Building Utilities 2: Electrical, Mechanical, and Electronic Systems

ARBUTL22
(NOTES)

TOPIC 1: Fundamentals of Electrical Systems in Building

 ELECTRICITY
o science dealing with the physical phenomena arising from the existence and interaction of
electric charges.
o form of energy generated by:
a) friction
b) induction (chemical change)
c) magnetic, chemical and radiant effect
o electrons in motion.
o a physical entity associated with the atomic structure of matter which occurs in polar forms
(positive and negative) and which are separable by expenditure of energy.
o invisible energy capable of moving 186,000 m/s.
1. Electrons - negatively charged (-).
2. Protons - positively charged (+).

 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 THALES (Greek philosopher)
- observed that amber (stone-like substance) attracted small bits of straw after being
rubbed with cloth.

 PLATO (Greek philosopher)

-mentioned this property of amber in one of his works.

 JEROME CARDAN (Italian mathematician)

- distinguished between the properties of amber and those of magnetic black rock
(loadstone).
1. amber attracted light objects
2. loadstone attracted only iron.

 WILLIAM GILBERT (doctor of Queen Elizabeth I of England)

- discovered that such materials as diamonds, glass, Sulphur, and wax behaved like
amber. He called these materials electrics, a term based on electrum, the Latin word
for amber.
- Electrics:
a. Diamonds
b. Glass
c. Sulphur
d. wax

 SIR THOMAS BROWNE (English doctor)

- devised the word “electricity”.

 HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN ELECTRICITY

1. LUIGI GALVANI (1786, Italian anatomy professor)
 - performed one of the first experiments with electric current.
- He hung a freshly killed frog by the legs to copper hook over an iron railing. The
frog’s legs twitched when they touched the railing.
- Galvani concluded incorrectly that the animal contained what he called “animal
electricity”.

2. COUNT ALESSANDRO VOLTA (Italian physics professor)

- built the first battery (voltaic pile).
- He made it of stacked pairs of metal discs. Each pair consisted of one silver and one
zinc.
- Metal discs:
1. One silver
2. One Zinc

Early Studies on Electromagnetism

1. HANS CHRISTIAN OERSTED (1820, Danish physicist)
- observed that a strong current flowing through a wire could move the needle of a compass.
- This discovery indicated that current has magnetic effect.
2. ANDRE’ MARIE AMPERE (French physicist)
- measured the effect of two parallel currents on each other.
- He showed that such current attracts each other if they move in the same direction and repel each other
if their directions are opposite.
- Current:
1. Same direction – attracts
2. Opposite direction – repel each other

3. GEORG SIMON OHM (1827, German physicist and school teacher)

- worked out the law of electrical resistance that bears his name.
4. MICHAEL FARADAY (English physicist, 1831)
- he found that a moving magnet induced electric in a coil of wire.
5. JOSEPH HENRY (American physicist)
- independently discovered this principle. All electric generators and transformers work by means of
induction principles formulated by Faraday and Henry.
6. THOMAS ALVA EDISON (1879)
- advocated the use of direct current (DC), culminating in the first central electric-light powered Pearl
Street in New York City.
7. NIKOLA TESLA (1893)
- designed the first hydroelectric power station in the world at Niagara Falls that produced alternating
current (AC).
 BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES ON SOME MEN OF SCIENCE
Andre Marie Ampere French physicist - science of electrodynamics
- The son of a well-to-do merchant
- obtained knowledge through reading from their
family library.
- survived the French Revolution to become a
science teacher.
Charles Augustin de French physicist - law of forces between two bodies.
Coulomb - military engineer
- Coulomb’s Law
Thomas Alva Edison Most prolific American - incandescent lamp
inventors - first central electric light-power station
Michael Faraday - discovered chlorides of carbon
Joseph Henry American physicist and -discovery of electromagnetic induction and self-
scientific administrator introduction
- first secretary of the newly organized
Smithsonian Institution
-unit of inductance = henry
Heinrich Hertz German physicist - first people to demonstrate the existence of
electric waves
-foundation for the future development of radio,
telephone, telegraph and even television.
James Maxwell Scottish mathematician -theorized that magnetic fields when acting
together could produce a new kind of energy
called radiant energy.
-He said that light itself is an electromagnetic
disturbance in the form of waves.
George Simon Ohm German physicist -electrical unit for resistance =Ohm
-proposed Ohm’s Law: the law stating the
relationship between the flow of current, the
voltage, and the resistance in a circuit.
Werner von Siemens German engineer -designed a dynamo: used opposing
electromagnets to produce a magnetic field
around the armature rather than
around a permanent magnet.
- granted a patent for electroplating.
Nikola Tesla Serbian-American - devised the alternating current systems that
electrical engineer and underlie the modern electrical power industry.
inventor -a showed how a magnetic field could be made if
two coils at right angles were supplied
alternating current 90 deg. out of phase with
each other.
-Tesla coil, a kind of transformer.
-notable research on high voltage electricity and
wireless communication.
Alessandro Volta Italian physicist - inventor of the voltaic pile, the world’s first
battery.
-invented the electrophorus: device that once
electrically charged by rubbing could transfer
the charge to other objects.
- discovered and isolated methane gas.
-The unit volt, the unit of electric potential
James Watt Scottish engineer and -contributed in the development of steam engine
inventor as a practical source power.
-his improved engine was the first practical
 device for efficiently converting heat into a useful
work and was the key stimulus to
Industrial Revolution.
-One watt equals 1 joule per second, or 10
million ergs and 746 watts equals 1 horsepower.
Wilhelm Edward Weber a German -focused on the determination of an absolute unit
of electrical resistance.
- developed the electromagnetic telegraph
George Westinghouse American -invented the air brake system to stop trains
-began the bitter rivalry between AC and DC
that contributed for years to come.

