Patent ID: 7567417

Claim:
An automatically quenching surge arrester arrangement comprising: a surge arrester, which changes from a non-conductive state to a conductive state when a predetermined first voltage is exceeded and returns to the non-conductive state only when a substantially lower second voltage is undershot; and a switching mechanism, which responds when a current flows through the surge arrester and interrupts the current flow through the surge arrester, and then automatically returns to an initial state again, wherein the switching mechanism responds reversibly to heat which is produced by the current flow in the surge arrester, and has a switching means and an operating means which are thermally coupled to the surge arrester for operation of the switching means, the operating means responds reversibly to the heat which is produced by current flow in the surge arrester, and has expansion means which convert the heat produced by the current flow in the surge arrester to a switching movement by means of thermal expansion, and the expansion means have an expansion body composed of a solid material, whose thermal expansion on a first axis is used as the switching movement, the expansion body is composed of heat-resistant, rubber-elastic material and is surrounded by a limiting element, which limits a radial expansion, and thus amplifies an axial expansion.