A 20,000-ampere mechanical switch

In june 1958, the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory contracted with Stanford Research Institute for the development of a mechanical crowbar-type switch. At that time Radiation Laboratory personnel were conducting experiments using the basic high-power L-R-C (inductance-resistance-capacitance) circuit shown in Fig. 1. In this circuit, the ignitron V2 is subjected to excessive duty when heavily loaded. This paper describes a high-capacity fast-acting mechanical switch designed for this special application.