Improvements in or connected with Electric Mains or Conductors:
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Mains or Conductors:
I JAMES GEORGE' Willcox ALDRIDGE, of 9 Victoria Street, Westminster, in
the County of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in or connected with electric mains or conductors:
has for its object to provide an improved arrangement for laying strip conductors:
whereby the liability of the different conductors to come into contact by sagging-
or otherwise will be obviated and consists essentially in supporting the conducting
strips vertically at different heights and in different vertical planes by means of
stepped insulators supported in a suitable culvert. The strips are supported on.
edge between the vertical faces of two opposing stepped insulators.
The
insulators are fixed in the culvert by wedges. Openings are formed in the angle.
of the stepped insulators to allow of ordinary insulating conductors being laid in
the same culvert. The lower stepped insulator is laid on the culvert with its steps:
extending diagonally across the culvert, the strip conductors are put in position
and the top or inverted stepped insulator is then placed over them and secured
by wedges. The strips may also be secured by wedges between the opposing faces.
of the steps.
Dated this 13th day of June 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agenta.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Mains or Conductors..
I JAMES GEORGE WILLCOX ALDRIDGE, of 9 Victoria Street, Westminster,
in the County of London, Civil 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 :-
This invention for improvements in or connected with electric mains or conductors.
has for its object to provide an improved arrangement for laying strip conductors
whereby the liability of the different conductors to come into contact by sagging
or otherwise will be obviated, and consists in supporting the conducting strips at.
different heights and in different vertical planes by means of insulators supported.
in a suitable culvert. The strips are supported either on edge between the vertical
faces of two opposing stepped insulators, or are drawn flat in recesses or grooves.
in the insulators. The insulators are fixed in the culvert by wedges. Openings.
are formed in the stepped insulators to allow of ordinary insulating conductors.
being laid in the same culvert. When the strips are placed on edge the lower
stepped insulator is laid on the culvert with its steps extending diagonally across-
the culvert, the strip conductors are put in position and the top or inverted stepped
insulator is then placed over them and secured by wedges. The strips may also-
be secured by wedges between the opposing faces of the steps.

page_text: In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings.
Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of an electric culvert fitted with the
improved insulators, and Fig. 2 is a part sectional side elevation of the same.
Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse and longitudinal sections respectively of modified
construction.
The insulators a made of earthenware stoneware or other suitable nonconducting
material fit transversely in the inside of the conduit and are each made in two
pieces, the meeting edges being approximately diagonal from top to bottom of the
channel and in the form of a series of steps so as to leave spaces between the
vertical adjacent faces b. The strip conductors c are laid in these spaces and if
desired wedged by blocks of wood or copper d.
In laying bare strip conductors in a conduit with insulators constructed according
to this invention, one side of the stepped insulator a is placed in the conduit with
its steps facing upwards. The bare strip conductors care then laid against the
vertica! faces of the insulator. The other side of the stepped insulator is then
placed in an inverted position over the first side so that the conductors are retained
in place and at different vertical heights. The insulators are then fixed in the
culvert by driving in the grooved wooden blocks e. The insulators are placed
at suitable distances apart. The bare conductors may be then further secured by
the small wedges d. Slight projections or teeth on the surfaces of the insulators
bearing against the strip conductors c present a small surface to the copper. The
cover is then bolted down by the bolts g. Ordinary conductors can be drawn
through the open spaces h.
In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the insulators a are formed with
channels or grooves i at different heights in which the conducting strips can be
drawn after the covers fare in place. The insulators may be made in two or
more pieces.
By these arrangements the conductors being in different planes and also at
different levels no jockeys are required to keep the different conductors from
making contact with one another.
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. In electric mains for laying bare strip conductors supporting the conducting
strips at different heights and in different vertical planes by means of insulating
blocks fixed at suitable distances apart in a culvert.
2. Insulators for supporting bare strip conductors in culverts, consisting of two
similar stepped insulating blocks, one inverted over the other and the two being
adapted to be fitted transversely in the culvert and so as to leave spaces for the
conductors between their opposing vertical faces..
3. Insulators for supporting bare strip conductors in culverts, consisting of an
insulating block adapted to be fitted transversely in the culvert, and having
recesses or grooves, the bottoms of which are arranged at different heights for the
purpose specified.
4. The improvements in or connected with electric mains or conductors
substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 13th day of March 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents..