PHYSICS

PROJECT FILE

NAME – Murtaza Jamali

CLASS – XI
ROLL NO. – 30
SESSION – 2023-24

TOPIC
WORKING OF AN ELECTRIC BELL

SUBMITTED TO
Mrs. Reshma Bagal
Physics Department

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project submitted by Murtaza

Jamali of class XI in the session 2023-24, to the department
of Physics, Crimson Anisha Global School, Undri, NIBM
Campus, Pune is in accordance to the specification
prosecuted by Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE), New Delhi.

She/he had worked on the project ‘WORKING OF AN

ELECTRIC BELL’ under my supervision. During this
period, she/he was found to be sincere and hardworking.

Teacher’s signature Principal’s signature

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deep gratitude and sincere thanks to the

principal, Mrs. Rani Thomas for her encouragement and all the
facilities provided for this project work.
I would like to thank our Teacher in Charge, Mrs. Reshma Bagal for
her guidance and supervision of our project. The necessary
information regarding the project provided by her has been quite
significant and very helpful for me in completing the project.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my parents for
their support and encouragement throughout the duration of the
project.

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 INDEX

SERIAL TITLE PAGE

NO. NO.
1. AIM 5
2. INTRODUCTION 5-6
3. DEFINATION 7
4. THEORY 8-9
5. CONSTRUCTION 10
6. WORKING 11-13
7. APPLICATIONS 14
8. TYPES OF ELECTRIC BELLS 15-16
9. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES 17
10. CONCLUSION 18
11. BIBLIOGRAPHY 18

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 AIM
To demonstrate the construction and working of an Electric Bell.

INTRODUCTION
An electric bell is a mechanical bell that functions by means of an
electromagnet. When an electric current is applied, it produces a
repetitive buzzing or clanging sound. Electric bells have been
widely used at railroad crossings, in telephones, fire and burglar
alarms, as school bells, doorbells, and alarms in industrial plants,
since the late 1800s, but they are now being widely replaced with
electronic sounders. It consists of coils of insulated wire wound
round iron rods. When electric current flows through the coils, the
rods became magnetic and attract a piece of iron attached to a
clapper. The clapper hits the bell and makes it ring.

Electric bells have been in wide use in a number of settings. For

most of the 20th century, the bells were included in the basic
design for most telephones, serving as the means of alerting
subscribers that an inbound call was being received. The bells
were also used at railroad crossings, configured to warn anyone
attempting to pass over the crossing that a train would be
arriving
at the crossing in a short amount of time. The electric bell was
also used in many factories to signal the beginnings and endings
of shifts, providing a similar function at schools. Even safety
devices such as home burglar alarms or fire alarms made use of
this type of bell mechanism, using electricity supplied by wiring to
the devices as the means of activating the ringing mechanism.

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Over the years, the introduction of newer technology began to
replace the use of the electric bell in many applications. As analog
telephones with rotary dials gave way to digital telephones using
touch tone services, the ringing mechanism also changed, with
many models using what is known as an electronic sounding
device rather than an actual bell mechanism. In like manner,
computer controlled railroad crossing signals and even simple
devices like residential doorbells usually do not rely on the older
technology. While still available, devices that make use of the
electric bells are not produced in the same quantities as during the
early to middle 20th century and are sometimes considered more
of a novelty or specialty item.

The interrupter bell evolved from various oscillating

electromechanical mechanisms which were devised following the
invention of the electromagnet by William Sturgeon in 1823. One
of the first was the oscillating electric wire invented by James
Marsh in [Link] consisted of a wire pendulum dipping into a
mercury trough, suspended between the poles of an
electromagnet. When current was passed through the wire, the
force of the magnet made the wire swing sideways, out of the
mercury, which broke the current to the magnet, so the wire fell
back. The modern electric bell mechanism had its origin in
vibrating "contact breaker" or interrupter mechanisms devised to
break the primary current in induction coils. Vibrating "hammer"
interrupters were invented by Johann Philipp Wagner (1839) and
Christian Ernst Neeff (1847), and were developed into a buzzer
by
Froment (1847). John Mirand around 1850 added a clapper and
gong to make the standard electric bell for use as a telegraph
sounder. Other types were invented around that time by Siemens
and Halske and by Lippens. The polarized (permanent magnet)
bell used in telephones, which appeared about 1860, had its
beginning in the polarized relay and telegraph developed by
Werner Siemens around 1850.

