Elongated jaw contact for oil circuit breaker disconnect contact

Claim 1

A contact structure for a circuit interrupter; said circuit interrupter comprising an oil circuit breaker having: first and second interrupter structures, first and second elongated movable contacts movable along the axes of said first and second interrupter structures, respectively, and between interrupter contact open and closed positions, a conductive cross-bar, first and second isolation contact means on said conductive cross-bar movable between engagement and disengagement with respect to the bottom of said first and second elongated movable contacts, respectively, an oil-filled tank for receiving said first and second interrupter structures, and operating means for moving said cross-bar and said first and second elongated movable contacts along said axes of said first and second interrupter structures; the improvement which comprises the construction of at least said first isolation contact means to permit lateral movement of said bottom of said first elongated contact while maintaining contact with said first isolation contact means responsive to lateral movement of at least one of said first or second interrupter structures in the plane formed by the axes of said interrupter structures; said first isolation contact means comprising a jaw-type contact having opposing elongated contact surfaces disposed in spaced parallel planes which each extend in said lateral direction and receiving side surfaces adjacent said bottom of said first elongated contact between said opposing surfaces and in high pressure sliding contact; said bottom of said first elongated contact being laterally slidable within said jaw-type contact.