MULTI-PART MOVING SHAFT ASSEMBLY FOR ULTRA HIGH SPEED ACTUATOR USED IN A HYBRID CIRCUIT BREAKER

Multi-part assemblies for driving a movable conductor away from a stationary conductor of a circuit interrupter decrease separable contact opening time by reducing the number of components that must travel during an initial stage of an opening stroke to achieve an initial gap between the separable contacts. The components that must travel in order to open the separable contacts are included in only some portions of the movable assembly, rather than all portions. In one embodiment, a split switch shaft coupled to a movable conductor includes a head shaft coupled to a tail shaft using a sliding pin, enabling the head shaft to travel an initial distance while the tail shaft remains stationary, thus achieving an initial gap between the contacts. In another embodiment, the movable conductor assembly is coupled to hydraulics, enabling the assembly to travel an initial distance at high speeds before damping by the hydraulic fluid.