Relay

A relay is an electromagnetic switch operated by a relatively small electric current that can turn on
or off a much larger electric current. The heart of a relay is an electromagnet (a coil of wire that
becomes a temporary magnet when electricity flows through it).

You can think of a relay as a kind of electric lever: switch it on with a tiny current and it switches on
("leverages") another appliance using a much bigger current. Relay is an electromagnetic switch
which works on the principle of electromagnetic induction. When there is supply of current in the
coils then magnetic field is produced which attracts an iron switch and the circuit completes this is
the case of normally open switch relay

Why is that useful?

As the name suggests, many sensors are incredibly sensitive pieces of electronic equipment and
produce only small electric currents. But often we need them to drive bigger pieces of apparatus
that use bigger currents. Relays bridge the gap, making it possible for small currents to activate
larger ones. That means relays can work either as switches (turning things on and off) or as
amplifiers (converting small currents into larger ones).

How relays work

Here are two simple animations illustrating how relays use one circuit to switch on a second circuit.

When power flows through the first circuit (1), it activates the electromagnet (brown), generating a
magnetic field (blue) that attracts a contact (red) and activates the second circuit (2). When the
power is switched off, a spring pulls the contact back up to its original position, switching the second
circuit off again.

Relay is basically a magnetism based switch. It consists of a coil through which current passes and on
being magnetised it attracts a small bar towards itself which completes the circuit. You can basically
think it as a simple switch. When you turn on a relay you can momentarily hear the ‘click’ sound
which occurs when the bar collides.

1
Relays are the primary protection as well as switching devices in most of the control processes or
equipments. All the relays respond to one or more electrical quantities like voltage or current such
that they open or close the contacts or circuits. A relay is a switching device as it works to isolate or
change the state of an electric circuit from one state to another.

Classification or the types of relays depend on the function for which they are used. Some of the
categories include protective, reclosing, regulating, auxiliary and monitoring relays.

Protective relays continuously monitor these parameters: voltage, current, and power; and if
these parameters violate from set limits they generate alarm or isolate that particular circuit. These
types of relays are used to protect equipments like motors, generators, and transformers, and so on.
Reclosing relays are used to connect various components and devices within the system network,
such as synchronizing process, and to restore the various devices soon after any electrical fault
vanishes, and then to connect transformers and feeders to line network. Regulating relays are the
switches that contacts such that voltage boosts up as in the case of tap changing transformers.
Auxiliary contacts are used in circuit breakers and other protective equipments for contact
multiplication. Monitoring relays monitors the system conditions such as direction of power and
accordingly generates the alarm. These are also called directional relays.

This article’s main aim is to give a brief idea about various relays that are employed for a wide
variety of control applications. Some of these relays are described below.

Different Types of Relays

Depending on the operating principle and structural features relays are of different types such as
electromagnetic relays, thermal relays, power varied relays, multi-dimensional relays, and so on,
with varied ratings, sizes and applications.

1. Electromagnetic Relays

These relays are constructed with electrical, mechanical and magnetic components, and have
operating coil and mechanical contacts. Therefore, when the coil gets activated by a supply system,
these mechanical contacts gets opened or closed. The type of supply can be AC or DC.

DC vs AC Relays

Both AC and DC relays work on the same principle as electromagnetic induction, but the
construction is somewhat differentiated and also depends on the application for which these relays
are selected. DC relays are employed with a freewheeling diode to de-energize the coil, and the AC
relays uses laminated cores to prevent eddy current losses.

2
DC vs AC Relays
The very interesting aspect of an AC is that for every half cycle, the direction of the current supply
changes; therefore, for every cycle the coil loses its magnetism since the zero current in every half
cycle makes the relay continuously make and break the circuit. So, to prevent this – additionally one
shaded coil or another electronic circuit is placed in the AC relay to provide magnetism in the zero
current position.

Attraction Type Electromagnetic Relays

Attraction Type Relays

These relays can work with both AC and DC supply and attract a metal bar or a piece of metal when
power is supplied to the coil. This can be a plunger being drawn towards the solenoid or an armature
being attracted towards the poles of an electromagnet as shown in the figure. These relays don’t
have any time delays so these are used for instantaneous operation.

Induction Type Relays

These are used as protective relays in AC systems alone and are usable with DC systems. The
actuating force for contacts movement is developed by a moving conductor that may be a disc or a
cup, through the interaction of electromagnetic fluxes due to fault currents.

3
 Induction Type Relays
These are of several types like shaded pole, watt-hour and induction cup structures and are mostly
used as directional relays in power-system protection and also for high-speed switching operation
applications.

Magnetic Latching Relays

These relays use permanent magnet or parts with a high remittance to remain the armature at the
same point as the coil is electrified when the coil power source is taken away.

2. Solid State Relays

Solid State uses solid state components to perform the switching operation without moving any
parts. Since the control energy required is much lower compared with the output power to be
controlled by this relay that results the power gain higher when compared to the electromagnetic
relays. These are of different types: reed relay coupled SSR, transformer coupled SSR, photo-coupled
SSR, and so on.

