Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Indicating the Fracture of Electric Conductors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1895-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Indicating the
Fracture of Electric Conductors.
I, ADRIEN JOSEPH MOULART, of 13 Rue Lambert, Paris, France, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be perforined to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to electrical indicating apparatus and has for its object the
provision of means for automatically indicating the fracture of one or more wires in
an electrical circuit.
The essential feature of my invention is that spring contacts are kept apart by
the tension of the electrical wires thereon, till the fracture of a wire reduces the
tension whereby the contact spring is moved and a contact is made so that an
indicating apparatus is operated electrically to indicate the fracture of the
corresponding wire.
In order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to letters
and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 shows part of an electric apparatus combined with my device.
Figure 2 shows the same after the fracture of one of the circuit wires.
Figure 3 shows another form of construction of my apparatus.
It is usual to protect the line wires in an electric installation by placing them at
a considerable height so as to render access difficult, or by placing them into
insulating tubes. On the other hand the branch circuits are much more liable to
break, whether by accident or by malicious action. For this reason my invention
is especially designed for branch wires, though of course it may be used equally
well for line wires.
The form of construction shown in the drawings is to illustrate the fracture of
branch wires.
Two flat springs a a², Fig. 1, have a tendency to approach each other and they
are in electrical contact with two contact clamps b¹ 63 respectively. The latter are
connected to conducting wires c¹ c³ of the branch circuits.
The springs a¹ a² are kept apart by the tension of the circuits
carried to a push kuob d or similar device.
which are
Should one of the wires break, for instance that marked e', the spring a² will be
brought from the position shown in Figure 1 into the position shown in Figure 2,
and make contact, whereby a bell or other indicator situated at a suitable place is
operated in order to announce the fracture of the wire.
The wires may be suitably carried over rollers e see Figs. 1 & 2.
The springs may also be arranged as shown in Figure 3, where the wires c³ c³ act
direct on the springs a¹ a². In this figure the second position of the springs is
shown in dotted lines, and it will be easily seen that the same object is obtained as
by the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2.
It is obvious that if two wires should break simultaneously both springs would
alter their position and thus effect the closing of the circuit, Figure 3.
The whole arrangement may be conveniently fixed to a board f and enclosed in a
casing. The invention may be used for a great many different electrical devices
such as electric bells, signalling apparatus &c.

page_text: 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 :-
:-
An apparatus for indicating the fracture of electric wires consisting of two
springs a a² which are kept apart by the tension of the respective wires and which
approach each other at the fracture of a wire, effecting the closing of an electric
-circuit whereby a suitable indicating device is operated substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1895.
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicant.