This article will explain Can We Use Copper Wire As A Fuse Wire? We don’t use copper wire as a fuse wire. A fuse is a safety component that guards against electrical device faults.
A short circuit current will flow whenever there is a fault, which causes a lot of heat to be produced. If the circuit does not open in time, the heat will cause harm to the electrical appliance.
As a result, the circuit has a fuse that, in the event of a high temperature caused by circuit faults, will melt and turn the circuit off at the source. A fuse is a wire made of a substance with a low melting point.
The wires become heated and melt when a large current travels through the circuit due to overloading or a short circuit. Therefore, the circuit is disrupted, and the current ceases to flow.
On the other hand, due to its high melting point (about 1094 degrees Celsius), copper wire cannot be utilized as a fuse wire.
When a strong electric current flows through copper, it does not melt quickly and could harm electrical equipment.
Can We Use Copper Wire As A Fuse Wire? Give Reason
Due to its greater melting point and low resistance, copper wire cannot be used as a fuse wire since current can pass through it without melting it or interrupting the circuit, damaging appliances.
When a wire or strip experiences a high current, a fuse, which is a key component, melts, stopping the current flow. The material’s heat conductivity and melting point are key to choosing a fuse wire.
As a result, a fuse wire needs to be manufactured of a material with a low melting point that will easily melt in the event of an overshoot, disconnecting the circuit from the source.
Let’s now examine whether copper satisfies the needs and specifications of a fuse wire. Since copper is typically used in regular wires, there is no difference between fuse and regular connection wires.
Because of its high melting point, copper is utilized in standard wiring. When there is a current overload, copper with a higher melting point won’t melt as easily and will enable high current to flow through, seriously damaging the associated components.
Due to the lack of distinction between normal and fuse wires, it is not recommended to utilize copper wire as a fuse wire for the reasons above. Utilizing alloys instead of pure metals with low melting points is highly recommended.
Tin and lead alloy are used to make the most popular type of fuse wire. This results from their high thermal conductivity and relatively low melting point.
In addition to material, modern fuses are selected for their current operation, which offers circuit protection.
Fuse Wire Materials
Low melting point, low ohmic loss, high conductivity (or low resistivity), inexpensive, and detachment-free requirements must be met by the material used to make fuse components.
Tin, lead, or zinc are materials with low melting points that are utilized to make fuse elements. However, a metal with a high specific resistance might have a low melting point.
Tin, lead, silver, copper, zinc, aluminium, and lead-and-tin alloy are the primary materials utilized to manufacture fuse elements.
Small current rating fuses are made of lead and tin alloy. Because the wire widths will be greater and the metal released after fusing will be excessive, this alloy is not used for currents over 15A.
Copper wire fuses are used in circuits with ratings greater than 15A. If a sufficiently low fusing factor is sought, copper wire has the problem that it functions at a rather high temperature.
The wire has a propensity to overheat, which causes a steady decrease in its cross-sectional area and fusing current, as well as the potential for early melting of the wire.
The benefits of using silver as a fusion element include the following
- It doesn’t oxidize, and the oxide it produces is unstable.
- Silver’s conductivity does not decrease with oxidation.
- Due to its high conductivity, the amount of molten metal that must be handled is reduced, which increases operation speed.
However, because silver is more expensive than other metals, copper or a lead-tin alloy is typically used as a fuse wire.
Zinc is also employed as a fuse element, although only in strip form since it does not melt quickly under light overload.
What Material Is Used For Making Electrical Fuses And Why?
The majority of materials used to make electrical fuses have low melting points. When the current running through it surpasses its rating by even a tiny amount, it behaves as a low-resistance channel. To prevent harm to an electrical device, this is done.
It serves as an overcurrent protection device as a result. Faults, particularly short circuit faults, cause strong currents to flow rapidly, heating the fuse wire and causing it to melt.
This stops damage and fires from happening. In general, nichrome is the material used to make fuse wires.
What Substance Is Used To Make Fuse Wire?
The predominant material in low-voltage fuse elements is copper (Cu). However, the fuse wires for high-tension line fuses and rapid-acting fuses are silver.
Silver plating on copper is also widely utilized. Additionally, low melting point elements like tin (Sn), zinc (Zn), and other alloys are found in the fuse wires of time delay fuses.
What Quality Of The Wire Is Required To Create An Electric Fuse?
The requirement is that the wire must melt at the designated current level. For example, a 10A fuse should melt if more than 10A flows through it, cutting the circuit.
Additionally, it must melt quickly enough to allow for the necessary disconnecting time.
If a fuse wire began to melt at 19.5A but took two minutes to melt through, it wouldn’t do much good because the circuit would continue to function until the wire melted through.
Conclusion
I hope you understand Can We Use Copper Wire As A Fuse Wire? Copper, zinc, and aluminium are frequently used materials. On the I2 x R principle, the fuse operates.
The fuse wire will melt due to the heat produced by excessive current. For instance, if your house, motor, or appliance is fully loaded, it will draw 5 Amps of electricity.
Fuse wire is therefore adjusted to a somewhat higher value, such as 5.5/6/7 Amps.
Since the appliance requires 5A to operate, 5A is not the choice because the fuse will burn. So you choose a value that is higher than 5 Amps.
You want the fuse wire to melt above 5 amps to prevent harm to your gadget. Your appliance is safeguarded in this way.
