Inventors:
Benjamin Rosenkrans - Elmira NY, US
Kal Harrington - Painted Post NY, US
Robert Hawthorne - Sayre PA, US
Dale Burmingham - Ithaca NY, US
Adam Taft - Pine City NY, US
Assignee:
Eaton Corporation - Cleveland OH
International Classification:
H01H003/00
Abstract:
A retaining ring is provided for holding a bellows and a vapor shield on a stem of a vacuum circuit breaker prior to brazing. The retaining ring includes a ring shaped body defining an opening. The body has a plurality of tabs that extend into the opening. The body has an inner diameter larger than the stem while the area defined by the tabs has a diameter that is about the same size as, or smaller than, said stem nominal diameter. The body and tabs are made from a harder material than the stem. In use, the shield and bellows are placed on the stem and brought to rest on a ledge. The retaining ring is then placed on the stem. As the retaining ring is placed on the stem, one or more of the tabs will flex and bend, slightly, away from the shield and bellows. The retaining ring is then slid down the stem until the retaining ring contacts the shield and/or bellows. Because the retaining ring is made from a harder metal that the stem, an attempt to remove the retaining ring will result in the flexed tabs digging into the stem. As such, once it is installed, the retaining ring cannot be removed by sliding the retaining ring backward on the stem. The retaining ring will hold the shield and bellows in place until the brazing process is complete.
