Are you overloaded? Have you become a part of the highly stressed modern working environment? You may need a break - a vacation, a change in environment, a change of pace...
Similarly, machines can be overloaded too. Those that were designed for a particular system are often pushed to their limits when new requirements emerge.
Just like the final straw that breaks the camel's back, electrical machines too, can reach their breaking point. If there is no vacation for them, they will burn.
Fuses and circuit breakers are designed to stop the current in a circuit before any damage can occur - create a vacation or a break for them.
A circuit breaker is one of the ways to prevent motors (or other electrical machines) from burning due to overloading. All electrical motors produce heat when running. At the time of a fault, this heat builds up at a much higher rate than it can be dissipated. This can result in damaged equipment, fire or even explosion.
The electrical protective device like the circuit breaker is designed to de-energize the circuit before this heat level becomes dangerous.
There are basically 2 means of activating a break - thermally (heat) or magnetically.
Thermal circuit breakers make use of bimetallic strips that will bend due to the different expansion rates of each of the metals in the strip. The bending of the strip will move a tripping mechanism latch that will then open up the contacts of the circuit breaker.
Because bimetallic strips take time to heat up and bend, this type of tripping device is used for tripping prolonged overloaded situations. The setting for breaking the circuit at a particular overload value can be adjusted.
Magnetic circuit breakers make use of the field strength of magnetic coils to trip a latch that will then open up the contacts of the circuit breaker. This method is used for high current faults, like in a short circuit. This method is designed to trip instantly.
A thermal-magnetic circuit breaker incorporates both a thermal strip and a magnetic coil. This type of circuit breaker is able to protect against momentary overloads as well as high or short circuit current faults.
What happens if the circuit breaker is placed in a high temperature environment? The thermal bimetallic strip bends on high temperature. In this case, the current is not causing the high temperature in the bimetallic strip, but the ambient air is! The current may still be below the safe operating rated value for the motor.
In this case, a compensating bimetallic strip may be incorporated into the circuit breaker to eliminate this type of error. These circuit breakers are often used in hot areas like furnace, oven, and boiler rooms.
Circuit breakers can be reset very quickly, once they have tripped. Can your break or vacation be reset very quickly too? Don't reset. Take a long break!
Until next time...
Are You Stumped by Complicated Electrical Calculations? Learn Electro-Technology Calculations for 1st Class Marine Engineers Competency License Exams at Electro-Technology Questions & Answers e-book. Applicable for all electrical installations both on ships and at shore.
Many years of working experience in Marine, Facilities, Construction has given the author material for writing e-books and articles related to engineering, and management. Subscribe to facworld ezine. More information at Marine Engineer and M & E Engineer
![]() Google News Updated : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:49:09 GMT NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - NATO defense ministers Friday authorized their troops in Afghanistan to attack drug barons blamed for pumping up to US$100 million (euro74 million) a year into the coffers of resurgent Taliban fighters. NATO Joins Drug War in Afghanistan NATO to Hit Drug Trade in Afghanistan Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:11:48 GMT States probe possible voter registration fraud - Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune - Questions about possible cases of fraudulent voter registrations were being raised this week as officials in several states investigated hundreds of questionable or duplicate registration forms submitted by an advocacy group. Carnahan statement on ACORN registration mess Republicans try to tie Obama to vote fraud cases Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:48:10 GMT Coleman calls off negative ads - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minneapolis Star Tribune - By Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune ...and it has nothing at all to do with several outlets (including one of Franken's ads) letting us know that a Coleman ad that wants us to … read more see Franken looking out of control/angry, is actually video of ... Coleman: I'll remove negative ads and urge others to do same Coleman says he'll pull negative ads to focus on economy Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:25:04 GMT Eagles' Westbrook out for Sunday's game - Sports Network
Sports Network - Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will not play on Sunday at San Francisco. Westbrook, who has been hampered by a sprained ankle he suffered in the Week 3 victory over Pittsburgh, fractured his ribs in ... Brian Westbrook: Ruled Out Les Bowen: Eagles vs. 49ers: The pick Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:20:18 GMT Help Support Breast Cancer Awareness With Lifespring Health - MarketWatch