Solid State Relays

The above figure shows a photo coupled SSR where the control signal is applied by LED and it is
detected by a photo-sensitive semiconductor device. The output from this photo detector is used to
trigger the gate of TRIAC or SCR that switches the load.
4
3. Hybrid Relay: These relays are composed of electromagnetic relays and electronic components.
Usually, the input part contains the electronic circuitry that performs rectification and the other
control functions, and the output part include electromagnetic relay.
4. Thermal Relay: These relays are based on the effects of heat, which means – the rise in the
ambient temperature from the limit, directs the contacts to switch from one position to other. These
are mainly used in motor protection and consist of bimetallic elements like temperature sensors as
well as control elements. Thermal overload relays are the best examples of these relays.
5. Reed Relay

Reed Relay
Reed Relays consist of a pair of magnetic strips (also called as reed) that is sealed within a glass tube.
This reed acts as both an armature and a contact blade. The magnetic field applied to the coil is
wrapped around this tube that makes these reeds move so that switching operation is performed.
Based on dimensions, relays are differentiated as micro miniature, sub-miniature and miniature
relays.

Also, based on the construction, these relays are classified as hermetic, sealed and open type relays.
Furthermore, depending on the load operating range, relays are of micro, low, intermediate and
high power types.

Relays are also available with different pin configurations like 3 pin, 4 pin and 5 pin relays. The ways
in which these relays are operated is shown in the below figure. Switching contacts can be SPST,
SPDT, DPST and DPDT types. Some of the relays are normally open (NO) type and the other are
normally closed (NC) types.

Fig. Relay pin configurations

These are some of the different types of relays that are employed in most of the electronic as well as
electrical circuits. The information about the different types of relays serves readers’ purpose and it
is hoped that they will find this basic information very useful.

5
How Relays Work

Relays are switches that open and close circuits electromechanically or

electronically. Relays control one electrical circuit by opening and closing contacts in
another circuit. As relay diagrams show, when a relay contact is normally open
(NO), there is an open contact when the relay is not energized. When a relay contact
is Normally Closed (NC), there is a closed contact when the relay is not energized.
In either case, applying electrical current to the contacts will change their state.
Relays are generally used to switch smaller currents in a control circuit and do not
usually control power consuming devices except for small motors and Solenoids that
draw low amps. Nonetheless, relays can "control" larger voltages and amperes by
having an amplifying effect because a small voltage applied to a relays coil can
result in a large voltage being switched by the contacts.
Protective relays can prevent equipment damage by detecting electrical
abnormalities, including overcurrent, undercurrent, overloads and reverse currents.
In addition, relays are also widely used to switch starting coils, heating elements,
pilot lights and audible alarms.

Electromechanical Relays vs Solid State Relays

Relays are either electromechanical relays or solid-state relays.

In electromechanical relays (EMR), contacts are opened or closed by a magnetic
force. With solid-state relays (SSR), there are no contacts and switching is totally
electronic. The decision to use electromechanical or solid state relays depends on an
application's electrical requirements, cost constraints and life expectancy. Although
solid-state relays have become very popular, electromechanical relays remain
common. Many of the functions performed by heavy-duty equipment need the
switching capabilities of electromechanical relays. Solid State Relays switche the
current using non-moving electronic devices such as silicon controlled rectifiers.
These differences in the two types of relays result in advantages and disadvantages
with each system. Because solid state relays do not have to either energize a coil or
open contacts, less voltage is required to "turn" Solid State Relays on or off.
Similarly, Solid State Relays turn on and turn off faster because there are no
physical parts to move. Although the absence of contacts and moving parts means
that Solid State Relays are not subject to arcing and do not wear out, contacts on
Electromechanical Relays can be replaced, whereas entire Solid State Relays must
be replaced when any part becomes defective. Because of the construction of Solid
State Relays, there is residual electrical resistance and/or current leakage whether
switches are open and closed. The small voltage drops that are created are not
usually a problem; however, Electromechanical Relays provide a cleaner ON or OFF
condition because of the relatively large distance between contacts, which acts as a
form of insulation.

Electromechanical Relays
Basic parts and functions of electromechanical relays include:

1. Frame: Heavy-duty frame that contains and supports the parts of the relay.

6
 2. Coil: Wire is wound around a metal core. The coil of wire causes an
electromagnetic field.
3. Armature: A relays moving part. The armature opens and closes the
contacts. An attached spring returns the armature to its original position.
4. Contacts: The conducting part of the switch that makes (closes) or breaks
(opens) a circuit.

Relays involve two circuits: the energizing circuit and the contact circuit. The coil is
on the energizing side; and the relays contacts are on the contact side. When a
relays coil is energized, current flow through the coil creates a magnetic field.
Whether in a DC unit where the polarity is fixed, or in an AC unit where the polarity
changes 120 times per second, the basic function remains the same: the magnetic
coil attracts a ferrous plate, which is part of the armature. One end of the armature
is attached to the metal frame, which is formed so that the armature can pivot,
while the other end opens and closes the contacts. Contacts come in a number of
different configurations, depending on the number of Breaks, poles and Throws that
make up the relay. For instance, relays might be described as Single-Pole, Single-
Throw (SPST), or Double-Pole, Single-Throw (DPST). These terms will give an
instant indication of the design and function of different types of relays.

