Lighting Fixture and Accessories v2

LIGHTING FIXTURE AND
ACCESSORIES
LESSON
History and Development of the Incandescent Lamp
The Incandescent Light Bulb
• The first incandescent electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy, an
English scientist. He experimented with electricity and invented an electric
battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the
carbon glowed, producing
• Much later, in 1860, English physicist, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914)
was determined to devise a practical, long-lasting electric light. He found that a
carbon paper filament worked well, but burned up quickly. In 1878, he
demonstrated his new electric lamps in Newcastle, England.
• Thomas Alva Edison, an American inventor experimented with thousands
of different filaments to find just the right materials to glow well and be
long-lasting. In 1879, Edison discovered that a carbon filament in an
oxygen-free bulb glowed but did not burn up for 40 hours. Edison
eventually produced a bulb that could glow for over 1500 hours.
• Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) improved the light bulb by inventing a
carbon filament which was patented in 1881. Latimer was a member of
Edison's research team, which was called "Edison's Pioneers." In 1882,
Latimer developed and patented a method of manufacturing his carbon
filaments.
•In 1903, Willis R. Whitney invented a treatment for the filament so that it
would not darken the inside of the bulb as it glowed. In 1910, William David
Coolidge (1873-1975) invented a tungsten filament, which lasted even longer
than the older filaments. The incandescent bulb revolutionized the world.
Parts of an Incandescent Bulb
Coiled tungsten filament - the metal wires that glow brightly when electricity
flows through them.
Connecting wires - The wires that carry electricity from the bulb's electrical
contact to the filament.
Electrical contacts - the metallic base of the bulb, which connects to the
electrical contacts of the lamp when the bulb is in the lamp.
Glass envelope - the thin layer of glass that surrounds the light bulb mechanism
and the inert gases.
Glass fuse enclosure – the glass that insulates the bulb's fuses - located in the
stem of the bulb.
Mixture of inert gases at low pressures - the bulb that is filled with inert (non-
reactive) gases.
Screw cap - the threaded base of the bulb that secures it to a lamp.
Support wires - wires that physically hold up the filament.
Edison’s first successful lamp
Thomas Alva Edison did invent the light

bulb (or at least "a" light bulb), but he was
not the first. In 1860, an English physicist
and electrician Sir Joseph Wilson Swan,
produced his first experimental light bulb
using carbonized paper as filament.
Operation of incandescent lamp
What makes a light bulb glow?
The thin wire, or filament, inside

a light bulb resists the flow of
current through it. When
electricity is passed through the
bulb, the filament becomes hot
and glows brightly.
Elements used in the manufacturing incandescent lamp
1. Lead-in wire- provide an electric connection to the filament along with a glass-
to-metal seal component.
2. Glass- mount attached to the bulb's base which allows the electrical contacts to
run through the envelope without gas/air leaks.
3. Argon gas- the presence of argon in light bulbs prevents the evaporation of the
tungsten filament, which results in increased light bulb life.
4. Inert gas- When electric current passes through the tungsten filament, it gets
heated up and starts to glow at a temperature around 2500 degree Celsius.
Elements used in the manufacturing incandescent lamp
5. Coiled tungsten- an electric current passing through the filament raises

the temperature of the filament so it becomes incandescent, emitting light
and heat.
6. Mica- a group of chemically and physically related aluminum silicate
minerals, common in igneous and metamorphic rocks,
7. Copper- Copper is a metallic mineral substance and is used in the
production of incandescent light bulbs, used to make the wires that lead into
the main body of the bulb.
Classification of Incandescent Lamp
Large lamps are those

normally used for interior and
exterior general and task
lighting.
Miniature lamps are

generally used in
automotive, aircraft, and
appliance applications.
Photographic lamps as the

name implies, are used in
photography and projection
service.
Kinds of High Intensity discharge lamp
Mercury lamp is an electric

discharge lamp in which the
major portion of the radiation is
produced by the excitation of
mercury atoms.
Metal halide lamp is an electric

discharge lamp in which the light is
produced by the radiation from an
excited mixture of a metallic vapor
(mercury) and the products of the
dissociation of halides (for example,
halides of thallium, indium,
sodium).
High-pressure sodium lamp is

an electric discharge lamp in
which the radiation is produced
by an excitation of sodium vapor
in which the partial pressure of
the vapor during operation is of
the order of 104 N/m2.

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LIGHTING FIXTURE AND

Thomas Alva Edison did invent the light

What makes a light bulb glow?

The thin wire, or filament, inside

5. Coiled tungsten- an electric current passing through the filament raises

Large lamps are those

Miniature lamps are

Photographic lamps as the

Mercury lamp is an electric

Metal halide lamp is an electric

High-pressure sodium lamp is

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