A LOAD BREAK SWITCH

The invention relates to a medium voltage load break switch. The load break switch comprises a main contact and a knife. The knife is configured to rotate about a pivot point to connect to and be in contact with the main contact and to rotate about the pivot point to disconnect from and be spaced from the main contact. The load break switch also comprises a vacuum interrupter (10). The vacuum interrupter has a fixed contact (11) and a moveable contact (12) that are in a housing of the vacuum interrupter. The main contact is in electrical connection with the fixed contact of the vacuum interrupter. The load break switch also has a lever (20). The lever is configured to rotate about a rotation point (21) of the lever. The main contact is spaced from the lever. A shaft of the moveable contact is aligned along an axis of the vacuum interrupter, and the shaft of the moveable contact is linked to the lever. In a closed configuration of the load break switch the knife is in contact with the main contact and spaced from the lever. In a closed configuration the lever is at a first rotational orientation and the rotation point of the lever is at a first distance from the fixed contact measured in a direction parallel to the axis of the vacuum interrupter and the moveable contact is in contact with the fixed contact, and current can flow through the main contact directly to the knife. Rotation of the knife about its pivot point in a first rotational direction transitions the switch from the closed configuration to a commutation configuration. In the commutation configuration the knife is in contact with the lever and in contact with the main contact, and current can flow through the main contact directly to the knife and flow through the main contact and through the vacuum interrupter to the knife. Rotation of the knife about its pivot point in the first rotational direction transitions the switch from the commutation configuration to an opened configuration. In the opened configuration the knife is spaced from the main contact and spaced from the lever or in contact with the lever. In the opened configuration the lever is in a second rotational orientation and the rotation point of the lever is at a second distance from the fixed contact measured in the direction parallel to the axis of the vacuum interrupter that is greater than the first distance and the moveable contact is spaced from the fixed contact.