IMPROVED MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND INSULATING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND INSULATING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement reference being had to the
accompanying drawing :-
This invention relates to improved means for supporting and insulating wires
for electrical purposes upon single or multiple-wire posts whereby a more perfect
insulation and protection from the weather is obtained and less loss of current by
induction takes place than is now the case with the usual methods employed, and
whereby there is less liability of displacement of the wire than heretofore.
The said invention comprises the novel manner of securing and insulating the
wire as more fully hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a post for carrying a single wire, to which post
the wire is secured, according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same, and
Figure 3 is an elevation showing the modification necessary to employ the same
invention on what is ordinarily termed a multiple wire post.
A indicates an ordinary telegraph pole; In Figures 1 and 2 a block B is shown
notched or bifurcated at B¹. Through the solid part of this block a suitable bolt
or spike a is driven to secure the device to the post.
C indicates a piece of insulating material preferably india-rubber, but any
other material which is flexible and possesses proper insulating properties may be
employed. This piece of insulating material should be of sufficient length to extend
the whole width of the block, or nearly so, (it would be objectionable if it projected
beyond the edges of the block as it would be apt to collect rain or snow within it)
and of sufficient width to fully envelop the wire D; the latter is inserted in the
bifurcation B¹, which should be wide enough to embrace both the wire and the
insulating material, which envelops the upper portion and the two sides of the wire
as shown.
The insulating material is inserted from below, and when the wire is drawn
into position the spike b, or its equivalent, is driven through the lower part of the
block into the post, the said block being made of such material as will spring under
compression so that when this latter spike is driven home it presses the two ends
of the bifurcation, or rather, the two arms formed by such bifurcation together, as
shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, whereby the insulating material is compelled
to envelop, or nearly so, the entire circumference of the wire enclosed within the
bifurcation

page_text: {
While I prefer the construction just described the same result may be attained
by employing two or more pieces to form the block, the spike by means of which
the upper end of the said block is secured to the post performing to a certain
extent, although not as well, the same function as in Figure I is done by the solid-
head of the block.
In Figure 3 E indicates the cross arm of a post such as is usually employed
when a multiplicity of wires are to be supported. Vertically through this arm are
made a series of holes d corresponding to the number of wires to be supported, and
a bolt similar to that already described with its lower end shaped to correspond to
the shape of the hole whether the same be square or round in cross section, is
employed; the wire and insulating material are inserted as already described into
the bifurcation of this block, and the free ends of the arms formed by the bifur-
cation are then inserted into the hole d and driven downwards; the compression
produced by such driving, by reason of the shape of the parts, produces a similar
result to that produced by driving the lower spike b as shown in Figure 2.
While I have described the means of attaching and insulating electrical wires to
he ordinary telegraph poles, it will readily be seen that the same method may be
employed where it is desired to secure wires to buildings; It will also be seen
that this invention affords perfect insulation as well as means for securing the
wires in position the insulation being so perfect that the loss of current by
induction is reduced to the minimum.
The communicator of this invention is convinced from his experiments and
experiences that what have hitherto been deemed the causes of loss by induction
are not so, as wires as ordinarily supported and insulated (for instance upon
glass insulators) under the influence of high winds and other causes, are made to
vibrate, thereby producing a frictional contact with the insulator, which the said
communicator thinks has been very largely the cause of electrical disturbances.
In order to reduce this to the minimum so that there can be no appreciable
electrical disturbance by his method of insulating and securing the wires, he
makes, after the wire is in position, and secured, by means of any suitable tool,
a slight bend in the wire on either one or both sides of the block so as to prevent
frictional electricity from being induced by the contraction and expansion of the
wire in length.
+
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is:-
First. In combination with a pole or other suitable support for an electric wire,
the means for securing the said wire to such pole and of insulating it therefrom
the said means comprising a block or blocks, one or both ends of which are
adapated to close upon the opposite end or ends of the other and a sheet of
insulating material enclosing the wire, the said wire and the said insulating
material being held by the block, as in a clamp, substantially as, and for the
purpose, described.
Second. A bifurcated block the two sides of which are tapering, in combination
with a support provided with a hole to receive the said tapered end of the block
which block is adapted to enclose the wire and insulating material substantially as
set forth.
1001