Tool for Understanding Thermal Controls
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Glossary of Commonly Used Terms Associated with Thermal Controls
Ambient Temperature: The typical temperature measured of the environment of an application during normal operating conditions.
Automatic Reset: A term used for thermal controls which automatically resets to their normal contact configuration which has been preset at the factory.
Axial Termination: This term is used to describe the actual configuration where the terminals of connecting lead wires are attached to a thermal control device. Axial termination has leads that are connected from opposing ends (opposite end termination).
Bimetal: Bimetal is made from specially bonded materials that react differently under the influence of a thermal load. The principle behind how bimetals work makes use of the fact that different metals will expand or contract at different rates when heated or cooled. This is commonly referred to the coefficient of expansion. The materials which are used to produce bimetal react differently when heat is induced into the bimetal element either through exposure to
heat generated by an application or caused by the self-heating effect created by passing current through the bimetallic element, or a combination of both. This permits the bimetallic element to
"bend" or “flex” creating the work force required to make or break an electrical circuit.
