Uses of Mercury Switch (Part 2)
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Uses of Mercury Switch (Part 2) 5. Thermostats Mercury switches were commonly used in bimetal thermostats. The weight of the movable mercury drop provided some hysteresis by moving the bimetal spring slightly beyond the point it would normally assume, thereby holding the thermostat off slightly longer before flipping to the on state and then holding the thermostat on slightly longer before flipping back to the off state. The mercury also provided a very positive on/off switching action and could withstand millions of cycles without degradation of the contacts. 6. Pressure switches A pressure switch can be made with a Bourdon tube and a mercury switch; the switch can be reliably operated by the small force generated by the tube. 7. Vending Mercury switches are still used in mechanical systems that are controlled electrically where the physical orientation of actuators or rotors is a factor. They are also commonly used in vending machines that have 'tilt alarms'. When the machine is rocked or tilted in an attempt to gain a product, the mercury switch activates, sounding an alarm. 8. Bombs A tilt switch can be used to trigger a bomb. Mercury tilt switches can be found in some bomb and landmine fuses, typically in the form of anti-handling devices, for example, a variant of the VS-50 mine. |
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