Gas-blast circuit breaker

Two contact pieces (13, 14) are provided which are arranged at a fixed distance from one another, on the same axis, in a switching chamber and can be electrically connected to one another by means of a displaceable switching sleeve (17). The end region of one contact piece (13) is constructed as a coil (25) consisting of a plurality of turns or of a plurality of turn segments, the intermediate space between the turns or turn segments of the coil (25) being closed. In consequence, a magnetic field is produced in the course of the switching-off movement, which magnetic field causes the arc to rotate about the ends of the contact pieces. In order to ensure that the base of the arc (29) does not penetrate into the interior of the contact piece (13) producing the magnetic field, the turns of the coil (25) or its turn segments are of solid construction and the contact piece exhibiting this coil (25) ends in an arc-erosion ring and has no axial passage. The other contact piece (14) has no coil. For this purpose, it can be tubular in order to allow the gases which are heated by the arc to escape, which additionally has the effect of axial blasting of the arc (29).