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FUSES
BREAKERS &
SWITCHES, CIRCUIT

English 4, Faculty of Maritime Studies

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switches
 DEFINITION
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 A class of controlling devices

capable of being altered by
manual, mechanical, electrical,
or electronic means.

 This alteration takes them from

a state of very high impedance
(„off”) to a state of very low
impedance („on”) which makes
them essentially binary devices.
 USE z
 They are generally used to permit or inhibit the flow of current,
or to apply or remove sources of electric potential to equipment
via appropriate circuitry.
TYPES
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MECHANICAL SWITCHES

Operated mechanically, i.e. their contacts

need to be physically pressed, pushed,
moved or touched.

ELECTRONIC SWITCHES

They are operated through

semiconductor action.
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MECHANICAL SWITCHES:
CLASSIFICATION
Classification of switches based on:

1.FUNCTION (based on the number of poles & throws: SPST, DPDT...)

2.METHOD OF ACTUATION (manual, limit...)

3.NUMBER OF CONTACTS (single & multi-contact)

4.OPERATION & CONSTRUCTION (toggle, push, rotary...)

5.STATE (momentary, locked...)

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FUNCTION
Based on their function, switches can have different number of

poles & throws.

 The number of poles  The number of throws

depends on the number of
circuits that can be switched
 Most switches are single,
double or triple pole.
determines the number of
states to which current can
pass through the switch.
 Most switches are have one
or two throws.
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SINGLE POLE SINGLE THROW (SPST)

 A basic ON/OFF switch operating a single

circuit

 1 input contact & 1 output contact

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SPDT

 A three-terminal switch with 1 input & 2 output contacts

 2 ON & 1 OFF position

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DESCRIBE!
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DPST

 A four terminal switch operating two different circuits simultaneously

 Acts as two separate SPST switches operating at the same time

 2 input & 2 output contacts

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DPDT

 A dual ON/OFF switch with six terminals: 2 input & 4 output

 Acts as two separate SPDT switches operating simultaneously.

 PUSH
z BUTTON SWITCH

 A type of momentary contact switch actuated

manually by applying pressure supplied from a
button

 An internal spring mechanism is used to

operate the pressed or released state of the
switch.

 Containes both stationary & moving parts, with

the first being serially connected with the
circuit

 Normally open (NO), normally closed (NC)

 Double acting push button switches are used

for operating two circuits
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TOGGLE SWITCH

 Manually actuated by a mechanical

handle, lever or rocking mechanism

 Common in light control switching

 Typically have two or more lever positions

which can be in the form of SPDT, SPST
or DPDT switch.
 LIMITz SWITCH
 Unlike manually operated switched, limit switches are actuated by the presence or
absence of an object, or by a machine.

 It contains an element (arm) operated by an object.

 Upon actuation, the arm causes the switch contacts to change position.
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FLOAT SWITCH

 A type of switch used for controlling AC & DC

motor pumps based on liquid level in a tank.

 Operated by the movement of a floating object,

which moves upwards or downwards, depending
on the level of the liquid in the tank.

 This movement causes the contacts to open &

close.

 It can be NO & NC.

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PRESSURE SWITCH
 This type of switch is used to sense the pressure of hydraulic systems & pneumatic devices

 A pressure detection element operates a set of contacts (typically single or double pole)

 The contact is closed upon detecting a set pressure level, which can happen either due to
pressure rise or pressure fall.

 It can be operated by: a diaphragm, metal bellow (Bourdon tube) or pistons, which deform or
displace proportionally to the applied pressure.

 Since pressure change can be rather slow, sometimes a miniature snap-action switch (or a
microswitch) is added to ensure the quick operation of the contacts.
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ROTARY SWITCHES

 Switches used to connect one line

to one of many other lines

 Used in eg. range selectors in

metering equipment, channel
selectors in communication devices,
band selectors in multi-band radios,
etc.

 They typically consist of one or

more moving elements or knobs,
and more than one stationary
contacts.
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JOYSTICK SWITCHES

 Manually actuated switches

 Contain a lever which moves

and operates one or more
contacts

 Used in eg. cable controls &

cranes.
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ELECTRONIC SWITCHES

 Also known as solid state switches as they do not have any

moving parts or physical contacts.

Some of them are:

 Bipolar transistors

 Power diode

 MOSFET

 SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifier)

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CIRCUIT BREAKERS
 DEFINITION
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 An overcurrent protection device

 A service device for interrupting a

circuit between separable
contacts in the event of short
circuit or overload.

 In the event of overload, a circuit

breaker is said to trip.

 Upon actuation, it can be reset to

continue its normal operation.

 This can be achieved manually or

automatically.
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Circuit breakers must be able to:

1. Withstand the maximum voltage stress which may occur,

2. Carry rated current continuously and without damage,

3. Have sufficient interrupting capacity to interrupt fault circuits,

4. Be suitable for operation in the intended environment (considering

the temperature, humidity, contaminants, etc.), &
5. Provide protection or combination of protection & control.
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(A bimetallic strip can

be used as well)
 OPERATION
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 When the switch is in the „on” position, the current flows from the bottom terminal, through
the electromagnet up to the moving contact and the stationary contact, and out through
the upper terminal.

