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Bulletin 100-C Contactors

Bulletin 100-C/104-C Life-Load Curves

Electrical Life in Utilization Category

Bulletin 100-C/104-C IEC contactors are designed for superior performance in a wide variety of applications. When selecting IEC products, the user must give consideration to the specific load, utilization category and required electrical life of the application. The life-load curves shown here are based on Rockwell Automation tests according to the requirements defined in IEC 60947-4-1. Since contact life in application is dependent on environmental conditions and duty cycle, actual application contact life may vary from that indicated by the curves shown here.

To find the contactor’s estimated electrical life, follow these guidelines:

1. Identify the appropriate utilization category from the table below.

2. Choose the graph for the utilization category selected.

3. Locate the intersection of the life-load curve for the appropriate contactor with the application’s operational current (I_e) found on the horizontal axis.

4. Read the estimated contact life along the vertical axis.

Contact Life for Mixed Utilization Categories AC-3 and AC-4:

In many applications, the utilization category cannot be defined as either purely AC-3 or AC-4. In those applications, the electrical life of the contactor can be estimated from the following equation:

Lmixed = Lac3/[1 + Pac4*(Lac3/Lac4 – 1)], where:

Lmixed = Approximate contact life in operations for a mixed AC-3/AC-4 utilization category application

Lac3 = Approximate contact life in operations for a pure AC-3 utilization category (from the AC-3 life-load curves)

Lac4 = Approximate contact life in operations for a pure AC-4 utilization category (from the AC-4 life-load curves)

Pac4 = Percentage of AC-4 operations

Test Conditions			Making			Breaking
			I/Ie	U/Ue	cosf	Ic/Ie	Ur/Ue	cosf
AC-1	Resistance Furnaces: Non inductive or slightly inductive loads		1	1	0.95	1	1	0.95
AC-2	Slip-ring motors: Starting and reversing		2.5	1	0.65	2.5	1	0.65
AC-3	Squirrel-cage motors: Starting and stopping of running motors	Ie < 17 A Ie > 17 A	6 6	1 1	0.65 0.35	1 1	0.17 0.17	0.65 0.35
AC-4	Squirrel-cage motors: Starting, plugging⋆ , inching‡	Ie < 17 A Ie > 17 A	6 6	1 1	0.65 0.35	6 6	1 1	0.65 0.35
AC-15	Soleniods: Contactors, valves and lifting magnets		10	1	0.7	1	1	0.4
Ie  Rated operational current  I    Making Current Ue  Rated voltage      Ic    Breaking Current Ur  Recovery voltage      U    Off-load voltage
⋆ Plugging is understood as stopping or reversing the motor rapidly by reversing motor primary connections while the motor is running.
‡ Inching (jogging) is understood as energizing a motor once or repeatedly for short periods to obtain small movements of the driven mechanism.

Life-Load Curves

AC-1

40 °C Non- or slightly inductive loads, resistance furnaces; U_e = 230…690V



AC-2

Switching of slip-ring motors; U_e = 230…400…460V



AC-3

Switching of squirrel-cage motors while starting; U_e = 230…400…460V



Switching of squirrel-cage motors while starting; U_e = 500…575V



AC-3

Switching of squirrel-cage motors while starting; U_e = 690V



AC-4

Switching of squirrel-cage motors; U_e = 230…690V



AC-3 & AC-4

10% AC-4 Mixed operation of squirrel-cage motors; U_e = 230…400…460V



Heavy Duty Starting and Regular Short-time Operation

Bulletin 100-C Contactors



Maximum Operating Rates

AC-1

40 °C Non- or slilghtly inductive loads, resistance furnaces; U_e = 230…690V



AC-2

Stepping of slip-ring motors; U_e = 230…460V



Maximum Operating Rates

AC-3

Switching of squirrel-cage motors while starting; U_e = 230…460V

Relative operating time 40%, Starting time t_A = 0.25 s



AC-4

Inching of squirrel-cage motors; U_e = 230…460V

Starting time t_A = 0.25 s