Improvements in and relating to Junction Boxes for use in Electric Distribution Systems.
Year: 1897

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Junction Boxes for use in Electric
Distribution Systems.
I, JACOB CLOOS, of No. 627 Twenty-first Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United
States of America, Electrical and Mechanical Engineer, 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:—
My invention relates to the means employed for effecting the distribution of
electricity, and more particularly to junction boxes to which the feeders are led
and from which the mains leading to the district to be supplied with current are
distributed.
In modern electrical engineering practice, difficulties have arisen, in making
service connections with feeders conveying high-tension alternating or continuous
current, due chiefly to the poor and imperfect means heretofore employed in
connecting the mains with the feeders at the man-holes, which generally consisted
in uniting the feeders and mains by wiped joints. The chief difficulty has been
in testing the feeders and mains in distributing systems as thus wired. It was
heretofore impossible to test the feeders to locate a defection without first cutting
the cable at the manholes to disconnect the mains from the feeder or feeders to be
tested, since a test would be impracticable while the mains and feeders were
connected, as the mains would then have to be.included in the test. Heretofore,
while the feeder remained dissociated from its distributing mains during a test,
the translating devices supplied with current by said mains would be totally
inoperative, thus occasioning damage and annoyance. It is also desirable at times
to test the mains individually. The method of wiring heretofore used necessitated
the employment of great care and much time and labor in severing and re-estab-
lishing connections between the feeders and mains.
It is the object of my invention to provide a junction box and apparatus within
the same, whereby any feeder may readily be dissociated from its mains and
whereby the mains may individually be dissociated from each other and their
feeder.
My invention comprises, generally speaking,. a junction box containing bus
bars or conductors, to each of which a feeder is connected, and switching devices
for connecting each bus bar with the mains which are to be supplied with currents
from the feeder connected with the bus bar.

page_text: S
The preferred form of my invention comprises a junction box in which is
disposed a series of contact plates mounted upon an insulating support. Each feeder
and each main is connected with a contact plate, the contact plates being preferably
arranged in circular rows. Beneath these contact plates are provided circular bus
bars or rings mounted upon a second insulating support, these bus bars being equal
in number to the feeders leading to the junction box. The aforesaid contact. plates
to which the feeders are united are connected with these circular bus bars by means
of connecting plugs. The mains to be supplied are connected with the charged
bus bars by means of plugs which electrically connect the same with the contact
plates to which the mains are connected. To avoid injurious sparking between
the plugs and the bus rings as the plugs are engaged therewith and removed there-
from, I place oil, preferably kerosene, in the junction box in sufficient amount to
immerse the contact plates and bus rings.
I will describe my invention more particularly by reference to the accompanying
drawing, which shows the preferred embodiment of my invention, in which:-
Fig.
is a plan view of a junction box constructed in accordance with my
invention, the connecting plugs being removed for clearness;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the insulating support upon which the bus lings are
mounted;
Fig. 4 is a detail view, partially in vertical section, of a plug in position;
Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing two junction boxes so arranged in
relation to each other that upon the failure of any of the feeders to supply current
to the mains connected therewith the feeders leading to the other junction box
may be brought into service.
Like letters refer to like parts throughout the different figures.
The junction box a is preferably of cylindrical shape and formed of cast iron,
having a bottom a' formed integral therewith and a removable cover «² secured
thereto by bolts. To make the junction box thoroughly water-tight I interpose
a lead gasket a³ between the removable cover and a flange at formed upon the
junction box. Bushings 6 61 62 63, formed preferably of brass, are screwed into
tapped holes provided near the top of the junction box. The feeders ce are
conducted through the bushing b, while the mains dd and ce are conducted
through the bushings 662. The auxiliary feeders ff which extend between the
junction boxes and which are to be used in case the feeders leading to any junction
box are disabled, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, are conducted through
the bushing b. Two circular supports g and h are mounted upon the bottom a¹
of the junction box, the lower support h being mounted upon a cylindrical
distance-piece h¹ interposed between the same and the bottom of the junction box,
while the upper support g is mounted upon a cylindrical distance-piece g¹ inter-
posed between the supports g and h. A bolt i is passed through the supports g
and and the distance-pieces g¹ and h¹ into the bottom of the junction box to
firmly secure the supports in position. The feeders, mains and auxiliary feeders
extend for a short distance within the junction box. Terminal plates kk¹ are
provided with terminal stems preferably secured thereto by means of binding
screws, couplers being provided to unite said stems with the feeders cc
respectively. The terminal plates kk¹ are connected with contact plates kk
through protecting fuses 16 k².
Upon the support h are mounted the circular bus bars or rings 7. The
plates are provided with sockets arranged in vertical alignment with
sockets 123 formed in the rings. Plugs mm', constructed preferably as shown
in Fig. 4, are adapted to be passed through the sockets formed in the plates k' k
into the sockets 123, whereby said rings are charged, each feeder being connected
with a
ring. The mains d d and e el are likewise connected with plates
and oo in which are provided sockets n2n3 and 02 03 through which conducting
plugs may be passed into sockets and 16 17 respectively in the rings . The
auxiliary feeders ff are similarly connected with plates pp provided with
n n'

