Abstract: Contact pieces for vacuum switchgear comprise a base material with additives of readily vaporizable components to produce a sufficiently conductive switch path in the switch-off process. It is desired to have an overvoltage-free switching behavior for the vacuum switchgear. The additives are concentrated in a firmly adhering layer covering the switching surface of the contact piece. Such contact pieces can be manufactured in particular by direct fusing of the additives on the surface, by fusing a separate application of the additives in powder form, in granulate form or as foil or sheet on the surface or alternatively by vapor deposition of the additives on the switching surface of a given contact piece body of base material. Advantageously, a CuCr contact piece base material is used.

Abstract: A contact arrangement for a vacuum switch having contacts movable relative to each other containing slots and provided with an annular seat in which the contact part connecting the contact seat to an electrical conductor forms a hollow body of revolution, the outer surface of which is provided with slots inclined with respect the axis of revolution and the inside surface of which is shaped so as to drive the base of the arc toward the annular seat.