MarketWatch - Lifespring Health will be Donating $5 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation Each Time you Shop Online This Month SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct 10, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- October is breast cancer awareness month! Go "Passionately Pink for the Cure" on Oct. 17 Panera Bread to sell pink bagels Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:05:31 GMT A Cautious Approach to Gardasil Shot - U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report - News today cheering the fact that 1 in 4 teen girls has received the Gardasil vaccine sounds to me like some serious spin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government agency pushing girls as young as 9 to get the shot. Cancer Vaccine Used by 25% of Girls 13 to 17 Quarter of adolescent US girls received HPV vaccine Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:14:13 GMT UPDATE 1-Bush says US moving quickly to solve market crisis - Forbes
Forbes - WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Friday the US government was moving aggressively to address the financial markets crisis, but he acknowledged that anxiety was feeding on itself as stocks continued to plunge. Bush appeals for confidence Bush Says Markets Must Remain Calm Despite Challenges Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:33:45 GMT RSS For Web Pages |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... What is the absolute best way to clean carpet? Carpet... Read More Putting the right comforter on your bed can make the... Read More A bathroom light fixture may be just what the doctor... Read More If you wish to learn how to manage interior design... Read More The allure of carpet lays not only its soft and... Read More Is it time to give that tired kitchen floor a... Read More Over the years, many studies have been done in countries... Read More "I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me,... Read More Gas stoves are those preferred by professionals. The heat distribution... Read More In the world of today, we no longer employ the... Read More When you add up all the money that you can... Read More Hardwood Floors are beautiful to look at and expensive to... Read More Cheap interior design ideas come in many forms these days.... Read More As a way of relaxing, more and more people are... Read More There are several ceiling texture choices to choose from when... Read More You have likely been making mental notes for years. Every... Read More Rights of light - What a minefield this topic is... Read More In bathroom terms at least, bigger doesn't have to be... Read More The trend in remodeling homes is to expand the outdoor... Read More Let's talk about repairing broken glass in an aluminum frame... Read More All of us live in houses but how many of... Read More A sauna has been used throughout history in every part... Read More Even if you've never been involved in the sale of... Read More The door is the focal point of the home which... Read More Whether it's a misguided baseball, or storm damage, sooner or... Read More
Adsense
websites
The Best Way To Clean Carpet?
Buying The Right Comforter For Your Bed
The Right Bathroom Light Fixture Will Brighten Up Your Bathroom
The Ten Most Important Feng Shui Design Tips
Shopping For Carpet
Choosing A New Floor
Research Concerning Color in Homes and Workplaces
Creating Your Joyful Home: Dawning of Your Emotions
Gas Stoves - Pros and Cons
Securing Your Castle
Buying Home Appliances The Smart Way
Hardwood Floors: Beautiful, But a Pain to Keep Clean
Cheap Interior Design Ideas
Is a Hot Tub for You? Top 5 Questions You Need to Answer
Skip Troweling Method for Textured Ceilings
An Affordable Shortcut To Designing Your Dream Home
Planning Permission Tips UK - Rights of Light to Adjoining Neighbours Windows - What You Should Know
Making the Most of a Small Bathroom
Ceiling Fans ? That Dont Require The Ceiling
Single hung aluminum window glass repair
Home Sweet Home
Make your Sauna a Focal Point
Useful Home Products Will Help Your House Sale Profits
Door Hardware - the Focal Point of the Home
Do You Make These Window Replacement Mistakes ?
Have you ever thought of your home as being healthy... Read More
Of the 359 homeowners in my area, 112 are running... Read More
One of the many tools that home owners use regularly... Read More
Once a month there's an electric bill coming in the... Read More
Prior to hanging sheetrock to ceiling joists it is important... Read More
In this article, we'll be taking a look at the... Read More
The last thing you would think about when you are... Read More
The Holy Grail of distributed audio; unlimited zones and unlimited... Read More
Modern mailboxes are made predominately from cast aluminum or stainless... Read More
Razing the CottageWith new house plans and permits in hand,... Read More
Nothing soothes the brain like Mother Nature, whose intrinsic scenery... Read More
When the old lamp from my children's room was turning... Read More
Remember the old Calgon commercial-"Take me away Calgon!" There's only... Read More
Like most people I really hated to vacuum the house.... Read More
What are heated driveways? The obvious answer is, "a driveway... Read More
My Grandmother used to say to me "Nothing cheap is... Read More
Pesticides are a ubiquitous toxin in our environment. We spray... Read More
Some of the benefits of radiant heatComfort: Let your bare... Read More
A Tuscan decorating theme can put some old world charm... Read More
In an effort to help consumers in the Atlanta area... Read More
Preparing a deck design for your backyard is all the... Read More
Many successful business deals are the result of being a... Read More
Country home décor is the most sought after home interior... Read More
Steel building kits are a comprehensive set of all the... Read More
When you think about building your new home consider your... Read More
Home Improvement |