MODULE 1 IN INDUSTRIAL PROCESS AND MOTOR

CONTROL

Introduction

This course covers Basics of Control Components.

Upon completion of Basics of Control Components you will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and general principles of control components and circuits
• State the difference between manual and automatic control operation
• Identify various symbols which represent control components

This knowledge will help you better understand customer applications. In addition, you
will be better able to describe products to customers and determine important
differences between products. You should complete Basics of Electricity before
attempting Basics of Control Components. An understanding of many of the
concepts covered in Basics of Electricity is required for this course.

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 Control Circuits and Symbols

Control Control components are used in a wide variety of applications

with varying degrees of complexity. One example of a simple
control circuit is a circuit that turns a light on and off. In this
circuit, the control component is often a single-pole switch.

Control circuits used in commercial and industrial applications

tend to be more complex than this simple circuit and employ
a broader variety of components. However, the function of
these circuits is often the same, to turn something on and off.
In some cases, manual control is used. More often, automatic
control circuits or circuits that combine manual and automatic
control are used.

A simple on-off lighting control circuit illustrates an example of

manual control. Manual control requires someone to use a
switch to turn something on and off. The device being turned
on and off may be a light, as in the previous example. However,
many other devices are also controlled manually. For example,
a manual starter can be used to start and stop a motor.

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 While manual control of machines is still common practice
many machines are started and stopped automatically or by
some combination of manual and automatic control. Automatic
control occurs when circuits can turn something on and off
without human interaction.

Control Components A wide variety of components are used in control circuits. This
includes components that vary in complexity from indicator
lights to advanced systems that monitor, protect, and control
AC motors.

In some cases, the interaction of these components is

dependent only on how they are wired to each other. This
is sometimes referred to as hard-wired logic. Increasingly,
however, these components are wired to a control system,
such as a programmable logic controller or variable frequency
drive. In such cases, the interaction of the circuit components
is dependent both on wiring and the software stored in the
controller.

The complete range of Siemens control components is too

extensive to be fully addressed in this course. However, this
course will give you a good start. For additional information,
refer to the Siemens Industry, Inc. web site.

Control circuits can be represented pictorially in various ways.

One of the more common approaches is to use control logic
diagrams which use common symbols to represent control
components. Although control symbols vary throughout the
world, the symbols used in this course are common in the
United States and many other countries.

Contact Symbols Various devices incorporate contacts to control the flow of

current to other control components. When in operation, a
contact my be either open, a condition which blocks current
flow, or closed, a condition which allows current flow. Control
logic diagrams, however, cannot show the dynamic operation
of contacts. Instead, these diagrams show contacts as either
normally open (NO) or normally closed (NC).

The standard method of showing contacts is to indicate the

circuit condition produced when the actuating device is in the
de-energized (off) state.

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 For example, in the following illustration, the contacts are part
of a relay. The contacts are shown as normally open to indicate
that, when there is no power applied to the relay’s coil, the
contacts are open. With the contacts open, there is no current
flow to the light.

Relay
De-
energized

Batter
y

Symbols on a control logic diagram are usually not shown in

their energized (on) state. However, in this course, contacts
and switches are sometimes shown in their energized state for
explanation purposes. In such cases, the symbol is highlighted.

Normally Open Contact For example, in the following illustration, the circuit is first
Example shown in the de-energized state, and the normally open
contacts are not highlighted. When the relay energizes, the
contacts close, completing the path for current and illuminating
the light. The contacts are then shown as highlighted to indicate
that they are not not their normal state. Note: This is not a
standard symbol.

Relay Relay
De- Energized
energized

Contacts are
Batter shown opposite
Batter
y their normal state y

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Normally Closed Contact In the following illustration, when the relay is de-energized, the
Example normally closed contacts are shown as closed and are not
highlighted. A complete path of current exists at this time, and
the light is on. When the relay is energized, the contacts open,
turning the light off.

Relay
De-
energized Relay
Energized

Batter
y
Contacts are
shown opposite
Batter
their normal state y

Switch Symbols Various types of switches are also used in control circuits. Like
the contacts just discussed, switches can also be normally
open or normally closed and require another device or action
to change their state. In the case of a manual switch, someone
must change the position of the switch. A switch is considered
to be in its normal state when it has not been acted upon.

Switch symbols, like the ones shown in the following

illustration, are also used to indicate an open or closed path of
current flow. Variations of these symbols are used to represent
a number of different switch types.

