CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER WITH THERMAL TRIP ADJUSTABILITY

摘要

A circuit interrupter including a housing, separable main contacts within thehousing, and an operating mechanism within the housing and interconnected withthe separable main contacts. A trip mechanism is disposed within the housingthat includes a trip bar assembly rotatable about an axis and that, whenrotated, generates a tripping operation causing the operating mechanism to penthe contacts. The trip bar assembly includes a trip member translatable alongthe axis. The trip mechanism includes a tripping actuator movable along apredetermined path of travel as a function of electrical current. The trippingactuator contacts a contact area of the trip member at a prdetermined locationalong the prdetermined path of travel of the tripping actuator and causes thetrip bar assembly to rotate and generate the tripping operation upon apredetermined current threshold. When the trip member is translated along theaxis, the contact area is contacted by the tripping actuator at a differentlocation along the predetermined path of the tripping actuator whereby thepredetermined current threshold is changed.