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    Knife Switch - Wikipedia

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    Sheraz Khan
    A knife switch is a simple type of switch that controls electricity flow by inserting or lifting a metal lever into a slot. It has exposed metal parts that present a risk of electric shock. Modern switches like circuit breakers are enclosed and use rapid opening mechanisms to reduce arcing, preventing injury from accidental contact. Knife switches were replaced by safer enclosed switches that only open when power is off.

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    Knife Switch - Wikipedia

    Uploaded by

    Sheraz Khan
    80 views7 pages
    A knife switch is a simple type of switch that controls electricity flow by inserting or lifting a metal lever into a slot. It has exposed metal parts that present a risk of electric shock. Modern switches like circuit breakers are enclosed and use rapid opening mechanisms to reduce arcing, preventing injury from accidental contact. Knife switches were replaced by safer enclosed switches that only open when power is off.

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    A knife switch is a simple type of switch that controls electricity flow by inserting or lifting a metal lever into a slot. It has exposed metal parts that present a risk of electric shock. Modern switches like circuit breakers are enclosed and use rapid opening mechanisms to reduce arcing, preventing injury from accidental contact. Knife switches were replaced by safer enclosed switches that only open when power is off.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    80 views7 pages

    Knife Switch - Wikipedia

    Uploaded by

    Sheraz Khan
    A knife switch is a simple type of switch that controls electricity flow by inserting or lifting a metal lever into a slot. It has exposed metal parts that present a risk of electric shock. Modern switches like circuit breakers are enclosed and use rapid opening mechanisms to reduce arcing, preventing injury from accidental contact. Knife switches were replaced by safer enclosed switches that only open when power is off.

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    Knife switch

    1917 motor switch, with extra contacts


    Open knife switch

    Dual pole, dual throw knife switch in one of its two


    closed positions.

    A knife switch is a type of switch used to


    control the flow of electricity in a circuit. It
    is composed of a hinge which allows a
    metal lever, or knife, to be lifted from or
    inserted into a slot or jaw. The hinge and
    jaw are both fixed to an insulated base,
    and the knife has an insulated handle to
    grip at one end. Current flows through the
    switch when the knife is pushed into the
    jaw. Knife switches can take several forms,
    including single throw, in which the "knife"
    engages with only a single slot, and double
    throw, in which the knife hinge is placed
    between two slots and can engage with
    either one. Also, multiple knives may be
    attached to a single handle and can be
    used to activate more than one circuit
    simultaneously.
    Current uses
    Though used commonly in the past, knife
    switches are now rare, finding use largely
    in science experiments where the position
    of the switch may be plainly seen in
    demonstration. The knife switch is
    extremely simple in construction and use,
    but its exposed metal parts present a great
    risk of electric shock, and the switch is
    subject to arcing when opened at higher
    voltages, which poses a further risk of
    shock or burns to the operator and can
    cause fires or explosions under certain
    conditions.
    Open knife switches were supplanted by
    safety switches with current carrying
    contacts inside a metal enclosure which
    can only be opened by switching off the
    power. In modern applications, automatic
    switches (such as contactors or relays),
    and manual switches such as circuit
    breakers are used. These devices use a
    snap action mechanism which opens the
    switch contacts rapidly, and feature an arc
    chute where the arc caused by opening
    the switch is quenched. These devices
    also prevent injury due to accidental
    contact, as all of the current carrying metal
    parts of the switch are hidden within or
    surrounded by insulating guards.
    References
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to
    Knife switches.

    "Basic Electricity" . Retrieved


    2007-06-01.
    "Resistance" . Retrieved 2007-06-01.
    unknown writer (1981), The Electrical
    Distributor, General Electric literature

    This engineering-related article is a stub.


     
    You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
    Retrieved from
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
    title=Knife_switch&oldid=830578008"

    Last edited 8 months ago by Störm

    Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless


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