An Improvement in Lightning Arresters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1895
[Communicated from abroad. by THE WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANU-
FACTURING CO., of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America.]
An Improvement in Lightning Arresters.
I, REGINALD BELFIELD, of 32 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of
London, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
This invention relates to a cheap simple and durable construction of lightning
arresters such as are introduced in electric circuits to protect them from the
injurious effects of static discharges, and are so arranged that the current cannot
follow the discharge and so establish a destructive arc.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal section, Fig. 2 is a plan,
and Fig. 3 is a plan with cover removed, of a lightning arrester according to this
invention.
A is a base and B is a cover fixed to A by bolts, screws or otherwise, both A
and B being made of wood or other insulating material.
In the base A is formed a longitudinal groove in which two metal terminals C C¹
are sunk and in which is cut a dovetail groove to receive a piece of wood D
preferably lignum vitæ, having its grain lying transversely to the base. The
piece D is narrowed in the middle to receive the bevil ends of the terminals C C¹
and across the narrow part of D shallow grooves are formed with a heated point so
as to give them a charred surface. The cover B has also a dovetail groove holding
a piece E of lignum vitæ also with its grain transverse.
This piece E has along its under surface a central groove which communicates
with a slot F or a number of holes F' extending through the cover.
One of the terminals C C' being connected to the lead of a circuit and the other
to earth, lightning can discharge itself across the imperfectly conducting grooves
in D, but no arc is afterwards formed by which the current of the circuit can pass
to earth.
Dated this 8th day of January 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
An Improvement in Lightning Arresters.
I, REGINALD BELFIELD, of 32 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of
London, Electrician, 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 :-
This invention relates to a cheap simple and durable construction of lightning
arresters such as are introduced in electric circuits to protect them from the
injurious effects of static discharges, and are so arranged that the current cannot
follow the discharge and so establish a destructive arc.
D

page_text: Fig. 1 of the drawings accompanying my Provisional Specification is a
longitudinal section, Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 is a plan with cover removed, of a
lightning arrester according to this invention.
A is a base and B is a cover fixed to A by bolts, screws or otherwise, both A
and B.being made of wood or other insulating material.
In the base A is formed a 'longitudinal groove in which two metal terminals C C₁
are sunk and in which is cut a dovetail groove to receive a piece of wood D
preferably lignum vitæ, having its grain lying transversely to the base. The
piece D is narrowed in the middle to receive the bevil ends of the terminals C C¹
and across the narrow part of D'shallów grooves are formed with a heated point so
as to give them a charred surface. The cover B has also a dovetail groove-holding
a piece E of lignum vitæ also with its grain transverse.
This piece E has along its under surface a central groove which communicates
with a slot For a number of holes F extending through the cover.
One of the terminals C C¹ being connected to the lead of a circuit and the
other to earth, lightning can discharge itself across the imperfectly conducting
grooves in D, but no arc is afterwards formed by which the current of the circuit
can pass to earth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
A lightning arrester, substantially as described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of October 1895.
ABEL & 1MRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.