 Break -This is the number of separate places or contacts that a switch uses to
open or close a single electrical circuit. All contacts are either single break or
double break. A single break (SB) contact breaks an electrical circuit in one
place, while a double break (DB) contact breaks it in two places. Single break
contacts are normally used when switching lower power devices such as
indicating lights. Double break contacts are used when switching high-power
devices such as solenoids.

7
  Pole -This is the number of completely isolated circuits that relays can pass
through a switch. A single-pole contact (SP) can carry current through only one
circuit at a time. A double-pole contact (DP) can carry current through two
isolated circuits simultaneously. The maximum number of poles is 12,
depending upon a relays design.
 Throw -This is the number of closed contact positions per pole that are
available on a switch. A switch with a single throw contact can control only one
circuit, while a double-throw contact can control two.

Types of Relyas: Electromechanical

1. General Purpose Relays are electromechanical switches, usually operated by

a magnetic coil. General purpose relays operate with AC or DC current, at
common voltages such as 12V, 24V, 48V, 120V and 230V, and they can control
currents ranging from 2A-30A. These relays are economical, easy to replace
and allow a wide range of switch configuration.
2. Machine Control Relays are also operated by a magnetic coil. They are
heavy-duty relays used to control starters and other industrial components.
Although they are more expensive than general purpose relays, they are
generally more durable. The biggest advantage of machine control relays over
general purpose relays is the expandable functionality of Machine Control
Relays by the adding of accessories. A wide selection of accessories is available
for machine control relays, including additional poles, convertible contacts,
transient suppression of electrical noise, latching control and timing
attachments.
3. Reed Relays are a small, compact, fast operating switch design with one
contact, which is NO. Reed Relays are hermetically sealed in a glass envelope,
which makes the contacts unaffected by contaminants, fumes or humidity,
allows reliable switching, and gives contacts a higher life expectancy. The ends
of the contact, which are often plated with gold or another low resistance
material to increase conductivity, are drawn together and closed by a magnet.
Reed relays are capable of switching industrial components such as solenoids,
contactors and starter motors. Reed relays consist of two reeds. When a
magnetic force is applied, such as an electromagnet or coil, it sets up a
magnetic field in which the end of the reeds assumes opposite polarity. When
the magnetic field is strong enough, the attracting force of the opposite poles
overcomes the stiffness of the reeds and draws them together. When the
magnetic force is removed, the reeds spring back to their original, open
position. These relays work very quickly because of the short distance between
the reeds.

4. Solid State Relays

Solid state relays consist of an input circuit, a control circuit and an output
circuit. The Input Circuit is the portion of a relays frame to which the control
component is connected. The input circuit performs the same function as the coil
of electromechanical relays. The circuit is activated when a voltage higher than
the relays specified Pickup Voltage is applied to the relays input. The input circuit
is deactivated when the voltage applied is less than the specified minimum
Dropout voltage of the relay. The voltage range of 3 VDC to 32 VDC, commonly
used with most solid-state relays, makes it useful for most electronic circuits.
The Control Circuit is the part of the relay that determines when the output
component is energized or de-energized. The control circuit functions as the
coupling between the input and output circuits. In electromechanical relays, the
coil accomplishes this function. A relays Output Circuit is the portion of the relay
that switches on the load and performs the same function as the mechanical

8
 contacts of electromechanical relays. Solid-state relays, however, normally have
only one output contact.

Types of Relays: Solid State

1. Zero-Switching Relays - relays turns ON the load when the control

(minimum operating) voltage is applied and the voltage of the load is close to
zero. Zero-Switching relays turn OFF the load when the control voltage is
removed and the current in the load is close to zero. Zero-Switching relays
are the most widely used.
2. Instant ON Relays - turns ON the load immediately when the pickup voltage
is present. Instant ON Relays allow the load to be turned ON at any point in
it's up and down wave.
3. Peak Switching Relays - turns ON the load when the control voltage is
present, and the voltage of the load is at its peak. Peak Switching relays turn
OFF when the control voltage is removed and the current in the load is close
to zero.
4. Analog Switching Relays - has an infinite number of possible output
voltages within the relays rated range. Analog switching relays have a built in
synchronizing circuit that controls the amount of output voltage as a function
of the input voltage. This allows a Ramp-Up function of time to be on the
load. Analog Switching relays turn OFF when the control voltage is removed
and current in the load is near zero.

A Relays Contact Life

A relays useful life depends upon its contacts. Once contacts burn out, the relays
contacts or the entire relay has to be replaced. Mechanical Life is the number of
operations (openings and closings) a contact can perform without electrical
current. A relays mechanical life is relatively long, offering up to 1,000,000
operations. A relays Electrical life is the number of operations (openings and
closings) the contacts can perform with electrical current at a given current
rating. A relays Contact electrical life ratings range from 100,000 to 500,000
cycles.

Solid State Relays, like the one pictured above, are capable of switching high voltages up to 600 VACrms. These
relays are designed to switch various loads such as heating elements, motors, and transformers.