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An Electric Fuse is an Electric device which interrupts the flow of current in an Electric circuit. It is installed in a circuit to stop the flow of excessive current. A Fuse is usually a short piece of wire. The Fuse is made up of a material which has high resistivity and low melting point, so that it melts down due to overheating of the wire during high current flow.
The thickness of the Fuse wire is determined based on the amount of current flow in the circuit. Normally an alloy of tin and lead is used as the Fuse wire, as it has high resistivity and low melting point.
If a fault causes a flow of excess Current then a thin Conductor is used to break the Circuit by melting or separating it, the thin Conductor used is known as an Electric Fuse. A Fuse can be sacrificed if anything in the Circuit goes wrong since they are weak points that are intentionally placed in a Circuit. For example, in order to protect the wiring of the vehicles, a Fuse panel is placed near the batteries of the Car.
The wire inside the Fuse melts if there is an occurrence of high Current due to a short Circuit or an overloaded Circuit. As a result of which the Current stops flowing since the wire has broken. In order to stop the flow of Electricity, the Electric Fuse gives up its life. There is a clear plastic window in some Fuses from which one can check if they are still good.
Electric Fuse- Working Principle
The Electric Fuse works on the basis of the heating effect of the Electric Current. It is composed of a non-flammable thin metallic wire with a low melting point.
If a high amount of Electricity is passed from the Electric Fuse, there is a production of heat which causes the Fuse to melt which leads to the opening of the Circuit and the blockage of Current.
Once a Fuse melts, it can be changed or replaced with a new Fuse.
A Fuse is normally made up of elements like zinc, copper, aluminum and silver.
A Fuse acts as a circuit breaker and breaks the circuit in case any fault occurs in the circuit. It acts as a protector of Electric appliances and also as a safety measure for humans. The figure below represents a Fuse operation, Fuse barrel and Fuse link.
Characteristics of an Electric Fuse
Here are some important characteristics of a Fuse wire.
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Current Rating: It is defined as the continuous conduction of maximum current holded by the Fuse without melting. It is the capacity of current, and is measured in Amperes. Current (Cin)=75% current (rating)
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Voltage Rating: If voltage is connected in series with the Fuse, it does not increase voltage rating.
Hence,
V (Fuse) >V (open circuit)
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I2t Rating: It is the total energy which is carried by the Fuse element in case of a short circuit. It measures the heat energy of the Fuse, and is generated when the Fuse breaks out.
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Interrupting or Breaking Capacity: The maximum rating of current without harming the interruption by the Fuse is known as interrupting capacity of the Fuse.
Breaking capacity > maximum rated voltage
Breaking capacity < short circuit current
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Voltage Drop: The Fuse element melts whenever there is an excessive current in the circuit, and opens the circuit. Due to this, voltage drop and resistance change reduces.
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Temperature: The Fuse melts when the operating temperature is higher and the current rating is lower.
The graph represents temperature vs current carrying capacity of a Fuse. The current carrying capacity of a Fuse is 100% when the temperature is 25°C (three lines meet at this point). After that the current carrying capacity decreases upto 82% at 65°C. This shows that increase in temperature decreases the current carrying capacity of a Fuse.
Electric Fuses are proven to be helpful in safeguarding any Electrical appliance or household Circuits. Its features are-
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The melting points of Electric Fuses are very low, which is 200° C.
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Fuse wires are made of an alloy composed of 50% lead and 50% tin.
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The resistance of Fuse wires is so high that whenever its temperature rises and it reaches its melting point, it breaks the Current which passes through the Circuit.
Functions of Electric Fuse
Electric Fuses have to give up their lives in order to safeguard the Circuits. Some other important functions of Electric Fuses are listed below-
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Restricting the flow of Current- An Electric Fuse acts as a barrier between an Electric circuit and the human body.
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Preventing the wires from catching fires or breakdowns- It prevents any damage to the Electric device by restricting excess current flow.
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Terminating the Current from the Circuit if a short- Circuit or overloading happens- When too many appliances are connected in a single circuit, it leads to overload which requires a Fuse to terminate the circuit connection.
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Prevention from blackouts- if any dis-function occurs in the components of the circuit, the nearest circuit breaks.
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Prevention from damage occurred due to mismatched loads.
Information about the ampere rating, voltage rating, approval standards of the Fuse and interrupt rating are generally marked on the Fuse. This information must be checked and verified before buying a Fuse.
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Source: Math Hello Kitty
Categories: Physics
