Can aluminium be used instead of tungsten to make the filament of light
bulbs? Why?
Answers
Copper and aluminium have very low resistivity and hence well suited for the purpose of being used as wires.
it's answer hope it help
Why was tungsten chosen to be used in electric bulbs? What other alternatives were considered and why were they dismissed?
Why was tungsten chosen to be used in electric bulbs? What other alternatives were considered and why were they dismissed?Dettol Disinfectant Spray- Germ Protection on Different Surfaces.
Tungsten was not the first filament material. Carbonized thread and platinum were were used successfully in the late 1800's. Carbonized thread is not very durable and platinum is too expensive and rare.
Tungsten was not the first filament material. Carbonized thread and platinum were were used successfully in the late 1800's. Carbonized thread is not very durable and platinum is too expensive and rare.Thomas Edison, who had purchased an incandescent light patent from a Canadian, commercialized a carbonized bamboo filament that finally made incandescent lighting reliable and affordable. However this material could not survive temperatures needed to produce white light very long. Tungsten wire is one of the few substances that can conduct sufficient electricity to reach 7000 Degrees C while maintaining enough strength to last thousands of hours and survive mild bumps and vibration. Platinum is far too expensive and most other metals would melt or evaporate at those temperatures. Lower temperatures give a more feeble orange light rather than the bright daylight white you get from tungsten.
Tungsten was not the first filament material. Carbonized thread and platinum were were used successfully in the late 1800's. Carbonized thread is not very durable and platinum is too expensive and rare.Thomas Edison, who had purchased an incandescent light patent from a Canadian, commercialized a carbonized bamboo filament that finally made incandescent lighting reliable and affordable. However this material could not survive temperatures needed to produce white light very long. Tungsten wire is one of the few substances that can conduct sufficient electricity to reach 7000 Degrees C while maintaining enough strength to last thousands of hours and survive mild bumps and vibration. Platinum is far too expensive and most other metals would melt or evaporate at those temperatures. Lower temperatures give a more feeble orange light rather than the bright daylight white you get from tungsten.In 1906 General Electric patented the tungsten filament.
Tungsten was not the first filament material. Carbonized thread and platinum were were used successfully in the late 1800's. Carbonized thread is not very durable and platinum is too expensive and rare.Thomas Edison, who had purchased an incandescent light patent from a Canadian, commercialized a carbonized bamboo filament that finally made incandescent lighting reliable and affordable. However this material could not survive temperatures needed to produce white light very long. Tungsten wire is one of the few substances that can conduct sufficient electricity to reach 7000 Degrees C while maintaining enough strength to last thousands of hours and survive mild bumps and vibration. Platinum is far too expensive and most other metals would melt or evaporate at those temperatures. Lower temperatures give a more feeble orange light rather than the bright daylight white you get from tungsten.In 1906 General Electric patented the tungsten filament.It became the filament of choice for several reasons.
- Very high melting point.
- Very low vapor pressure at high temperatures so it doesn't blacken the inside of the bulb.
- Maintains good strength at high temperatures; much stronger than carbon.
- Has enough resistivity as fine wire to heat up to incandescent temperatures with reasonable currents and voltages.
- Has enough resistivity as fine wire to heat up to incandescent temperatures with reasonable currents and voltages.Relatively affordable; at least by 1906.
- Relatively easy to draw into fine wire; at least by 1860.
It is said that Edison knew tungsten would make a good filament but before 1906 it was too difficult to make fine tungsten wire.
It is said that Edison knew tungsten would make a good filament but before 1906 it was too difficult to make fine tungsten wire.There are not a lot of materials that can survive incandescent heating without melting or breaking. Fewer still conduct electricity well enough to be used in electrical circuits and only a small subset of those can be drawn into fine wire. Of these tungsten is the cheapest to obtain and process and the longest lasting. It is not particularly efficient but compared to gas lamps, candles or kerosene lamps it is a huge improvement.