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 DEFINATION
A Bell activated by the magnetic effect of an electric
current.

OR

A bell operated by electricity, typically having a hammer

operated by a solenoid which makes
a rapid succession of hits as a result of a make-and-break
contact on the solenoid.

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 THEORY
After pressing a button that connects the bell circuit, the
electromagnet pulls anchor. Anchor oscillates between two poles
of the electromagnet core rhythm in the frequency of alternating
current, which is powered by the bell. This arrangement creates an
electric spark, the current does not break mechanically.
Prolonged vibrating armature strikes the bell metal (resonator)
and the shock caused by sound effect. Some electric bells have
two resonators, which alludes to the mallet, each in one extreme
position, and may have a different resonant frequency.
Alternating bell when connected to a DC source does not ring, the
anchor is only attracted to one of the electromagnets, thus mallet
hits the resonator only once.

The basic concept of an electric bell involves creating a

mechanism that includes a bell or some type of gong as part of
the design.

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An electric bell consists of an iron core, on which is wound a wire
as a coil. One end of the coil is connected to one terminal of a
battery, and the other end to a steel rod that acts like a spring for
the hammer touching the screw contact. The other terminal of the
battery is connected to the screw contact with a switch in the
middle.
In addition to the bell, the device is equipped with a metal arm
that is configured with a ball on one end. This ball, known as a
clapper, is used to strike the bell repeatedly as a means of
producing the series of sounds of the bell clamouring. With an
electric bell, the action of the arm and clapper are controlled
with the use of wiring and springs that trigger the ringing action,
and also bring the action to an end once the cycle is completed.

Electric bells are typically designed to operate on low voltages

of from 10 to 24 V AC or DC. Before widespread distribution of
electric power, bells were necessarily powered by batteries,
either wet-cell or dry-cell type. Bells used in early telephone
systems derived current by a magneto generator cranked by the
subscriber. In residential applications, a small bell-ringing
transformer is usually used to power the doorbell circuit. So that
bell circuits can be made with low-cost wiring methods, bell
signal circuits are limited in voltage and power rating. Bells for
industrial purposes may operate on other, higher, AC or DC
voltages to match plant voltages or available standby battery
systems.

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 CONSTRUCTION
Important parts of an electric bell are:

1. Electromagnet
2. Armature
3. Spring
4. Armature rod
5. Hammer
6. Gong

One end of armature winding is connected to terminal T1

and the other to a spring, which is mounted on a soft iron
strip. A rod is attached to the armature and the free end of
the rod carries a small hammer, which strikes a bell. A very
light spring is attached to a screw, which is joined to
terminal T2.

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 WORKING

To understand the operations of an electric bell, you should

understand what an electromagnet is. An electromagnet
works as a standard magnet (generating magnetic fields)
but only with an electrical influence. When the power
generation to an electromagnet stops, the production of
the magnetic field also stops.
The image below shows the internal mechanism of an
electric bell.

An electric source powers the electromagnet used in an

electric bell. The switch which you press to sound an
electric bell act as the circuit breaker or the switch which
completes the circuit.

When the switch is pressed, the circuit loop is complete

which causes current to flow through the circuit. The arm
which strikes the gong is connected to a spring at one end

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and an iron ball at the other end. This is called a clapper or
a striker. The arm is attached to an iron strip which is
attracted to the electromagnet when the circuit is complete
and current is flowing through it.

