Fuses are of utmost importance in the industries and in the fields of electronics and electrical engineering. It is a safety device which provides protection from overcurrent of an electrical circuit. It consists of a metal wire of strip which melts or dissolves when current is overflown through it.
Fuses have been a crucial part of electronics and electrical engineering since the earliest times because of the safety it provides. In today’s industrial era, there are over thousands of myriad fuse designs with specific current and voltage range, breaking capacity and response times. They are used to prevent the flow of high current in home appliances which can cause extreme damage. Using a proper fuse at homes reduces the chances of damaging the appliance from the fire of burning wire. Some of the main reasons for fuse operation are short circuits, appliance failure, unsuited loads and overloads.
Fuses come in a myriad range of sizes and styles to suite various applications. The fuse bodies can be made of plastic, glass, ceramic, fibreglass, molded compresses fibre, depending upon the application and voltage limit.
Based on the type of application, fuses can be classified into AC type fuse and DC type fuse –
AC Fuses–These fuses are slighter in size and there is no chance of generating arc between the melted wires as the fuse is oscillated 50 to 60 times in every second from lowest to highest and that is the reason for this fuses to be stuffed in small sizes.
DC Fuses – These fuses are of standard sized and has a stable value of 0 volts. An electric arc can be generated between the melted wires as these fuses are tough to remove and deactivate the circuit. This is the reason why electrodes are located at a fine distance.
Some of the main applications if fuses in the field of electronics are as follows –
=> Electrical appliances, like TV, refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioners, etc
=> Electrical Cabling
=> Power Transformers
=> Motor starters
=> Mobile Phones
=> Laptops
=> Automobiles and gaming devices
=> Power Chargers