Experiment-1

Study of Fuses and

Types of Fuses
 Study of Fuses and Types of Fuses-
Basic Concepts
• Fuse is a device which is used to protect circuits from over
current, overload and ensures the protection of the circuit
• Fuse consists of a low resistance metallic wire enclosed in a
non- combustible material.
• Whenever a short circuit, over-current or mismatched load
connection occurs, then the thin wire inside the fuse melts
because of the heat generated by the heavy current flowing
through it. Therefore, it disconnects the power supply from
the connected system.
• In normal operation of the circuit, fuse wire is just a very
low resistance component and does not affect the normal
operation of the system connected to the power supply
 Reference Standards for Fuses
• IEC 60269: Part 1 to 6, “Low-voltage fuses”
• IS 13703 (Part 2/Sec 1) : 1993/IEC Pub 269-2 : 1986, “Specification
for Low Voltage Fuses for Voltage not Exceeding 1 000 V AC or 1
500 V DC”
• IS 13703 (Part 2/Sec 2) : 1993/IEC Pub 269-2-1 : 1987, “Low
Voltage Fuses for Voltage not Exceeding 1 000 V AC or 1 500 V DC”
• IS/IEC 60269-2 : 2016, “Low Voltage Fuses Part 2 Supplementary
Requirements for Fuses for Use by Authorized Persons”
 Study of Fuses and Types of Fuses- Types
• Based on type of Input Voltage
 DC Fuses
 When the metallic wire melts because of the heat generated by the over current, then
an arc is produced and it is very difficult to extinguish this arc because of constant DC
value.
 In order to minimize the fuse arcing, DC fuse are slightly bigger than an AC fuse which
increase the distance between the electrodes to reduce the arc in the fuse
 AC Fuses
 Voltage with 60Hz or 50Hz frequency changes it amplitude from zero to 60 times every
second, so arc can be extinct easily as compared to DC.
 Therefore, AC fuses are little bit small in sizes as compared to DC fuses
• Based on Nature of Utility
 One Time
 Contain a metallic wire, which burns out, when an over-current, over-load or
mismatched load connect event occur, user has to manually replace these fuses,
switch fuses are cheap and widely used in almost all the electronics and electrical
systems
 Resettable
 They open the circuit when an over current event occurs and after some specific time
they connect the circuit again.
Study of Fuses and Types of Fuses- Types
• Based on Construction
 Re-wireable
 Cartridge
D -type
Link
 Blade and Bolted
 Blade
 Bolted
 High Voltage High Rupturing
Capacity (HRC)

Striker
 Fuses - Terminology
• Rated voltage (Un)
 Maximum voltage that the fuse-link is designed to interrupt. The
fuse-link may have an a.c. rating, a d.c. rating or both
• Rated current (In)
 Maximum value of current that the fuse-link will carry
continuously without deterioration under specified conditions
• Rated Breaking Capacity
 Value of prospective current that a fuse is capable of breaking at a
stated voltage under prescribed conditions of use and behaviour.
The fuse link may have an a.c. breaking capacity, a d.c. breaking
capacity or both and this is the maximum fault current that the
fuse-link is certified to break
• Conventional non-fusing current (Inf)
 Value of current specified which the fuse-link is capable of carrying
for a specified time (conventional time) without melting
• Conventional fusing current (If)
– Value of current specified (usually 1.6 x In) which causes operation of
the fuse-link within a specified time (conventional time). This was
previously known as the ‘minimum fusing current’
 Fuses - Terminologies
• Conventional Time
 Time specified for which the fuse-link shall:
 Carry the conventional non-fusing current without operating
 Operate within when carrying the conventional fusing current. Conventional
times for gG, gM, gU, gR and gS fuse-links are
 1 hour for ratings of 63A and below
 2 hours for ratings above 63A and up to 160A
 3 hours for ratings above 160A and up to 400A
 4 hours for ratings above 400A
• Minimum Breaking Current
 Minimum value of current that the fuse-link can satisfactorily interrupt at
rated voltage
• Pre-arcing time (melting time)
 Interval of time between the beginning of a current large enough to cause
a break in the fuse element and the instant when an arc is initiated
• Arcing time (of a fuse-link)
 Interval of time between the instant of the initiation of the arc in a fuse
and the instant of final arc extinction in that fuse
• Operating time (total clearing time)
 Sum of the pre-arcing time and the arcing time
• Power dissipation (of a fuse-link)
 Power released in a fuse-link carrying a stated value of electric current
(usually rated current) under prescribed conditions of use and behaviour
How to Use a Standard Gauge Wheel ?

Gauge Wheel – Milli-meters Gauge Wheel – SWG

Standard Gauge Wheel

Standard Wire Gauge (SWG) in Millimetres
 Table for SWG Lead-Tin Alloy Fuse Wire

Copper Fuse Wire

Tinned Copper Fuse Wires

Fusing Factor- Traditional Method
 Applications and Time Characteristics
as per IEC/ IS Standards
• The application category is a two-digit code:
 The first letter is a if the fuse is for short-circuit protection only;
an associated device must provide overload protection.
 The first letter is g if the fuse is intended to operate even with
currents as low as those that cause it to blow in one hour. These
are considered general-purpose fuses for protection of wires.
• The second letter indicates the type of equipment or system
to be protected:
 D – North American time-delay fuses for motor circuits (UL 248)
 G – General purpose protection of wires and cables
 M – Motors
 N – Conductors sized to North American practice (UL 248 fuses)
 PV – Solar photovoltaic arrays (IEC 60269-6)
 R, S – Rectifiers or semiconductors (IEC 60269-5)
 Tr – Transformers
Application Chart for Fuses Based on
Utilization Categories
 Fuse-link characteristics
• Time-current characteristic
 It is a curve showing the pre-arcing (melting), or operating time as a function
of current.
 The time current curve has a basic tolerance of ±10% in terms of current
 Fuse-link characteristics
• Cut-off characteristic (peak current)
 It is a curve showing the cut-off current as a function of prospective current
 Cut-off current is the maximum instantaneous value of current let-through by the fuse-
link during one half cycle of operation under the most onerous conditions of power
factor and asymmetry
 Note that the prospective current is expressed in kA r.m.s, whereas the cut-off current is
peak kA, so current limitation does occur even when the cut-off current appears to
exceed the prospective current
 Fuse-link characteristics
• I2t characteristic
 It is a curve or chart showing values of ‘pre-arcing’ and ‘operating’
let-through energy as a function of prospective current and voltage,
I²t is proportional to energy and is measured in Ampere-squared-
seconds (A²s).
Circuit Diagram for Fuse Testing
 Procedure for Calculating Fuse Rating
and Range Selection
• A. Traditional Method:
 Step 1: For the given application use the Fusing
Factor to determine the nearest fuse rating
 Step 2: Obtain the appropriate gauge (SWG) of the
fuse link (for low rating – tinned lead and for
higher current ratings – tinned copper)
 Step 3: Check the gauge with gauge measurement
slider
 Step 4: Install the re-wirable fuse link into the fuse
holder
 Procedure for Calculating Fuse Rating
and Range Selection
• B. Utilizing Characteristic Curves:
 Step 1: For the given application, use the application
chart to determine the application category of fuse
 Step 2: Use the appropriate Current – Time
characteristic curve to fix the fuse rating
 Step 3: Obtain the appropriate gauge (SWG) of the
fuse link (for low rating – tinned lead and for higher
current ratings – tinned copper)
 Step 4: Check the gauge with gauge measurement
slider
 Step 5: Install the re-wirable fuse link into the fuse
holder
 Demo A-V of Fuse Operation
Experiment1_Fuse.mp4