GEI-86151 
B
INTERCHANGEABILITY 
OF 
DRAWOUT 
BREAKERS
GENERAL
Low-voltage 
switchgear 
practice 
requires that 
drawout
breaker elements of the 
same ampere  frame 
size be 
physi-
cally 
interchangeable. 
Electrical  interchangeability 
of sec-
ondary 
and control circuits, of 
course, requires 
duplicate
wiring. The 
four drawout 
styles 
(AKD, 
A, B & 
C) of the AKF-75
and 
-100 
models 
satisfy this requirement in varying 
degree.
The B and 
C types, being  of more recent 
design, limit inter-
changeability 
within 
a 
given 
frame 
size to those 
units 
having
the 
same 
voltage 
rating; rejection 
of unwanted types  thus is
more selective than that 
of the earlier AKD 
and AKD-S
models. The individual 
interchangeability 
patterns 
are 
illus-
trated 
in 
Fig. 10.
Because 
the AKR-75/100  B 
and C 
models 
are 
identical 
in
height 
and 
width, 
each 
includes 
means  to 
prevent 
inadvertent
interchange 
of 
these 
3200 and 4000 
ampere sizes. 
This is 
done
by adding 
interference 
hardware 
to each breaker  and its
compartment,  causing 
the 
compartment  to accept the correct
breaker type and reject all others.
Rejection 
means 
are 
not required 
on the AKD and Code A
breakers;  the 
-100 
frame is 
wider than the 
-75, 
making them
inherently non-interchangeable.
NO.LETTER AKD TYPES
As 
the Fig. 10 directional  arrows indicate, 
all AKD ele-
ments are interchangeable within 
each frame 
size.
Considering 
that the AKR-75 AKD 
and 
B type 
breaker
models 
are 
identical in 
width and 
employ 
very 
similar drawout
mechanisms, 
rejection 
plates 
are 
added to the AKD  AKR-75
modelsto 
preventtheir 
insertion into 
Btype substructures.  See
Fig. 
11.
CODE 
A 
TYPES
Interchangeability  is 
identical to that 
of 
the AKD type.
CODE 
B TYPES
Interchangeability within 
and between 
frame 
sizes 
is 
pre-
vented 
by 
the rejection 
system  of Fig, 
13. 
Variously 
posi-
tioned 
pins 
on the drawout  tray must align with matching
holes and notches  in rejection 
plates 
bolted to the 
breaker's
bottom flanges. An 
incorrect 
style 
breaker 
presents 
a 
mis-
match and will not seat on the tray.
Becaus:tthe 
B-type 
drawoutmechanism 
is 
nearly 
identical
to.the 
AKD 
type, 
all 
B 
elements 
include 
additionat 
means 
to
rejectthemfrom 
AKD 
compa.rtments, 
e,n 
iiiigger 
Oracfuet 
i
attached 
to 
the 
riqht 
edoe 
of 
the 
re"rlr"r;;l;""r.h 
B 
breaker
per 
Fis. 
1 
2. 
rh 
is 
interfe;es 
with 
th;;";; 
;;; 
o'iine 
risnt 
warr
of 
the 
AKD 
compartment 
".d 
;;;;;;i:;iffi 
the 
B 
unit.
CODE 
C 
TYPES
All 
C elements  are unique 
and 
non-interchangeable 
within
and 
between  frame  sizes. This is 
accomplished by the rejec-
tion hardware 
system of Fig. 
14. 
Variously 
positioned 
inter-
ference 
pins 
on the 
rollout 
tracks cooperate  with notched
brackets 
fastened to the 
breaker's side 
plates. 
When 
inser-
tion of the wrong 
breaker  is attempted,  the 
pins 
and notches
do 
not 
align, thereby 
preventing 
the 
breaker 
f rom 
seating  into
the track 
slots.
C 
elements 
employ the A-type drawout mechanism, but in
modified  form 
to 
prevent 
interchangeability with the 
A units.
The 
modification 
spaces the breaker's  right 
side 
mounting
pins 
on shorter  centers 
(10-1 
1/16) than those 
on the 
left 
side
(11-718). 
See 
Fig. 10.
..E.TYPE' 
REJECTION
Some 
installations 
require that breakers serving essential
circuits be 
segregated 
from identical models 
deployed  else-
where 
in the 
power 
system.  The 
segregation 
is 
physical 
and
is 
accomplished 
by supplemental rejection hardware 
added
to the 
breaker and 
its 
drawout compartment.
In this 
publication 
these 
special category breakers  are
designated  as 
"E-type". 
They are interchangeable 
as fol-
rows:
. 
E-type 
compartments 
reject 
standard breakers.
o 
Standard compartments  accept E-type breakers.
E-type rejection  is an optional  feature 
available  on B and 
C
code breakers only.
On Code B breakers, the E-type rejection feature  is 
pro-
vided via 
an extra hole in each bottom flange engaging  corre-
sponding 
pins 
added to the drawout tray. 
See 
Fig. 15.
On Code C breakers, 
E-type 
rejection is achieved 
by
notching 
the breaker's 
right 
side 
plate 
to clear a special
rejection 
pin 
added to the right 
slide 
rail. 
See 
Fig. 16.
All 
E-type 
breakers have the 
suffix 
letter 
E added to the
middle 
digits 
of 
their 
designation as 
shown by 
the following
example: 
AKR-4BE-75.
16