Filament Breakage: The Impact of Resistance and Temperature?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the conditions under which the filament of a light bulb is more likely to break, focusing on the effects of resistance and temperature. Participants explore the relationship between temperature changes, stress on the filament, and the circumstances of bulb failure, particularly during on/off cycling.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that bulbs tend to burn out when being turned on, suggesting that large temperature changes create maximum stress on the filament, increasing the likelihood of breakage.
  • Another participant references an external resource that discusses the topic in detail, hinting at complex factors such as thermal stresses and material behavior of tungsten under high temperatures.
  • A later reply questions whether the root cause of filament breakage is concentrated thermal stresses or viscoplastic deformations due to non-homogeneous temperature distribution, suggesting uncertainty about the material properties of tungsten.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the primary causes of filament breakage, with some emphasizing the role of temperature changes during on/off cycling, while others introduce additional factors related to material behavior and stress distribution. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.

Contextual Notes

Participants do not reach a consensus on the exact mechanisms leading to filament breakage, and there are unresolved questions regarding the material properties of tungsten and the specifics of thermal stress impacts.

Gughanath
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when is it more likely for the filament of a light bulp to break
 
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It is my experience that bulbs burn out when being turned on. Of course it is impossible to tell if a bulb burns out when being turned off you will not know until you try to turn it on. It makes sense to me that when the filament is feeling large changes in temperature it experiences a maximum stress, thus is more likely to break.

I say most bulbs burn out on On/Off cycling.
 
Here is probably more than you ever wanted to know and more.
http://members.misty.com/don/bulb1.html#wbt

Feel nearly an expert after reading that ... so essentially is the root cause concentrated thermal stresses or viscoplasticity & deformations overall due to the non-homogeneous temperature distribution (I've no idea about constitutive response of tungsten but supposedly it behaves similarly as other metals at such high relative temps?) ... I'd put a greater mark on the deformation?
 
wow...thank you everyone..problem solved :)
 

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