In everyday life we are all more or less familiar with the
word fuse. Basically a fuse is and electrical or electronic device that protect
the circuit from some electrical fault like over current and over load. As fuse
act as a weak link in the entire circuit, that’s why fuse can be considered as
a sacrificial element in the circuit. Besides a fuse sacrifice itself and
reliably open the circuit when there is an excessive current in circuit or the
circuit is under overload and if there is any short circuit.
Yet the need for fuses is not unknown to us. Now the question
is, how does the fuse work? The principle of fuse is based on the heating
effect of electrical current. A simple consist of a small conductive material
with low resistance and it is placed in series with the circuit.
The fuse is made with a conductive wire. The cross section
area of this conducting material is designed such that it allows a certain
amount of current that is permitted to flow in the circuit. When the current
exceed this permitted value due to over load, short circuit or load mismatched,
this excessive current will melt the conductive element in the fuse and open
the circuit. By opening the circuit, the fuse will disconnect the power supply
and thus the rest of the circuit is protected from being damaged. Fuse is very
simple and cheap device that are being used for over hundred years as
protective equipment.
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