KINDS OF ELECTRICITY

1. DYNAMIC ELECTRICITY -
2. STATIC ELECTRICITY

William Gilbert

-“Father of Electricity”
-“Electric Attraction” and “The Electric Force”

OHMS LAW (V=IR)

SERIES & PARALLE CIRCUIT

POWER EQUATION (P=IE)

CABLE

WIRE

CONDUCTOR

INSULATOR

CONDUIT

ELECTRICAL METALLIC TUBING

JUNCTION BOX
KNOCKOUT

GROMMET

BUSHING

SWITCH

ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS

AWG (AMERICAN WIRE GAUGE)

BUS, BUSBAR

RACEWAY METHOD

POLE

THROW

VOLTAGE

DUTY – safety switches

FUSIBILITY – w/ provisioning for fusing

ENCLOSURE – enclosed

SWITCHBOARDS AND SWITCHGEAR – assemblies

PANELBOARDS – final distribution point

OUTLETS AND RECEPTACLES -

ARMORED CABLE / BX flexible, helically wound metal wrapping.

CABLE
MINERAL-INSULATED tubular copper sheath
CABLE
NONMETALLIC enclosed in a nonmetallic, moisture-resistant, flame-retardant sheath.
SHEATHED CABLE /
ROMEX CABLE
COAXIAL CABLE transmitting high frequency telephone, digital, or television signals.
SHIELDED CABLE enclosed within a metallic sheath

RIGID-METAL CONDUIT – heavy-walled, tubular steel conduit

FLEXIBLE-METAL flexible, helically wound metal conduit
CONDUIT / GREENFIELD

SOLID WIRE
STRANDED WIRE twisted
3 ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS:

1. BARE
2. COVERED
3. INSULATED

EXAMPLE OF GOOD CONDUCTORS:

1. Silver

2. Copper

3. Zinc

4. Aluminum

5. Nickel

6. Brass

7. Platinum

8. Iron

9. Tin

10. Lead

CLASSES OF INSULATION:

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. O

EXAMPLE:

1. Rubber

2. Porcelain

3. Varnish

4. Slate

5. Glass

6. Mica
7. Latex

8. Asbestos

9. Thermoplastic

10. Oil

11. Wax

12. Dry air

13. Paper

14. Silk

15. Wood

MATERIALS FOR CONDUCTORS:

1. COPPER - : ductile, malleable, and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity

2. ALUMINUM - tough, fairly high strength and lightweight.

TYPES OF SWITCH:

1. One gang
2. 2 gang
3. Switch with pilot light
4. Push button
5. Push switch
6. 3 gang
7. 4 ganG

POLES AND THROWS

1. Single Throw Switch

2. Double Throw Switch

CLASSIFICATION OF SWITCHES
1. General use switch

2. General snap switch

3. Isolating switch

4. Motor circuit switch

5. Transfer switch
SWITCH TYPES (ACCORDING TO MANNER OF MOUNTING)
1. Surface switch

2. Flush type

3. Pendant switch

4. Canopy switch

SWITCHES MAY ALSO BE CLASSIFIED (ACCORDING TO THE TYPE OF

OPERATING MECHANISM)
1. Lever switch

2. Drum switch

3. Dial switch

4. Snap switch

a. Rotary switch

b. Push button switch

c. Tumbler switch (toggle switch

KINDS OF OUTLETS:

1. Convenience outlet or attachment cap – common wall outlet

2. LIGHTING OUTLET- direct connection to lamp
3. Receptacle outlet - # of poles and wires.