extending generally perpendicular to the front wall of the bar with one end opening to a rear wall of the bar and the other end terminating spaced from the front and sidewalls of the bar whereby the sidewalls are attached to the central portion of the bar in cantilever fashion, the corners between the side and front walls of the conductor bar and the inner surface corners between the legs of the cap and the front web of the cap being dimensioned so that no significant interference occurs between the cap and bar in their mating corners.

Claim 16

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated bar made of a good electrically conductive material having a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls, the corners between the sidewalls and the front wall being gently curved and the sidewalls tapering outwardly from the corners to the rear wall; an elongated cap having a generally U-shaped internal wall forcefully engaging substantial portions of the front and sidewalls of the bar, the inner surfaces of the cap legs tapering outwardly at a rate less than the bar sidewalls so that the cap legs interfere with the bar when the cap is placed thereon; said bar having a pair of elongated slots formed adjacent to but spaced from each of the opposite sidewalls of the bar, each slot having one end opening to the rear wall and a closed end terminating adjacent to but spaced from the corner so that the sides of the bar form wings attached in cantilever fashion to the central portion of the bar, the dimensions of the bar initially being such that the cap legs interfere with the bar sidewalls and hence must be forced onto the bar, the slots providing for inward distortion of the bar wings and causing good mechanical and electrical contact with the cap, the inner corners of the cap curving at a rate sharper than the corners on the bar such that the only significant interference between the cap and the bar occurs at a point closer to the rear wall of the bar than the closed end of the slot; and a plurality of longitudinally spaced nails extending through the side legs of the cap and embedded in the wings of the bar for holding the cap in contact with the bar.

Claim 17

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated bar made of a good electrically conductive material having a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls, the corners between the sidewalls and the front wall being gently curved and the sidewalls tapering outwardly from the corners to the rear wall; an elongated cap having a generally U-shaped internal wall forcefully engaging substantial portions of the front and sidewalls of the bar, the inner surfaces of the cap legs tapering outwardly at a rate less than the bar sidewalls so that the cap legs interfere with the bar when the cap is placed thereon; said bar having a pair of elongated slots formed adjacent to but spaced from each of the opposite sidewalls of the bar, each slot having one end opening to the rear wall and a closed end terminating adjacent to but spaced from the corner so that the sides of the bar form wings attached in cantilever fashion to the central portion of the bar, the dimensions of the bar initially being such that the cap legs interfere with the bar sidewalls and hence must be forced onto the bar, the slots providing for inward distortion of the bar wings and causing good mechanical and electrical contact with the cap, the inner corners of the cap curving at a rate sharper than the corners on the bar such that the only significant interference between the cap and the bar occurs at a point closer to the rear wall of the bar than the closed end of the slot; and a plurality of longitudinally spaced nails extending through the side legs of the cap and embedded in the wings of the bar for holding the cap in contact with the bar.

Claim 18

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a relatively large cross-sectional area with a front wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls; a generally U-shaped steel cap positioned with its inner surfaces forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar; means providing for distortion of the bar including a pair of slots each positioned adjacent to but spaced from a respective one of the opposite sidewalls of the bar with one end of each slot being spaced from the front wall of the bar and the remainder of each slot extending generally away from the front wall and terminating at a point beyond the legs of the cap, the cap and the bar being dimensioned such that no significant interference occurs between the cap and the bar in the area of the sidewalls of the bar between said one end of each slot and the front wall of the bar; and means for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap and the bar including a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven nails extending through the steel cap and into the bar and including deformed portions of the cap surrounding the nail and extending into a deformed recess in the bar.

Claim 19

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a relatively large cross-sectional area with a front wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls; a generally U-shaped steel cap positioned with its inner surfaces forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar; means providing for distortion of the bar including a pair of slots each positioned adjacent to but spaced from a respective one of the opposite sidewalls of the bar with one end of each slot being spaced from the front wall of the bar and the remainder of each slot extending generally away from the front wall and terminating at a point beyond the legs of the cap, the cap and the bar being dimensioned such that no significant interference occurs between the cap and the bar in the area of the sidewalls of the bar between said one end of each slot and the front wall of the bar; and means for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap and the bar including a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven nails extending through the steel cap and into the bar and including deformed portions of the cap surrounding the nail and extending into a deformed recess in the bar.

