Thermal Protector N02

The switchgear of type series 02 is fixed in a positive lock and is self-aligning between the floor of a conductive housing (1) and a contact cap which is made of steel (2) and insulated from it, plus an integrated stationary silver contact (6) which closes the housing like a button cell. By means of a throw force a bimetallic disc (5) pushes the movable contact (4) that sticks out in the middle of it onto its circumferential collar (7) against the spring snap-in disc (3) that is also surrounding the contact (4). Due to the higher throw force of the bimetallic disc (5) the switch contact remains open against the mechanical resistance of the spring snap-in disc (3) before reaching the rated switching temperature. As such, the contact also remains open as long as the bimetallic disc – only reacting to the ambient temperature – continually works and its shape changes. The bimetallic disc (5) only snaps into its inverted position when the rated switching temperature is reached and the contact is closed by the abruptly released pressure of the spring snap-in disc (3). The spring snap-in disc (3) is now a transfer element for electric current and as such, it enables the bimetallic disc (5) to continue to work on a continuous basis. When the reset temperature is reached, the bimetallic disc snaps back into its start position and the contact is opened again.