OPEN CONDUCTOR BAR SYSTEMS
While working in a steel mill in 1912, Paul Vahle began designing more effective and safer methods of mobile power transfer. At the time, the common method was traveling wires which did not provide a secure contact, generated a lot of sparks and broke easily and often. The result of his efforts was the original open conductor bar, which is still used today. The standard version is a copper bar mounted onto a T-Shaped steel beam. The copper bar transfers the electrical current safely while the T-bar provides a robust and reliable mount.