page_text: sockets 3 through which connecting plugs are adapted to be passed into
sockets in the rings 11.
I fill the junction box with oil, preferably to the level indicated in Fig. 2, to
cover the contact plates 1415, and so forth. This oil is provided for the purpose
of preventing injurious sparking between the plugs and the bus rings as the plugs
are engaged with and removed from the sockets in the bus rings. The stems
connected with the contact plates, and so forth, are free of insulation for the
purpose of preventing the oil from travelling along the insulated wires by capillary
attraction, whereby I am enabled to prevent the impairment of the insulating
covering of the wires by the injurious action of the oil. The plugs for effecting
connection between the bus rings upon support h and contact plates upon support g
are preferably constructed as shown in Fig. 4. The shanks of the plug are
provided with longitudinal saw-cuts for the purpose of affording a spring-like
engagement between the same and the parts engaged thereby.
Cables which conduct alternating currents are laid in conduits formed of earthen
ware material for the purpose of preventing leakage and accidental grounds. As
is well known, cables are generally constructed with lead casings, and where
cables of this class are employed for the purpose of conducting alternating currents
these lead coverings become statically charged, producing a condenser effect, which
retards the current. To overcome this defect, I unite the cables passing through
the conduits ss and extending from the man-hole s¹ in which the junction box is
located with the brass bushings through which they are extended by wiped
joints 79, a path for removing the static charges in the lead coverings about the
cables being thus provided through the bushings and the grounded junction box.
Referring to Fig. 5, I have shown the peculiar adaptability of my invention to
the purpose of supplying distributing mains with current in the event of the
disability of the feeders connected with said mains. I have shown a generator r
having its poles connected with bus bars rl from which the feeders ce are led
to the junction boxes a a in the manner heretofore described. If now, for example,
any of the feeders as cc shown upon the left of the drawing, should become
disabled, the auxiliary feeders f f are connected with the bus rings of each of
the junction boxes, whereby the feeders remaining in circuit may supply not only
the mains normally connected therewith, but also the mains connected with the
disabled feeders.
It is clear that the details of my improved form of junction box may be modified
without departing from the principles involved. I have purposely omitted the
description of details and the enumeration of many modifications which may be
made without departing from the principles of my invention. Having, however,
fully set forth one type of apparatus embodying my invention and the means for
practicing the same, I claim and desire to secure by these Letters Patent, together
with all such modifications as may be made by mere skill and with only the limita-
tions expressed or by law implied, in view of the related arts, the following;-
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with a junction box, of feeder and main conductors leading
thereto and extending therefrom, a bus bar, bars, or conductors with which the
feeder or feeders are connected, and switching mechanism for uniting the mains
with said bus bar or bars, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a junction box, of feeder and main conductors leading
thereto and extending therefrom, a support g, contact plates carried by said support
to which the feeder and main conductors are connected, a second support h, a bus
bar or bars carried thereby, and plugs for electrically connecting said contact
plates with said bus bar or bars, substantially as described.
3. The combination with a junction box, of feeder and main conductors leading

page_text: thereto and extending therefrom, a support g, contact plates carried by said support
to which the feeder and main conductors are connected, a second support h, a bus
bar or bars carried thereby, said supports being arranged in horizontal planes with
support 9 disposed above support h, and plugs for connecting said bus bar or bars
with said plates, oil being provided within said junction box to a depth sufficient
to immerse the contact portions of said bus bar or bars that are initially engaged
by said plugs, substantially as described.
4. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination with a plurality of
junction boxes, of bus bars or conductors located therein, feeders and mains con-
nected with said bus bars, auxiliary feeders extending between the junction boxes,
and switching mechanism for uniting said auxiliary feeders with said bus bars,
substantially as described.
5. The combination with a junction box, of feeder and main conductors leading
thereto and extending therefrom, terminal plates having conducting stems, con-
nectors, as ³, for uniting said stems and conductors, and switching mechanism
for uniting the feeding and main conductors, said stems, plates and switching
mechanism being immersed in oil, substantially as described.
Patc His Dixwental day of september, A.D. 1091.
JACOB CLOOS,
627, 21st Street, Milwaukee, Wisc.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.