Flexible weather casing for a gas filled bushing

Claim 2

A hollow electrical insulator to operate filled with an insulating gas under pressure, said insulator comprising a central longitudinal tubular insulating member for providing a gas chamber, a plurality of flexible weather sheds, each of said weather sheds comprising a hollow longitudinal portion and an integral shed portion, said flexible weather sheds being mounted on said central longitudinal tubular member in series relationship with a portion of the longitudinal portion of each succeeding weather shed overlapping a portion of the longitudinal portion of the preceding weather shed, the hollow longitudinal portion of said flexible weather sheds being sufficiently flexible so as to permit any gas escaping through said longitudinal tubular insulating member to vent through the overlaps of said flexible weather sheds, and means between the overlapped portions of the weather sheds for providing a flexible seal between the overlapped portion of the weather sheds, whereby said seal can easily be broken to permit internally trapped gas to pass through the overlaps of said flexible weather sheds.

Claim 3

The insulator as defined in claim 1 wherein said central longitudinal tubular insulating member is constructed from glass fibers impregnated with a resin.

Claim 4

The insulator as specified in claim 1 wherein said central longitudinal insulating member is made from glass filament impregnated with epoxy resin.

Claim 5

The insulator as specified in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal central insulating member comprises a tube wound from glass filament impregnated with epoxy resin and said flexible weather sheds comprise butyl rubber.

Claim 6

A hollow electrical insulator to operate filled with an insulating gas under pressure, said insulator comprising a central longitudinal tubular insulating member for providing a gas chamber, a plurality of flexible weather sheds, each of said weather sheds comprising a hollow longitudinal portion and an integral shed portion, said flexible weather sheds being mounted on said central longitudinal tubular member in series relationship with a portion of the longitudinal portion of each succeeding weather shed overlapping a portion of the longitudinal portion of the preceding weather shed, means between the overlapped portions of the weather sheds for providing a seal between the overlapped portion of the weather sheds, a central electrical conductor extending throughout the length of said insulator, terminal means attached to each end of said electrical conductor, said terminal means closing the ends of said central longitudinal tubular member to provide a gas chamber inside said longitudinal tubular member, and means at one end of said hollow electrical conductor for introducing gas into said hollow conductor, means adjacent the other end of said hollow conductor to permit gas introduced into said hollow conductor to fill the gas chamber defined by said central longitudinal tubular insulating member and said terminal means.

Claim 7

A hollow electrical insulator to operate filled with an insulating gas under pressure, said insulator comprising a central longitudinal tubular insulating member for providing a gas chamber, a plurality of flexible weather sheds, each of said weather sheds comprising a hollow longitudinal portion and an integral shed portion, said flexible weather sheds being mounted on said central longitudinal tubular member in series relationship with a portion of the longitudinal portion of each succeeding weather shed overlapping a portion of the longitudinal portion of the preceding weather shed, means between the overlapped portions of the weather sheds for providing a seal between the overlapped portion of the weather sheds, a central electrical conductor extending throughout the length of said insulator, terminal means attached to each end of said electrical conductor, said terminal means closing the ends of said central longitudinal tubular member to provide a gas chamber inside said longitudinal tubular member, and means at one end of said hollow electrical conductor for introducing gas into said hollow conductor, means adjacent the other end of said hollow conductor to permit gas introduced into said hollow conductor to fill the gas chamber defined by said central longitudinal tubular insulating member and said terminal means.

Claim 8

A hollow electrical insulator as claimed in claim 5 wherein the integral shed portion of said weather sheds has a generally dog-boned shape cross section.