This is because the magnetic field created by the

electromagnet attracts the iron strip towards it when the
circuit is complete. At its rest position the clapper is held
away from the gong on account of the spring attached to
its arm. This is an anchored arm.

Now that you have an understanding of the important parts in an

electric bell, the step-by-step process of the working of the
electric bell is described below.
• The switch is pressed and current flows through the circuit.

• The electromagnet is powered and generates a magnetic

• field that attracts the iron strip towards it.

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• The striker strikes the gong (bell).

• When the striking arm strikes the gong, the contact is broken

• and current stops flowing through the circuit.

• This causes the electromagnet to lose its magnetic field.

• The connected spring arm returns the striker to its original

rest position.

• The contact is restored and current flows through the circuit

(provided the main switch is still pressed).

• The process is repeated from the beginning.

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 APPLICATIONS
Many objects around you contain electromagnets. They are
found in electric motors and loudspeakers. Very large and
powerful electromagnets are used as lifting magnets in
scrap yards to pick up, then drop, old cars and other scrap
iron and steel.

1) When the current flows through the circuit, the

electromagnet makes a magnetic field.

2) The electromagnet attracts the springy metal arm.

3) The arm hits the gong, which makes a sound.

4) The circuit is broken now the arm is out of position.

5) The electromagnet is turned off and the springy metal

arm moves back.

6) The circuit is complete again.

7) Electric bells are used in fire or burglar alarms.

8) It is used as alarms at some industrial plants because it

I is replaced by electronic sounders.

9) Electric bells like the ones used in most schools also

contain an electromagnet.

10) It is also used a door bell.

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 TYPES OF ELECTRIC BELL

1. BUZZERS
An electric buzzer uses a similar mechanism to an
interrupter bell, but without the resonant bell. They
are quieter than bells, but adequate for a warning tone over
a small distance, such as across a desktop.

A buzzer or beeper is an audio signalling device, which

may be mechanical, electromechanical, or
piezoelectric. Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include
alarm devices, timers and confirmation of user input such
as a mouse click or keystroke. With the development of
low-cost electronics from the 1970s onwards, most buzzers
have now been replaced by electronic 'sounders'. These
replace the electromechanical striker of a bell with an
electronic oscillator and a loudspeaker, often a
piezoelectric transducer.

2. TELEPHONE BELLS
Where a bell is powered by AC a different design, the
polarised bell, may be used. These have an armature
containing a permanent magnet, so that this is alternately
attracted and repelled by each half-phase and different
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polarity of the supply. In practice, the armature is arranged
symmetrically with two poles of opposite polarity facing
each end of the coil, so that each may be attracted in turn.
No contact breaker is required, so the bells are reliable for
long service.

3. FIRE ALARMS BELL

Fire alarm bells are divided into two categories: vibrating,
and single-stroke. On a vibrating bell, the bell will ring
continuously until the power is cut off. When power is
supplied to a single- stroke bell, the bell will ring once and
then stop. It will not ring again until power is turned off
and on again. These were frequently used with coded pull
stations.

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 ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES
•Low cost
•Less use of electricity
•Warning in danger
•Detect human or machine errors
•Assured safety
•Can perform more than 10000 Operations

DISADVANTAGES
•Performs only once for one push of bell
•Can be destroyed when the current loss
•Get shock in rainy season
•Requires batteries which may die some time unexpectedly

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 CONCLUSION
The design and construction of the House Bell with
indicating light system was creative embarked on for the
production of a better alarm signals. Meanwhile different
measures and steps such as using electric bell, electric
bulb, light emitting diode, 1 mm2 their cable, B Amps plug,
lamp holder was used to achieve the objective.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Comprehensive PRACTICAL PHYSICS FOR CLASS XI
• NCERT Text Book – PHYSICS Class XI
• [Link]
electric-belldocx/?justUnlocked=1
• [Link]

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