Improvements in Insulating Supports for Underground Electrical Conductors.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
- PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Insulating Supports for Underground Electrical
Conductors.
We, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON, and SAMUEL EDMUND PHILLIPS, both of 14 Union
Court, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, Telegraph Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to electrical conductors that are laid in underground channels
or troughs and consists in supporting such conductors at intervals in such channels by
means of insulating supports in which the perfect insulation of the conductor from
the trough or channel is effected by means of an insulating liquid such as mineral oil.
For this purpose we construct the insulating supports of porcelain, stoneware,
glass, or other suitable material of a cup shape with a central upward projecting boss
into which is fixed the metal stem that carries the conductor in a fork or loop, the
insulator being fixed to a bearer in the trough by means of a bolt or screw passing
through a hole formed on the outside of the cup. The latter being charged with
insulating liquid, it will be seen that a perfect insulation is thereby effected between
the central boss carrying the conductor, and the outer part of the insulator connected
to the trough or channel. The insulator may be adapted for supporting two or more
separate conductors by forming it with two or more cups with central bosses each of
which carries one of the conductors.
The insulating liquid may be more or less protected against access of moisture
either by forming the sides of the cup to extend inwards over the liquid, or a hood
having holes or notches through which the stems supporting the conductors pass may
be secured to the top of the insulator by the bolt or screw that fixed the same; or
again the insulator may carry a hood situated above the conductors.
Dated the 10th day of October 1889.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
+
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Insulating Supports for Underground Electrical
Conductors.
We, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON, and SAMUEL EDMUND PHILLIPS, both of 14 Union
Court, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, Telegraph Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner, the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Our invention relates to electrical conductors that are laid in underground channels
or troughs and consists in supporting such conductors at intervals, in such channels
by means of insulating supports in which the perfect insulation of the conductor from
the trough or channel is effected by means of an insulating liquid such as mineral oil.
For this purpose we construct the insulating supports of porcelain, stoneware,
glass or other suitable material of a cup shape with a central upward projecting boss
into which is fixed the metal stem that carries the conductor in a fork or loop, the
insulator being fixed to a bearer in the trough by means of a bolt or screw passing
The cup
through a hole formed on the outside of the cup or other suitable manner.
being charged with insulating liquid it will be seen that a perfect insulation is thereby
effected between the central boss carrying the conductor, and the outer part of the
insulator connected to the trough or channel. The insulator may be adapted for
supporting two or more separate conductors by forming it with two or more cups
with central bosses each of which carries one of the conductors.

page_text: On the accompanying drawings are shewn by way of example, two arrangements
of insulators for carrying out our above described invention. Fig. 1 shews a side
elevation and Fig. 2 a cross section of an arrangement in which A is a trough or cup
shaped insulator, charged with insulating liquid B, and having two bosses A¹ A¹ in
which are fixed the supports E for the electrical conductors D, the insulator being
fixed by a bolt F to a support C fixed in any suitable manner to the lower part of the
underground trough or channel. Thus it will be seen that the liquid B effectually
insulates the supports E of the conductors from the part of the insulator which is
connected to the trough or channel.
Fig. 3 shows a cross section of an underground trough or channel, with manhole
and cover, the cup shaped insulator A being in this case suspended from a bearer C
by means of the bolt F; the curved overhanging-steins EE supporting the con-
ductors D are secured in bosses A¹ of the insulator, which are surrounded by
insulating liquid as before.
The insulating liquid may be more or less protected against access of moisture
either by forming the sides of the cup to extend inwards over the liquid or the central
boss may be extended outwards over the cup, or a hood having holes or notches
through which the stems supporting the conductors pass may be secured to the top
of the insulator by the bolt or screw that fixes the same, or by other means; or
again, the insulator may carry a hood situated above the conductors.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Supporting electrical conductors in underground troughs or channels by means
of insulating supports having receptacles containing an insulating liquid so arranged
as to effect perfect insulation between that part of the support to which the conductor
is attached, and that part which is connected to the trough or channel, substantially
as described.
2. The use for supporting electrical conductors in underground troughs or channels
of insulating supports constructed substantially as herein described with reference to
the drawings, wherein a receptacle or cup shaped insulator containing an insulating
liquid is so combined with the supports for the conductors as to effectually insulate
the support of the conductor from the part of the insulator connected to the trough or
channel.
Dated this 9th day of July 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.