Introduction of fuse

Prepared By :-
Monika Verma
 CONTENT
Introduction
Basic Definitions
Packages & Materials
Fuse Element Materials
Characteristic Parameter
How Fuse Works ?
Types Of Fuses
Advantages & Disadvantages
of Fuse
Application of fuse
 INTRODUCTION
Electric power system is a network
of electrical components used to
supply, transmit and use electric
power.
Over current protection devices are
essential in electrical systems to limit
threats to human life and property
damage.
Fuse is the simplest & cheapest device
used for interrupting an electrical circuit
under short circuit or excessive overload.
Its essential component is a metallic
strip which melts as excess current
flows through it.
BASIC DEFINITIONS
 FUSE:-It is a current interrupting device which breaks
the circuit by fusing the element when current in the
circuit exceeds certain value.

What is a Fuse?
A Fuse or an Electric Fuse is an Electrical / Electronic device that
protects the circuit from different electrical faults like over current
and overload. Fuses can be considered as a sacrificial element in
the circuit as they act as a weak link in the entire circuit.

 FUSE WIRE:- It is the part of fuse which melts due to

excessive current flowing through circuit.
 FUSE LINK:- Part of the fuse which needs replacement
when the fuse blows out.
WHY WE USE FUSE :-
THE PRINCIPLE OF A FUSE IS BASED ON THE HEATING EFFECT
OF THE ELECTRIC CURRENT. A SIMPLE FUSE CONSISTS OF A
SMALL CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL WITH LOW RESISTANCE AND
IT IS PLACED IN SERIES WITH THE CIRCUIT.

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 IN THE CIRCUIT EXCEEDS THIS

PERMITTED VALUE (WHICH MAY BE CAUSED DUE TO
OVERLOAD, SHORT CIRCUIT OR LOAD MISMATCH), THIS
EXCESSIVE CURRENT WILL MELT THE CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT
IN THE FUSE AND OPENS THE CIRCUIT.

THIS WILL DISCONNECT THE POWER SUPPLY AND THUS, THE

REST OF THE CIRCUIT IS PROTECTED FROM BEING DAMAGED.
THE FOLLOWING IMAGE SHOWS A BLOCK DIAGRAM OF HOW
A FUSE IS CONNECTED IN THE CIRCUIT.
Characteristics of a Fuse

There are different types of Fuses available in the market

for different types of applications like residential,
industrial, automotive, etc. All the fuses are often
characterized by the following characteristics.
• Current or Ampere Rating
• Melting Time
• Voltage Rating and
• Interrupting Rating or Breaking capacity
• I2T Value of the Fuse
• Packaging
• Temperature
FUSE ELEMENT MATERIALS
The materials used for fuse elements must be of low
melting point , low ohmic loss ,high conductivity ,
low cost & free from deterioration.
METAL MELTING SPECIFIC VALUE OF
POINT IN RESISTANE FUSE
°C IN µΩ-mm CONSTANT K
FOR d in m

SILVER 980 16 -
TIN 240 112 12.8
ZINC 419 60 -
LEAD 328 210 10.8
COPPER 1090 17 80
ALUMINIUM 665 28 59
HOW FUSE
WRKS ? A fuse has a metallic strip
of small cross section area ,
mounted between a pair of
electrical terminal.
The fuse is connected in
series with the circuit
through which all the current
will pass.
In case of heavy current,
fuse will melt. This will
break the circuits and
protect the electrical
appliance.
 Types of Fuse:-
There are many types of fuses available for a variety of applications. The main
category of Fuses are based on the type of circuit they are used in i.e.

• AC Fuses
• DC Fuses.

Again, AC Fuses are divided in to High Voltage (HV) Fuses and Low Voltage (LV)
Fuses.
High Voltage (HV) AC Fuses are used for voltages above 1000V and Low Voltage
(LV) AC Fuses are used for voltages less than 1000V. Low Voltage (LV) Fuses are
again classified in to Cartridge Fuses (Totally Enclosed Type), Re-wirable Fuses
(Semi – Enclosed Type), Switch Fuses, Drop out Fuses and Striker Fuses.
High Voltage (HV) Fuses are further divided in to Cartridge Type HRC (High
Rupturing Capacity) Fuses, Liquid Type HRC Fuses and Expulsion type Fuses.
DC Fuses
The main difference between the DC Fuses and AC Fuses is the size of the fuse.
In a DC circuit, when the current exceeds the limit, the metallic wire in the fuse
melts and disconnects the rest of the circuit from power supply.
DC Fuses are placed at larger distance when compared to the AC Fuses. DC
Fuses is comparatively large.

