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It is used as a thermostat.

A thermostat is a device used to control the temperature of any equipment, in this case an electric iron.

Two little strips of different types of metals are welded or brazed together. These little strips will be mounted inside the the iron near to the hot plate, held down just at one side.

An electrical contact will join the bimetallic strip into the electrical circuit of the iron. Another little flat metal plate will be mounted near the free end of the bimettalic strip. This little fixed plate will touch the free enf of the bimetallic strip.

So now you turn the iron on. The irons' hot plate heats up. The bimetallic plate heats up too as it is close to the hot plate.

Ok, now is the clever bit someone once thought out. The two strips of metal heat up and expand. As the properties of the metals are different they will expand at different amounts. As the two strips are stuck together the bimetallic strip will bend.

When it bends it will eventually bend away from the fixed plate. Assuming its been installed with the bimettaic strip the right way around! because the strip will bend to the side which has the metal that expands less. When it no longer touches the plate the circuit will turn off. And hence the power is turned off to the iron.

So how come that dial makes the iron hotter or less hot? When you are twisting the dial you are actually squeezing some tension into the bimetallic strip so that it will have to get hotter before it will bend away from the contact and hence break the circuit.











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Q: How are bimetallic strips used in electric irons?
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Appliances bimetallic strips are used in?

Bimetallic strips are used in switches which are triggered by changes in temperature. Examples of appliances that use bimetallic strips include heaters, ovens, irons, coffee makers, and toasters. Various applications using bimetallic strips include: 1. Clocks - where temperature changes could cause errors in timekeeping. 2. Thermostats to regulate temperature in household heating systems and car cooling systems. 3. Some thermometers are based on bimetallic strips wound into a coil. 4. Circuit breakers in electrical devices are used to protect circuits from excess current by responding to any increase in temperature by cutting of the electricity supply. 5, Some photocell devices use a thermal relay consisting of a resistor and a bimetallic strip. The light causes the photocell to conduct electricity, causing the resistor to heat, thus causing the bimetallic strip to bend away from the electrical contact, keeping the lights or other load turned off. When it gets dark, the photocell no longer conducts, thus allowing the strip to cool and make contact. This design has advantages over using a magnetic coil relay in that there is some built-in delay and that there may be some inherent overload protection.


Why are bimetallic strips used in thermostats?

The two metals chosen for the bimetallic strip have different modulii of thermal expansion, The bimetallic strip bends as the temperature changes and so the strip can be used to activate relays or other electronic switches and so work as a thermostat.


Bimetallic strips composed of two different metals each having a different rate of thermal expansion are used in?

Thermostats,.


What is a bimetallic strip and What is it used for?

it consists of strips madeof two different metals with different coefficient of expansion.use as fire alarm etc...


What does the bimetallic strip in an electric iron do?

It is used as a thermostat.A thermostat is a device used to control the temperature of any equipment, in this case an electric iron.Two little strips of different types of metals are welded or brazed together. These little strips will be mounted inside the the iron near to the hot plate, held down just at one side.An electrical contact will join the bimetallic strip into the electrical circuit of the iron. Another little flat metal plate will be mounted near the free end of the bimetallic strip. This little fixed plate will touch the free end of the bimetallic strip.So now you turn the iron on. The irons' hot plate heats up. The bimetallic plate heats up too as it is close to the hot plate.Ok, now is the clever bit someone once thought out. The two strips of metal heat up and expand. As the properties of the metals are different they will expand at different amounts. As the two strips are stuck together the bimetallic strip will bend.When it bends it will eventually bend away from the fixed plate. Assuming its been installed with the bimetallic strip the right way around! because the strip will bend to the side which has the metal that expands less. When it no longer touches the plate the circuit will turn off. And hence the power is turned off to the iron.So how come that dial makes the iron hotter or less hot? When you are twisting the dial you are actually squeezing some tension into the bimetallic strip so that it will have to get hotter before it will bend away from the contact and hence break the circuit.Thats the idea!


What is a bimetallic?

A bimetallic thermometer uses a bimetallic strip wrapped into a coil. This strip usually consists of either steel and copper or steel and brass. A bimetallic thermometer is a type of thermometer made with a couple metal strips. They have differing thermal expansions that are brazen together. Any distortion in this apparatus caused by variations in the temperature is used to measure the temperature.


Why is bimetallic stripes used in gadgets?

Bimetallic strips consists of two strips of fused together along their length. On one side, you'll see one metal; flip it around and you see another type. Since metals don't all expand and contract at the same rate, this bimetallic strip will be straight at only one temperature. Heat the strip up and the strip will bend because one metal will expand more than the other. This bending of the bimetallic strip is used in thermostats to regulate temperature. This strip provides a closed circuit to a heater. When it gets too hot, the strip bends and cuts off the electric current. No more heating goes on, and the strip starts to cool. When the bimetallic strip is straight again, the circuit is connected, and the heater heats up again.


What is a bimetallic thermometer?

A bimetallic thermometer uses a bimetallic strip wrapped into a coil. This strip usually consists of either steel and copper or steel and brass. A bimetallic thermometer is a type of thermometer made with a couple metal strips. They have differing thermal expansions that are brazen together. Any distortion in this apparatus caused by variations in the temperature is used to measure the temperature.


What is bimetallic strips used for?

Bimetallic strips were commonly used in thermostats. The two metals would expand at different rates and therefore bend. When a bimetallic strip, made of iron and brass [or any other metals] is heated, both metals expand differently, causing the bimetallic strip to bend. These bimetallic strips are used in fire alarms. The heat of the fire, causes the brass and iron strips to expand, ultimately resulting in the bending of the bimetallic strip, which on bending touches the screw adjacent to it, thus completing the circuit. Once the circuit is complete, the bell begins to ring. Thus the brass bends more than the steel, but on cooling, contracts more than the steel, thus causing the bimetallic strip to bend in the opposite direction.


Where is the bimetallic strips used in cars?

Bimetallic strips are typically found in the turn indicator circuit on vehicles. The opening and closing of the contacts makes the familiar clicking noise that we associate with turning on the blinker. This component is being replaced in the auto industry as more car models are being equipped with LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). LEDs consume only a fraction of the current that their incandescent counterparts do and as such the current drawn is not sufficient to heat a strip. Both the LEDs and the solid state driver modules that are replacing the bimetallic strips are more durable, more reliable and usually have a life expectancy longer than the car they were installed in.


Thermostats used in electric irons differ from those in small room heaters in that they are?

smaller in size


How have irons changed in the last 100 years?

A hundred years ago irons were made of solid metal. They were set to warm (usually on an open fire) and then used to press clothes. Electric irons first appeared early in the Twentieth Century, and didn't become commonplace in working-class households until the 1940's. But once electric irons were widespread, electric steam irons became a possibility (steam irons became commonplace during the 1960's). Ironing is much easier these days.