A fuse is a common electrical component that serves as an overcurrent protection device for electrical circuits. Fuses are essential safety devices that have long served electrical engineering, and there are many types and designs that have come about over the years to accommodate various current and voltage ratings, response times, and breaking capacities. Due to their use in protecting sensitive electronic components from the dangers of overload conditions, having an understanding of a fuse’s functionality can be useful when procuring and replacing such items.
Fuses are sacrificial devices in design, meaning that they must be replaced after their operation. For their construction, a metal strip or wire fuse element is mounted within the fuse’s housing between an electrical terminal pair, though not all variations have cover fuse parts. Based on the arrangement of the fuse, current is permitted to pass through the protected circuit during normal operations. As current continues to flow, heat will naturally build up within the housing over time. If the current reaches an overload condition, the amount of heat generated will reach a threshold that causes the metal strip or wire fuse element to melt so that the circuit can open for interrupting current.
Across various fuse types, the element is often made from zinc, aluminum, copper, silver, or other alloys and metals that are both predictable and stable enough to ensure quick melting with a small excess of current. It is also important that the fuse only melts upon the occurrence of an overload condition, and it needs ample protection from minor current surges that are mostly harmless. If increased heating is required for fuse operations, the element of the fuse may be shaped.
Fuses are commonly compared to circuit breakers due to their similar role of protecting circuits from overload conditions. While there are various differences between the two component types, the most notable one is that a circuit breaker may be used multiple times without replacement. When a circuit breaker trips due to an overload condition, most types will permit a user to manually reset the contacts so that current may flow once again. While circuit breakers do have such an advantage, fuses can be very inexpensive, easy to install, and may be used in certain applications where a circuit breaker is inefficient or not optimal due to their size or operating characteristics.
As fuses are a one-time use, sacrificial device, it can be useful to have backups on hand for quick replacement as necessary. Aerospace Simplified is a premier purchasing platform for new, used, and obsolete parts that cater to a variety of industries and applications, and we are your sourcing solution for fuse parts. Whether you need top quality aircraft parts or reliable electronic equipment, we can help you secure everything you are searching for with competitive pricing and rapid lead-times. If you would like to receive a competitive quote for your comparisons, send us a completed RFQ form as provided on our website and a dedicated account manager will reach out to you in 15 minutes or less with a personalized solution to your needs.
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