No modern house or apartment is complete without electric lighting. Each lighting fixture uses lamps. They can be very different, but the problems with them are the same. So, the burnout of the lamps is always an unpleasant moment in our reality, but even worse, the lamps can explode at the moment of ignition. You can find the reason why the light bulb explodes when the light is turned on, having figured out this light source and the principle of its operation.
It is better to consider the problem of explosion of lamps with the principle of their operation and characteristics.
Lamp - what is it and how long has it been used?
The invention and improvement of incandescent lamps has passed a long stage. The beginning was laid by the Russian scientist Lodygin. It was he who first came up with how to make a coal rod glow in a vessel that does not contain air. Later, Thomas Edison created a prototype of a modern lamp and even launched its mass production, improving his invention every year. It is to these two scientists that modern humanity owes the appearance of the ability to quickly and effortlessly extend their daylight hours.
Lamps in apartments and houses are indispensable, people are so used to the use of electricity and electric lighting devices that the absence of it causes a lot of inconvenience. The reason may be not only a power outage due to damage to power lines during adverse weather conditions. A small storm can break out in the light bulb itself. Why the bulb explodes when turned on, described in the article below.
Types of lamps
Lamps can be divided into several types: household, industrial and automotive.
The use of incandescent lamps is so wide that this led to the appearance of the largest products to very miniature ones.
These light sources are used in various areas of life:
- general purpose - for lighting houses, offices, apartments and domestic premises;
- local purpose - for lighting a specific area, highlighting the workplace;
- car bulbs;
- lamps that are installed on all types of land, air, sea transport;
- the smallest lamps used to illuminate appliances and in flashlights;
- the smallest of incandescent lamps are used in medicine and in all kinds of control panels.
In almost all areas of activity, incandescent lamps are used, although they are supplanted by more economical types.
Lamp principle
In all lamps, the principle is the same - the current, passing through a tungsten filament, heats it, and it glows. In this case, the temperature of the thread inside the glass lamp itself increases significantly. The action after the circuit closes causes electromagnetic radiation. The process proceeds at a temperature of 570 ° C - this is the point of onset of red glow.
The temperature of the filament reaches 2800 ° C. Such a high temperature indicator turns the metal of the thread into oxide, forming a white coating on it. Under constant thermal action and a chemical reaction, inert gases evaporate, which, in turn, explains why the bulbs explode. When the cap is twisted into the cartridge, the network closes, as a result of which the thread glows and gives light.
Design
Each incandescent lamp consists of:
- Tungsten filament (wire bundled with a spiral). Tungsten melts at a temperature of 3387 ° C, and its luminescence passes to 3000 ° C. Power comes from the electrodes.
- Molybdenum is one of the components of a spiral; it is a refractory material.
- The lamp consists of a glass bulb filled with an inert gas, which prevents the combustion of the filament. Also, the gas additionally creates pressure.
- Copper wires connect the base and electrodes.
- All lamps have a base, except for some automotive ones. Its size may be different and the thread on it may also vary.
The efficiency of lamps with an incandescent filament is only 5%, this is due to the fact that the human eye is able to perceive only 5% of the glow of a tungsten filament, at such high temperatures. 95% goes into infrared radiation and is perceived by the organs of human senses as heat.
Lamp classification
- General purpose. They are used in offices, houses, apartments.
- Decorative lamps. They differ in the size and shape of the flask.
- Signaling. Used in alarm systems, along with LED.
- Illumination. Used for decoration.
- Mirrored. Due to the thin layer of aluminum, the rays of light are beaten off and concentrated in only one light. Such lamps are used in store windows.
- Transport. They are used for all types of transport and have their own design features.
- Double strand. Used in traffic lights at level crossings, in cars for some headlights, in airplanes. Two threads serve as a safety net in case of burnout of one of them.
Specifications and sensitivity to fluctuations in electricity
For domestic needs, lamps up to 150 W with a different base are available. It can be threaded, which is most often in the form of a pin, with a twist or pin twist. The light flux of household incandescent lamps is approximately 230 lumens (25 watts). 150 W lamps can have a flux of up to 2200 lumens. The most common lamps are 40-60 watts, because most electric lighting devices are not designed for high power. In European countries, starting in 2013, there is a ban on the use of incandescent lamps of 100 and more watts in domestic conditions.
A manufacturing defect or a damaged base is one of the main reasons for the short life of the light bulb. But these reasons are far from the only ones, there are others why the bulbs explode. They are discussed in the article below.
Voltage
The main reason why bulbs explode in an apartment is high voltage or power surges. The way out is only to purchase products of greater power, up to 240 V. often when building a house an electrical network with excess voltage is laid, then the characteristic crack of a burst or exploded lamp is not uncommon. You can also deal with this, if you install fluorescent lamps, they withstand high voltage. But such a step will not solve the problem for a long time, because the thermal grease in the lamp base will quickly dry out and this will cause the thread to break and a possible explosion. It is better to install a voltage stabilizer in the apartment.
Vibrations and vibrations
Conventional products with a tungsten filament do not tolerate mechanical vibrations and vibrations, as well as sharp noise. This is the second reason why light bulbs explode. Also, temperature changes can trigger an explosion. It's all about the depressurization and the properties of metals. If the pressure inside the bulb is disturbed, it will inevitably explode and showered with small fragments.
The quality of light bulbs and lighting
The quality of light bulbs and fixtures is also one of the most common reasons why light bulbs explode in a chandelier. The reason for this is the same loss of tightness. When choosing bulbs in a store, you should pay attention to the thickness of the metal and how tightly it holds the glass bulb. When choosing a lighting device, you need to study its passport and look at the manufacturer's recommendations regarding which light bulbs of which power are recommended. If you choose high-quality electrical appliances and lamps, you do not have to wonder why the bulbs explode in the chandelier when turned on.
If such a nuisance as a lamp explosion did occur, before buying a new one, you need to carefully study the contacts inside the lighting device, oxidation could well occur there, which caused the explosion.
What to do if a light bulb explodes?
To unscrew the base remaining in the cartridge after the bulb has shattered, you only need a pair of pliers. Domestic light bulbs can be easily twisted, but some lighting partitions will have to tinker with, as they are often made in a monolithic design.
Having decided on the reason why the bulbs explode in a particular device, it should be eliminated.