Electrical high speed circuit breaker with explosive charges including ablative arc extinguishing material

A simple high-speed circuit breaker which is cheap to produce is specified for alternating currents which have to be switched off, which switches such currents off within one half-cycle at the current zero crossing, by means of a gas-generating explosive charge (4). In this case, a switching piston (2) which makes a sliding contact with a consumable contact pin (K1) of a first electrode (E1) when the high-speed circuit breaker is closed, moves in the direction of a hollow electrode (E2). The switching piston (2) has a contact tube (2') with an exhaust opening (3) which is closed by the hollow electrode (E2) when the high-speed circuit breaker is closed, and is open to an exhaust chamber (8) when the high-speed circuit breaker is open (left-hand half of the figure). The contact tube (2') moves in a sliding manner in a cutout in the hollow electrode (E2). A plurality of explosive charges (4) may be accommodated in the first electrode (E1). In addition, rated current contacts which are provided between the first electrode (E1) and the switching piston (2) carry a continuous current when switched on. The high-speed circuit breaker is particularly suitable as a circuit breaker in addition to a power breaker, in which case the high-speed circuit breaker is tripped if the power breaker fails.