One of the very first electric light sources was the legendary incandescent lamp. Her patent was passed in 1879. Since then, for a long time, this device has been used by mankind in many fields of activity. However, today an incandescent lamp is gradually becoming a thing of the past. It was replaced by more economical sources of lighting.
There are certain advantages and disadvantages that characterize incandescent lamps. The characteristics of these devices, as well as the methods of their application and variety deserve detailed consideration. Also, their comparative characteristic with other lighting devices used today, will allow to draw conclusions about the advisability of using incandescent lamps.
Lamp device
Lamps with incandescent lamps, the characteristics of which will be discussed in detail later, were previously found in almost every house. The use of these devices was very simple and convenient. The design of an incandescent lamp is easy to understand. It consists of a glass flask, inside of which there is a thread of tungsten. This container may be filled with gas or vacuum.
A tungsten filament is located on special electrodes through which electricity is supplied to it. These conductors are hidden by the base. It has a thread, making it easy to screw the lamp into the cartridge. When electricity is supplied through the network through the base, the current is supplied to the tungsten filament. She is heating up. In this case, light is sent to the environment. By this principle, all incandescent bulbs work. There are a huge number of their varieties.
Main characteristics
Incandescent lamps have certain properties . The characteristics of these devices are measured by various indicators. The power range of these devices intended for domestic purposes ranges from 25-150 watts. For street lighting and industrial use can be used lamps up to 1000 watts.
In the process, the tungsten filament is heated up to 3000 ° C. The luminous flux return can vary from 9 to 19 Lm / W. In this case, the device can operate at a nominal voltage of 220-230 V. Some devices are designed for 127 V network. The frequency is 50 Hz.
The cap size of such devices can be 3 types. This is indicated on the label. If it is 14 mm, this is the E14 base. Accordingly, 27 mm is E27, and 40 mm is E40. The larger the base, the greater the power characteristic of the lighting device. It can be threaded, pin, single or double contact.
Under normal conditions, incandescent lamps work for about 1 thousand hours.
Varieties
Incandescent lamps, the technical characteristics of which were considered above, are of several types. There are several principles by which the presented devices are classified.
First of all, incandescent lamps are distinguished by the shape of the bulb. It can be spherical (the most common), tubular, cylindrical, spherical. There are other, rarer varieties. They are used to create a certain decorative effect (for example, in Christmas garlands).
The flask coating may be transparent or matte. There are also mirror varieties. The purpose of the lamp is also quite diverse. It can be used for general or local lighting, as well as for special needs (for example, quartz-halogen species).
The flask can be filled with vacuum, as well as inert gases, for example, argon, xenon. There are also halogen incandescent lamps.
Volt-ampere characteristics
The current-voltage characteristic of an incandescent lamp is non-linear. This is because the resistance of the filament depends on temperature and current. Nonlinearity in this case is ascending. The larger the current, the stronger the resistance of the tungsten conductor.
The curve has an upward view, because the dynamic value of the resistance is positive. At any point, the higher the increase in current, the more the voltage drops. This contributes to the automatic formation of a stable regime. With a constant voltage value, the current cannot be changed due to internal reasons.
The current-voltage characteristics show that due to all of the listed patterns, the incandescent lamp can turn on directly to the mains voltage.
Constant power supply
Incandescent lamps, the characteristics of which allow them to be used for domestic purposes, are most often powered by a constant source of electricity. It is still considered to be a resource of unlimited power. Therefore, often the mains voltage is considered the nominal voltage of the incandescent lamp.
But it is worth noting that quite often the voltage in the network and its nominal value is slightly different. Therefore, in order to improve the operational characteristics of the illuminators, GOST 2239-79 was developed. It introduces 5 intervals of supply voltage. Incandescent lamps used for domestic purposes must comply with it.
Limited power supplies
Incandescent lamps, the characteristics of which are designed for use in special devices, can be powered from limited sources (battery, battery, generator, etc.).
Their average actual voltage does not correspond to the rated value. Therefore, for incandescent lamps powered by limited current sources, an indicator such as the rated voltage is used. It is equal to the average value at which it is allowed to operate an incandescent lamp.
Marking
To understand what type of lamp is on sale, special marking of these products was developed. To select the appropriate type of device, you should familiarize yourself with generally accepted conventions.
For example, an argon bispiral incandescent lamp of 60 W, the characteristics of which allow it to be used for domestic purposes, will be marked as B235-245-60. The first letter means the physical qualities or design features of the product. If there is a second letter in the marking, this is the purpose of the lamp. It can be railway (F), airplane (SM), commutator (KM), automobile (A), searchlight (RV).
The first digit in the marking indicates voltage and power. The second numerical value is revision. This allows you to choose the right lamp for a particular lighting device.
Benefits
Incandescent and LED lamps, the comparative characteristics of which are compared when buying a particular device, are quite different. The advantage of tungsten filament devices is their low cost. There are a number of features that incandescent lamps favorably with LED, fluorescent light sources.
The presented devices used earlier, operate stably at low temperatures. Also, they are not afraid of small surges of electricity in the network. This allows you to operate them for quite a long time.
If the voltage decreases for some reason, the incandescent lamp will still work, albeit with less intensity. Also, such devices are not afraid of high humidity. They are easy to connect to the network, this does not require any additional equipment.
If the incandescent lamp breaks, hazardous substances will not enter the air (as is the case with energy-saving varieties of illuminators). Therefore, they are considered safer.
disadvantages
However, quite significant disadvantages include the characteristic of incandescent lamps. Luminescent lamps , as well as diode varieties of lighting devices, are used much more today for several reasons.
First of all, a significant disadvantage of devices with a tungsten filament is the low level of light output. The spectrum of radiation is dominated by yellow, red hues. This makes lighting unnatural.
In comparison with new lamps, the principle of incandescent is characterized by a low resource of work. With deviations in the rated voltage of the network, it decreases even more.
Incandescent bulb is quite fragile. For this reason, it is used most often with a shade. And this further reduces the degree of light intensity indoors.
Incandescent lamps also consume significantly more electricity. Compared to the fluorescent LED versions, this deviation is really impressive. Therefore, in order to save energy resources, one should choose new types of devices. This contributes to the gradual cessation of the production of incandescent lamps.