Claim 20

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a relatively large cross-sectional area with a front wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls; a generally U-shaped steel cap positioned with its inner surfaces forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar; means for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap and the bar including a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven nails extending through the steel cap and into the bar and including deformed portions of the cap surrounding the nail and extending into a deformed recess in the bar; and a first pair of slots formed in said bar each slot being spaced from a respective one of the opposite sidewalls of the bar and opening to the front wall of the bar; a second pair of slots formed in the bar on opposite sides of the bar and opening to a rear wall of the bar, the closed ends of the second pair of slots being at least approximately as close to the bar front wall as the closed ends of the first pair of slots.

Claim 21

A composite electrical conductor comprising: an elongated aluminum bar having a relatively large cross-sectional area with a front wall and a pair of opposite sidewalls; a generally U-shaped steel cap positioned with its inner surfaces forcefully engaging the front and sidewalls of the bar; means for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap and the bar including a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven nails extending through the steel cap and into the bar and including deformed portions of the cap surrounding the nail and extending into a deformed recess in the bar; and a first pair of slots formed in said bar each slot being spaced from a respective one of the opposite sidewalls of the bar and opening to the front wall of the bar; a second pair of slots formed in the bar on opposite sides of the bar and opening to a rear wall of the bar, the closed ends of the second pair of slots being at least approximately as close to the bar front wall as the closed ends of the first pair of slots.

Claim 22

A composite electrical conductor including an elongated bar member made of good electrically conductive material, a cap member made of electrically conductive material which is more wear resistant than the bar member, one of said members having side legs thereon for fitting over the other of said members, means for holding the cap member in forceful engagement with the bar member to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap member and the bar member including a series of power-driven nails passing through said side legs and extending into the other member, and means associated with the bar member to provide for lateral movement of the bar member when said nails are driven therein.

Claim 23

A composite electrical conductor including an elongated bar member made of good electrically conductive material, a cap member made of electrically conductive material which is more wear resistant than the bar member, one of said members having side legs thereon for fitting over the other of said members, means for holding the cap member in forceful engagement with the bar member to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap member and the bar member including a series of power-driven nails passing through said side legs and extending into the other member, and means associated with the bar member to provide for lateral movement of the bar member when said nails are driven therein.

Claim 24

The conductor of claim 15 wherein said cap member has a contact surface to be engaged by a current collector and said side legs are on said cap member forcefully engaging said bar member, and said nails extend transversely with respect to said cap side legs, said bar being softer than said cap to provide for resilient movement of said bar when said nails are driven therein.

Claim 25

A composite electrical conductor having an elongated bar made of good electrically conductive material, a cap having a contact surface and leg means thereon, said cap being made of electrically conductive material which is more wear resistant than the bar, said cap leg means being adapted to forcefully engage said bar; slot means in said bar which provide for distortion of the bar when said cap leg means is forced into engagement with the bar; and means for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap and the bar, the improvement wherein said means includes a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven nails embedded in the bar and cap and extending transversely with respect to said cap leg means.

Claim 26

A composite electrical conductor having an elongated bar made of good electrically conductive material, a cap having a contact surface and leg means thereon, said cap being made of electrically conductive material which is more wear resistant than the bar, said cap leg means being adapted to forcefully engage said bar; slot means in said bar which provide for distortion of the bar when said cap leg means is forced into engagement with the bar; and means for holding the cap in forceful engagement with the bar to provide good mechanical and electrical contact between the cap and the bar, the improvement wherein said means includes a series of longitudinally spaced power-driven nails embedded in the bar and cap and extending transversely with respect to said cap leg means.