What is an electric fuse ? how does it work ?
Answers
A fuse is the equivalent to a switch run but it’s operated automatically.
Fuses are designed to allow a certain amount of current pass through it.
If there’s a short circuit or other heavy load on the circuit that causes the current to exceed the design limits of the fuse, it will open…There are one time use fuses and there are circuit breakers that operate on the same principal but can be closed up again to pass current again.
The one time use fuses have a band of soft metal in the circuit that melts at a low temperature. A fuse rated at 30 amps will heat up some with perhaps only 15 amp average running through it… but not enough to melt the strap.
Once the load goes over 30 amps though it will be starting to melt and very soon will. Stopping the excess current from going damage or hurting someone and at least to stop wasting the electric…
Circuit breakers operate with about the same principal with heating.., but this time it’s more like causing a spring tension to change or other method of tripping a latch that holds the contacts together.. When the excess load is removed and the spring has cooled down the latch can be reset to run more current again..
That’s about it… There are all kinds of fuse ratings and sizes… But they’re basically tiny robots watching and protecting you from being electrocute