AC Fuses
We know that AC current (and voltage) oscillates as 50 or 60 times per second and
in this the amplitude of the signal varies from minimum to maximum. At one
point of this oscillations, the AC Voltage touches the 0V and hence the arc
between the melted electrodes can be easily terminated.
As a result, the size of the AC Fuses can be much smaller when compared to the
size of DC Fuses.
Rewirable Fuses

Rewirable or Kit – Kat Type Fuses are a type of Low Voltage (LV) Fuses. They are
most commonly used in house wiring, small industries and other small current
applications.
Rewirable Fuses consists of two main parts: a Fuse Base, which contains the in and
out terminal, and a Fuse Carrier, which holds the Fuse Element. The Fuse Base is
generally made up of Porcelain and the Fuse Element is made up of Tinned Copper,
Aluminium, Lead, etc.

Cartridge Type Fuses or Totally Enclosed Type Fuses

As the name indicates, Cartridge or Totally Enclosed Fuses have a completely

closed structure with the Fuse Links enclosed in the container. This type of design
and construction will help in keeping the arc with in the container at the event of
blown fuse.
Cartridge Type Fuses are again further divided in to D Type Cartridge Fuses and
Link Type Cartridge Fuses.
D – Type Cartridge Fuse
This type of fuses consists of a Cartridge, fuse base, cap and adapter ring. The cartridge with
the fuse element in it is fitted with the fuse cap and is inserted in to the fuse base through the
adapter ring and the connection is complete only when the tip of the cartridge touch the
conductor.
D – Type Fuses are non – interchangeable and have an advantage of being highly reliable.

Link Type Cartridge Fuse or High Rupturing Capacity (HRC)

Fuse
High Rupturing Time or HRC Fuses are a type of Cartridge Fuses. In HRC Fuses, the current
flows through the fuse element under normal conditions.
In case of a fault, the high current due to short circuit (or any other fault) will be allowed to
flow through the fuse for a short but known period of time. If the fault is cleared in this time,
the fuse will not blow or the fuse element doesn’t melt.
If the fault continues even after some time i.e. short circuit current for longer duration than
allowed, the fuse blows by melting the fuse element.
High Voltage Fuses
High Voltage Fuses are generally used in power systems and are typically rated for voltages above 1500V
and up to 138000 V. High Voltage (HV) Fuses are used to protect transformers, either small power
transformers or instrument transformers, where circuit breakers might not guarantee the protection.

Resettable Fuses
Resettable Fuses are also called as Self Resetting Fuses. They can be used even after a short
circuit fault has occurred (even after multiple faults) without any hassle of replacement.

Thermal Fuses
Thermal Fuses are one – time only fuses and are basically a temperature sensitive fuses.
Thermal Fuses are also called as Thermal Links or Thermal Cutouts (TCO). The Fuse element in
a Thermal Fuse is made up of a temperature sensitive alloy.
The fuse element in a Thermal Fuse holds a mechanical spring contact, which is normally
closed. When the temperature in the fuse element increases (due to over current or surrounding
conditions), the fuse element alloy melts and releases the spring mechanism. This will open up
the circuit and prevents fire in the device.
Thermal Fuses are available in compact sizes at very low cost making then useful in heat
sensitive applications like hair dryers, water heaters, coffee maker machines etc.
Surface Mount Fuses or Chip Fuses

Surface Mount Fuses or SMD Fuses are often used in DC Power Applications like
cell phones, Hard Disk Drives, Cameras, DVD Players etc. where space is a
constrain. There are different types of Chip or Surface Mount Fuses like
Fast Acting Chip Fuses
Very Fast Acting Chip Fuses
Slow – Blow Chip Fuses
Pulse Tolerant Chip Fuses
High Current Rated Chip Fuses
Telecom Fuses
Automotive Fuses

Fuses play an important role in the electrical connection of an automobile. An over

load or short circuit in a car or bike (or any automobile for that matter), can cause a
catastrophic damage to the vehicle as well as the individual.
ADVANTAGES OF FUSE
It is the cheapest form of protection available.
It needs no maintenance.
It interrupts enormous short circuit currents
without noise , fl ame , gas or smoke.
The minimum time of operation can be made
much smaller than that with the circuit breakers.
The smaller size of fuse element imposes a
current limiting effect under short circuit.
Its inverse time-current characteristics enables its
use for overload protection.
 DISADVANTAGES OF FUSE

 Considerable time is lost in rewiring or replacing a fuse after

operation.
 The current-time characteristics of a fuse cannot always be
correlated with that of the protected device.
 On heavy short circuit , discrimination between fuses in
series cannot be obtained unless there is considerable
differences in the relative sizes of the fuses concerned.
 Applications of Fuses
Electrical or Electronic Fuses are one of the main components in almost all
electrical or electronic circuits, systems and applications. Some of the
commonly known applications of Fuses are mentioned below :-

• Power Transformers
• Home Electrical Wiring
• All Electrical Appliances (Air Conditioners, Washing Machines, TV, Music
Systems, etc.)
• Motor Starters
• Mobile Phones
• Laptops
• Power Adapters
• Cameras
• Printers, Scanners and Photocopiers
• All Automobile (Cars, Bikes, Trucks, Buses, etc.)
• All Electronic Devices (Hard Disks, DVD Writers, DVD Players, etc.)
• Gaming Consoles