1 Answer
Bimetallic strips bend because they are made of two different metals that expand at different rates when heated. Here's a simple breakdown:
This bending is used in devices like thermostats and circuit breakers, where the strip can trigger a switch when it bends enough due to temperature changes. The bending helps to either break or make a connection, turning a device on or off based on temperature.
Does that help clarify how bimetallic strips work?
- Composition: A bimetallic strip is typically made of two metals with different coefficients of thermal expansion. This means one metal expands more than the other when the temperature rises.
- Heating: When the strip heats up, the metal with the higher coefficient of expansion (usually the one on top) will try to expand more than the metal with the lower coefficient (usually the one on the bottom). But since they are bonded together, the two metals can’t expand independently.
- Bending: Because one metal expands more than the other, the strip bends toward the metal that expands less. The strip tries to "flatten out" by curving in the direction of the metal with the lower expansion rate.
This bending is used in devices like thermostats and circuit breakers, where the strip can trigger a switch when it bends enough due to temperature changes. The bending helps to either break or make a connection, turning a device on or off based on temperature.
Does that help clarify how bimetallic strips work?