A METHOD OF MAKING AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION

Abstract: A wedge for making an electrical or other connection in­ cludes at its forward (narrow) end a relatively thin portion (2) that is capable of being bent from an initial position in which it lies inside a projection of one of the longitudinally faces of the wedge, so that the wedge will freely pass into a receptacle, to a final position in which it lies outside that projection so as to en­ gage the forward end (8) of the receptacle and lock the wedge against withdrawal.

Description: WEDGES AND METHODS OF, AND TOOLS FOR, SECURING THEM This invention relates to wedges for use, in conjunction with appropriate receptacles, for making electrical and/or mechanical connections; it also relates to methods of securing wedges in such connections and tools for securing them. In some mechanical joints, the frictional forces acting on a wedge of sufficiently small angle may be adequate to secure it against slipping from its rece#tacle, but in mechanical joints that are subject to vibration and most electrical joints a mechanical interlock against slipping is usually required; since one of the attractions of wedged connections is simplicity and speed of application, the formation of the interlock ought not to involve any separate operation from the driving of the wedge. In some electrical wedge connectors, this requirement has been met by positioning a cutting blade in a position where the front end of the wedge will engage it shortly before it reaches its final position in order to gouge out and bend over a portion of the front end of the wedge that projects beyond the corresponding end of the receptacle. This technique is effective, but demands precise control of the dimensions and positioning of the wedge, the magnitude of the impact by which it is driven home (for instance, when a cartridge-operated driving tool is used, only a very\ limited number of sizes of wedge can be driven by one size of cartridge), and the angle and sharpness of the cutting edge. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a wedge for making a connection includes at its forward (narrow) end a relatively thin portion that is capable of being bent from an initial position in which it lies inside a projection of one of the longitudinallyextending faces of the wedge (either one of the tapering wedge faces or, preferably, one of the other faces that extends in a front-to-rear direction) to a final position in which it lies wholly or partly outside such projection. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of making a connection comprises driving a wedge into a receptacle until a relatively-thin portion at the front end of the wedge projects through the front of the receptacle and engages an inclined camming surface so as to bend that portion of the wedge until it engages the front of the receptacle so as to resist withdrawal of the wedge. The invention also includes a tool for use in the method just defined, the tool comprising location means for supporting a receptacle whilst a wedge is driven in it and an abutment providing a camming surface located in front of the receptacle when so supported and inclined in the direction tending to bend a relatively-thin portion at the front end of the wedge outwardly and being distinguished by the fact that the location means includes a surface inclined to the wedge-driving direction and arranged to engage an edge of the wedge to hold it against displacement in the bending direction. The portion of the wedge to be bent could be a forwardly-projecting cantilever projection or the like, but we prefer that it should be a portion of the side-wall of a well formed in the front end of an otherwise simple wedge shape, as this minimises the risk of premature bending either before or during driving and avoids adding any edges to the longitudinal faces of the wedge. Preferably the wall thickness is uniform in a circumferential direction, at least in the region that is to be bent. When electric conductors orother members are to be secured between the wedge and the receptacle, these may vary in size and consequently the relative positions of wedge and receptacle in the finished connection may vary; to accommodate this, the abutment on the tool is preferably significantly narrower than the well in the front of the wedge. The invention has three significant advantages over the use of a cutting device: (i) less energy is required to bend the wedge portion than to cut and bend an equiv'alent portion of a. solid wedge (ii) the risk of rebound and consequent distortion is reduced; and (iii) the front end of the abutment (whether sharp or blunt) may be allowed to engage an appropriate surface on the wedge (the bottom of the well in the preferred wedge) to absorb any excess energy at the end of the working stroke, so that the energy input (cartridge size) is less critical. The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 are mutually perpendicular crosssections through a preferred form of wedge in accordance with the invention (see the section lines in Figure 3); Figure 3 is an end view of the wedge from the direction indicated by the arrows III-III in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side view in the direction of the arrows IV-IV in Figure 3; Figure 5 shows this wedge in the course of being driven into a receptacle, together with the distinctive part of the tool used for driving it; and Figure 6 shows parts of the wedge receptacle and tool when the wedge is fully driven home. The wedge (Figures 1 to 4) is of conventional shape, but for the well 1 bounded by side walls 2, 3 in its forward end 4. The wedge faces 5 are concave to provide a seating for respective conductors to be electrically connected together by driving the wedge between them when appropriately positioned in a correspondingly tapered receptacle. To make a connection by the method of the invention, the conductors (not shown) are appropriately positioned in a receptacle 6 ( Figure 5) which may be of conventional shape, and the wedge is loosely inserted between them. The assembly is then located in a tool 7, only part of which is shown, with the forward end of the receptacle 7 engaged with an abutment surface 8 on the tool. The wedge is then driven forwards, by an explosive actuated ram acting on its rear end 9 or otherwise, the dimensions being such that the forward end of the wedge will eventually project beyond the front end 8 of the receptacle. In accordance with the invention, the tool includes a camming surface 10 positioned to engage whichever of the side walls 2 is located uppermost in the orientation of Figure 5, so as to provide bending forces to the forward end of the side wall 2, without the edge 11 that limits the camming surface cutting the wedge, and an inclined surface 12 is positioned to engage an edge of the wedge to hold it against being displaced upwardly as a whole. This results in a distortion of that side wall until a projection 13 is formed that engages the forward end 8 of the receptacle and so positively locks the wedge against withdrawal from the receptacle. In the form shown in these drawings, the edge 11 does not engage the wedge at any time. If however the conductors used were of smaller cross-section, the wedge would travel forward further relative to the receptacle, and excess energy would be absorbed when the edge 11 engaged the solid bottom 14 of the well 1.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A wedge for making a connection including at its forward end a relatively thin portion that is capable of being bent from an initial position in which it lies inside a projection of one of the longitudinally extending faces of the wedge to a final position in which it lies wholly or partly outside such projection. 2. A wedge as claimed in Claim 1 in which the relatively thin portion is a portion of the side wall of a well formed in the front end of an otherwise simple wedge shape. 3. A wedge as claimed in Claim 2 in which the wall thickness is uniform in a circumferential direction at least in the region that is to be bent. 4. A wedge substantially as described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings. 5. A method of making a connection comprising driving a wedge into a receptacle until a relatively thin portion at the front end of the wedge projects through the front of the receptacle and engages an inclined camming surface so as to bend that portion of the wedge until it engages the front of the receptacle so as to resist withdrawal of the wedge. 6. A method as claimed in Claim 5 comprising using the wedge claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 4. 7. A tool for making a connection comprising location means for supporting a receptacle whilst a wedge is driven in it and an abutment providing a camming surface located in front of the receptacle when so supported and inclined in the direction tending to bend a relatively thin portion at the front end of the wedge outwardly and being distinguished by the fact that the location means includes a surface inclined to the wedge driving direction and arranged to engage an edge of the wedge to hold it against displacement in the bending direction. 8. A tool for making a connection substantially as described with reference to, and in part shown in, Figure 5 of the drawings.

Inventors: AIREY, BENJAMIN
Applicants: BICC PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY, BURNDY CORPORATION
Application year: 1981
Main classification: F16B2
IPC codes: H01R4, H01R43, B23P11, B21K25