What is a relay?

We know that most of the high end industrial application devices have relays for their
effective working. Relays are simple switches which are operated both electrically and
mechanically. Relays consist of a n electromagnet and also a set of contacts. The switching
mechanism is carried out with the help of the electromagnet. There are also other operating
principles for its working. But they differ according to their applications. Most of the devices
have the application of relays.

Why is a relay used?

The main operation of a relay comes in places where only a low-power signal can be used to
control a circuit. It is also used in places where only one signal can be used to control a lot
of circuits. The application of relays started during the invention of telephones. They played
an important role in switching calls in telephone exchanges. They were also used in long
distance telegraphy. They were used to switch the signal coming from one source to another
destination. After the invention of computers they were also used to perform Boolean and
other logical operations. The high end applications of relays require high power to be driven
by electric motors and so on. Such relays are called contactors.

TAKE A LOOK : TYPES OF RELAYS

TAKE A LOOK : HOW TO TEST A RELAY

Relay Design

There are only four main parts in a relay. They are

 Electromagnet
 Movable Armature
 Switch point contacts
 Spring

The figures given below show the actual design of a simple relay.
 Relay Construction

It is an electro-magnetic relay with a wire coil, surrounded by an iron core. A path of very
low reluctance for the magnetic flux is provided for the movable armature and also the
switch point contacts.  The movable armature is connected to the yoke which is
mechanically connected to the switch point contacts. These parts are safely held with the
help of a spring. The spring is used so as to produce an air gap in the circuit when the relay
becomes de-energized.

How relay works?

The working of a relay can be better understood by explaining the following diagram given
below.
 Relay Design

The diagram shows an inner section diagram of a relay. An iron core is surrounded by a
control coil. As shown, the power source is given to the electromagnet through a control
switch and through contacts to the load. When current starts flowing through the control
coil, the electromagnet starts energizing and thus intensifies the magnetic field. Thus the
upper contact arm starts to be attracted to the lower fixed arm and thus closes the contacts
causing a short circuit for the power to the load. On the other hand, if the relay was already
de-energized when the contacts were closed, then the contact move oppositely and make
an open circuit.

As soon as the coil current is off, the movable armature will be returned by a force back to
its initial position. This force will be almost equal to half the strength of the magnetic force.
This force is mainly provided by two factors. They are the spring and also gravity.

Relays are mainly made for two basic operations. One is low voltage application and the
other is high voltage. For low voltage applications, more preference will be given to reduce
the noise of the whole circuit. For high voltage applications, they are mainly designed to
reduce a phenomenon called arcing.

Relay Basics

The basics for all the relays are the same. Take a look at a 4 – pin relay shown below. There
are two colours shown. The green colour represents the control circuit and the red colour
represents the load circuit. A small control coil is connected onto the control circuit. A switch
is connected to the load. This switch is controlled by the coil in the control circuit. Now let us
take the different steps that occour in a relay.
 relay operation

 Energized Relay (ON)

As shown in the circuit, the current flowing through the coils represented by pins 1 and 3
causes a magnetic field to be aroused. This magnetic field causes the closing of the pins 2
and 4. Thus the switch plays an important role in the relay working. As it is a part of the
load circuit, it is used to control an electrical circuit that is connected to it. Thus, when the
relay in energized the current flow will be through the pins 2 and 4.

Energized Relay (ON)

 De – Energized Relay (OFF)

As soon as the current flow stops through pins 1 and 3, the switch opens and thus the open
circuit prevents the current flow through pins 2 and 4. Thus the relay becomes de-energized
and thus in off position.

De-Energized Relay (OFF)

In simple, when a voltage is applied to pin 1, the electromagnet activates, causing

a magnetic field to be developed, which goes on to close the pins 2 and 4 causing
a closed circuit. When there is no voltage on pin 1, there will be no
electromagnetic force and thus no magnetic field. Thus the switches remain open.

Pole and Throw

Relays have the exact working of a switch. So, the same concept is also applied. A relay is
said to switch one or more poles. Each pole has contacts that can be thrown in mainly three
ways. They are

 Normally Open Contact (NO) – NO contact is also called a make contact. It closes
the circuit when the relay is activated. It disconnects the circuit when the relay is
inactive.
 Normally Closed Contact (NC) – NC contact is also known as break contact. This
is opposite to the NO contact. When the relay is activated, the circuit disconnects.
When the relay is deactivated, the circuit connects.
 Change-over (CO) / Double-throw (DT) Contacts – This type of contacts are
used to control two types of circuits. They are used to control a NO contact and also
a NC contact with a common terminal. According to their type they are called by the
names break before make and make before break contacts.

Relays are also named with designations like

  Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) – This type of relay has a total of four terminals.
Out of these two terminals can be connected or disconnected. The other two
terminals are needed for the coil.
 Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) – This type of a relay has a total of five
terminals. Out f these two are the coil terminals. A common terminal is also included
which connects to either of two others.
 Double Pole Single Throw (DPST) – This relay has a total of six terminals. These
terminals are further divided into two pairs. Thus they can act as two SPST’s which
are actuated by a single coil. Out of the six terminals two of them are coil terminals.
 Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) – This is the biggest of all. It has mainly eight
relay terminals. Out of these two rows are designed to be change over terminals.
They are designed to act as two SPDT relays which are actuated by a single coil.

Relay Applications

 Relays are used to realize logic functions. They play a very important role in
providing safety critical logic.
 Relays are used to provide time delay functions. They are used to time the delay
open and delay close of contacts.
 Relays are used to control high voltage circuits with the help of low voltage signals.
Similarly they are used to control high current circuits with the help of low current
signals.
 They are also used as protective relays. By this function all the faults during
transmission and reception can be detected and isolated.

Relay Selection

You must note some factors while selecting a particular relay. They are

 Protection – Different protections like contact protection and coil protection must be
noted. Contact protection helps in reducing arcing in circuits using inductors.  Coil
protection helps in reducing surge voltage produced during switching.
 Look for a standard relay with all regulatory approvals.
 Switching time – Ask for high speed switching relays if you want one.
 Ratings – There are current as well as voltage ratings. The current ratings vary from
a few amperes to about 3000 amperes.  In case of voltage ratings, they vary from
300 Volt AC to 600 Volt AC. There are also high voltage relays of about 15,000 Volts.
 Type of contact used – Whether it is a NC or NO or closed contact.
 Select Make before Break or Break before Make contacts wisely.
 Isolation between coil circuit and contacts

This article shows you how to test a relay. A relay will usually have a coil, pole
terminal and a set of contacts. The set of contacts that are open when the relay is
not energized are called normally open (N/O) contacts and the set of contacts that
are closed when the relay is not energized are called normally closed (N/C)
contacts. The following steps can be used to perform the testing of the relay using a
multimeter.

 Keep the multimeter in the continuity check mode.

 Check for continuity between the N/C contacts and pole.
 Check for discontinuity between N/O contacts and the pole.
 Now energise the relay using the rated voltage. For example use a 9V battery
for energising a 9V relay. The relay will engage with clicking sound.
 Now check for continuity between N/O contacts and pole.
 Also check for discontinuity between N/C contacts and pole.
 As a final test, measure the resistance of the relay coil using a multimeter
and check whether it is matching to the value stated by the manufacturer.