US Patent Issued to Caterpillar on July 7 for "Electroplated coatings for conductor corrosion resistance" (Illinois Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 7 -- United States Patent no. 12,673,556, issued on July 7, was assigned to Caterpillar Inc. (Peoria, Ill.).

"Electroplated coatings for conductor corrosion resistance" was invented by Daniel Joseph Sordelet (Dunlap, Ill.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A work machine, such as a hauler at a mining site, includes a conductor rod housing concentric metal tubes for receiving electrical power from a contactor sliding on a power rail. Electrical connectivity between conductors within the conductor rod, between the concentric metal tubes, are provided using a conductive liquid. Corrosion barriers are used to protect the concentric metal tubes from corrosion resulting from conta...