Normally Open Switch In the following illustration, a battery is connected to one side of
Example a normally open switch, and a light is connected to the other
side. When the switch is open, current cannot flow through the
light. When someone closes the switch, it completes the path
for current flow, and the light illuminates.

Switch is shown
opposite its normal
state

Batter Batter
y y

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Normally Closed Switch In the following illustration, a battery is connected to one side of
Example a normally closed switch and a light is connected to the other
side. When the switch is closed, current flows through the light.
When someone opens the switch, current flow is interrupted,
and the light turns off.

Switch is shown
opposite its normal
state

Batter Batter
y y

Pushbutton Symbols There are two general types of pushbuttons, momentary and
maintained. The contacts of a momentary pushbutton change
state, open to closed or vice versa, when the pushbutton is
pressed. They return to their normal state as soon as the button
is released. In contrast, a maintained pushbutton latches in
place when pressed. It must be unlatched to allow it to return
to its normal state.

Normally Open In the following illustration, a battery is connected to one side of

Pushbutton Example a normally open pushbutton, and a light is connected to the
other side. When the pushbutton is pressed, current flows
through the pushbutton, and the light turns on.

Switch is shown
opposite its normal
state

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Normally Closed In the following example, current flows to the light as long as
Pushbutton Example the pushbutton is not pressed. When the pushbutton is
pressed, current flow is interrupted, and the light turns off.

Switch is shown
opposite its normal
state

Coil Symbols Motor starters, contactors, and relays are examples of

devices that open and close contacts electromagnetically.
The electromagnet in these devices is called a coil.

A coil is commonly symbolized as a circle with one or more

letters and possibly a number inside. The letters often
represent the type of device, such as M for motor starter or
CR for control relay. A number is often added to the letter to
differentiate one device from another.

The contacts controlled by a coil are labeled with the same

letter (and number) as the coil so that it is easy to tell which
contacts are controlled by each coil. A coil often controls
multiple contacts and a combination of normally open and
normally closed contacts may be used.

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Coil and Contact Example In the following example, the “M” contacts in series with the
motor are controlled by the “M” contactor coil. When
someone closes the switch, current flows through the switch
and “M” contactor coil. The “M” contactor coil closes the
“M” contacts and current flows to the motor.

Overload Relay Symbol Overload relays are used to protect motors from overheating.
When excessive current is drawn for a predetermined amount
of time, the overload relay’s contacts open, removing power
from the motor. The following symbol is for contacts associated
with a thermal overload relay. An overload relay used with a
three-phase motor has three such contacts, one for each
phase.

Indicator Light Symbols An indicator light, often referred to as a pilot light, is a small
electric light used to indicate a specific condition of a
circuit. For example, a red light might be used to indicate
that a motor is running. A letter in the center of the indicator
light symbol is sometimes used to indicate the color of the
light.

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Other Symbols In addition to the symbols discussed here, there are many other
symbols used in control circuits. The following charts show
some of the commonly used symbols.

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Static switching control uses
solid-state devices instead of
electromechanical devices.
Many of the symbols used
with this type of control are
the same
as those shown on the previous
page, but enclosed in a square
as shown in the following
examples.

Contact Limit Switch

Coil (NO) (NO)

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Abbreviations Abbreviations are frequently used in control circuits.
The
following list identifies commonly used abbreviations.

AC Alternating Current MTR Motor

ALM Alarm MN Manual
AM Ammeter NEG Negative
ARM Armature NEUT Neutral
AU Automatic NC Normally Closed
BAT Battery NO Normally Open
BR Brake Relay OHM Ohmmeter
CAP Capacitor OL Overload
CB Circuit Breaker PB Pushbutton
CKT Circuit PH Phase
CONT Control POS Positive
CR Control Relay PRI Primary
CT Current Transformer PS Pressure Switch
D Down R Reverse
DC Direct Current REC Rectifier
DISC Disconnect Switch RES Resistor
DP Double-Pole RH
Pole, Double-Throw S
Pole, Single-Throw SEC
SOL Solenoid
F Forward SP Single-Pole
FREQ Frequency SPDT Single-Pole,
Double Throw
FTS Foot Switch SPST Single-Pole,
Single Throw
FU Fuse SS Selector Switch
GEN Generator SSW Safety Switch
GRD Ground T
Hand/Off/Auto Selector Switch TB
Integrated Circuit TD
INTLK Interlock THS
Thermostat Switch IOL
Instanstaneous Overload TR
Time Delay Relay JB Junction Box
U Up
LS Limit Switch UV Under Voltage
LT Lamp VFD Variable
Frequency Drive
M Motor Starter XFR
Motor Starter Protector

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