Structurally improved rod array vacuum interrupter

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
A high current rod array interrupter, comprising a sealed enclosure having opposite ends, a first pair of thin spaced rod mounting plates disposed toward one end of said sealed enclosure, a second pair of thin spaced rod mounting plates disposed toward the other end of said sealed enclosure, a stationary contact extending through said one end in electrical contact with said first pair of mounting plates, a moving contact sealably extending through said other end in electrical contact with said second pair of mounting plates and movable between position in contact with and remote from said stationary contact, a plurality of elongate rods mounted in each of said first and second pairs of thin spaced mounting plates extending toward the opposite end of said sealed enclosure therefrom, said first and second pairs of plates being spaced sufficiently so that lateral force exerted at the free end of said rods produces substantially only compressive and tensile stress in said thin plates.
2.
A high current rod array interrupter as in claim 1 wherein said elongate rods are hollow, said rods having a wall thickness restricting rod deflection at the rod tip to a dimension substantially preventing bending stress in said pairs of thin mounting plates and reducing interrupter weight.
3.
A high current rod array interrupter as in claim 2 wherein said rod deflection is limited to less than 10% of the distance between adjacent oppositely extending rods.
4.
A light weight high current interrupter having a pair of contacts movable relative to one another in a sealed chamber, comprising a first pair of thin spaced rod mounting plates connected electrically with one of the pair of contacts, a second pair of thin spaced rod mounting plates connected electrically with the other of the pair of contacts, a plurality of conductive rods mounted in said first and second pairs of thin spaced plates having free ends extending toward the second and first pairs of thin spaced plates respectively and lying in side-by-side position therebetween, whereby lateral force at said free ends produces substantially only radial reaction force in said pairs of thin spaced plates