The present invention relates generally to damping devices for damping the vibration of overhead conductors, and particularly to a low-cost, corona-free damping device that takes the place of the well-known Stockbridge damper.
The inventor of the present disclosure is named in two previous patent applications directed to damping devices for overhead conductors that employ elastomer damping elements in a compact manner; namely, U.S. Ser. No. 565,180, filed Dec. 23, 1983 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,008), and a continuation-in-part application thereof, U.S. Ser. No. 718,549, filed Apr. 1, 1985 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,402). In addition, this application is being simultaneously filed with a second application by the inventor, the second application being entitled "Damper With Stamped and Sand-Cast Parts," U.S. Ser. No. 805,819 filed Dec. 6, 1985.
It is well known that manufacturing companies look for economies in manufacture and improvements in performance of their products to meet competition. In the case of damping devices employing inertial weights attached to overhead conductors, the weights and clamp arms thereof are usually die cast. The machines and die casting molds employed to die cast components are costly, and in the case of overhead dampers, which are required to dampen the vibration of a multitude of conductor sizes (diameters), the cost is substantial. For example, there are about 350 conductor sizes presently employed in the United States to transmit electrical energy. All of these conductors are subject to aeolian vibration, and hence all require damping devices in one form or another. The damping devices require 21 clamp sizes to clamp the devices to the conductors. It can be appreciated that if separate die tooling is required for each of the conductor sizes, the cost can be prohibitive.
To properly match the impedance of the existing commercial conductors to damping devices, six inertial weight sizes are required. In the case where each damper required two, opposed weight halves, separate die tooling for each half would double the above cost of the weights.