 The electromagnet’s magnetic force is increased by an increasing current, and vice versa.

 Upon reaching dangerous current levels, the electromagnet is strong enough to pull down the
metal lever connected to the switch linkage.

 The switch linkage then tilts and pulls the moving contact away from the stationary contact to
break the circuit.

 Bimetallic strip operates similarly, but instead of being energized it bends to move the switch
linkage.
TYPES
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 Circuit breakers are typically classified according to the voltage they operate at
(low, medium & high), the principle of operation (magnetic, thermal, etc) or the
medium used to extinguish or quench the arc (vacuum, air, gas, oil).

 On board ship, generator circuit breakers and other low-voltage distribution circuit
breakers are typically of air break type (ACB).

 High-voltage installations mostly use the vacuum or SF6 (sulphur hexaflouride)

circuit breakers.
z AIR BREAK CIRCUIT BREAKER
(ACB)
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 Provides overcurrent & short circuit protection, typically in LV applications.

 2 pairs of contacts:The main pair carries the current at normal load, while the
second pair is the arcing contact.

 When the circuit breaker is opened, the main contacts open first, at which
point the arcing contacts are still in touch with each other.

 As the main contacts open, no arcing will occur - the arcing is initiated once
the arcing contacts separate.

 Each of the arc contacts contains an arc runner (a driven section) which
facilitates the upwards movement of the arc discharge, where it enters the arc
chute.

 In the chute, it will become colder, lengthen and split as arc voltage becomes
much larger than the system voltage, and finally become extinguished.
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VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER

 In a vacuum circuit breaker,

the contacts only need to
separate by a few millimeters
due to the extremely high
insulation level of the vacuum.

 To check the vacuum quality,

in the sealed chamber of the
breaker, a short HV pulse is
applied across the open
contacts.
GAS zCIRCUIT BREAKER

 In a gas circuit breaker the contacts

separate in a special chamber
containing gas

 In the case of SP6, sulphur

hexaflouride is used to quench the
arc.

 Main advantages are lower noise,

relatively low maintenance, and no
emission of hot gases.
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fuses
DEFINITION
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 A fuse is an intentionally weakened part of an electric

circuit that opens it if subjected to a dangerous overload.

 It is a safety device which consists of a wire with a low

melting point.

 This means that if the current going through the circuit is

too great, the fuse will heat up and melt thus breaking the
circuit.
A blown fuse
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 Fuses are connected in series with the
components they are meant to protect,
so that when the fuse blows (opens)
the entire circuit will open, thus
preventing the current from passing
through these components.

 A fuse connected in one branch of

a parallel circuit does not prevent the
current from passing through any of
the other branches.

 Typically, a thin piece of wire is placed

in a safety sheath to minimize
hazards of arc blast in the event of
extreme overcurrents. What will happen if the fuse blows?
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 Cartridge-type fuses are

commonly used in
automotive as well as
industrial applications.

 Cartridge fuses can be held in fuse holders, where they are

secured by metal clips connected to the circuit conductors while
the base is made of an insulating material, or in an insulating
housing which completely encloses them.
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 Fuses are typically held in holders so they can

be easily replaced.

 Cartridge fuses can be held in fuse holders,

where they are secured by metal clips
connected to the circuit conducotrs.while the
base is made of an insulating material, or in an
insulating housing which completely encloses
them
A multi-fuse holder
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VOCAB CHECK
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Provide English translation for the

following words or phrases!
z VALOVITA KOMORA BELLOW

SKLOPKA SWITCH

PREKIDAČ CIRCUIT BREAKER

OSIGURAČ FUSE

ONEMOGUĆITI INHIBIT

RUČKA THROW

SKLOPKA S GUMBOM PUSH BUTTON SWITCH

ZGLOBNA SKLOPKA TOGGLE SWITCH

POKRENUTI (AKTIVIRATI) ACTUATE

POLUGA, RUČKA LEVER

z ODSKOČNI MEHANIZAM ROCKING MECHANISM

GRANIČNA SKLOPKA LIMIT SWITCH

SKLOPKA S PLOVKOM FLOAT SWITCH

TLAČNA SKLOPKA PRESSURE SWITCH

MIKROPREKIDAČ MICROSWITCH

ROTACIJSKA SKLOPKA ROTARY SWITCH

DUGME (button) KNOB

DVOMETALNA TRAKA BIMETALLIC STRIP

PREKOSTRUJNA ZAŠTITA OVERCURRENT PROTECTION

PRIGUŠITI QUENCH
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Compose sentences using the
following expressions!

FUSE BLOWS UPON ACTUATION

OPERATE MANUALLY IS ADDED TO ENSURE

TO INHIBIT THE CURRENT FLOW IT CAN BE RESET

CAUSES A CIRCUIT BREAKER TO TRIP THE ARC CHUTE

CAN BE ACTUATED BY LOW MELTING POINT

IN THE EVENT OF FUSE HOLDER