When was fuse invented

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Cancel Save. Fan Feed. The first patent is attributed to Thomas Edison in , but there is evidence that a device that we would recognise as a fuse was being used during the era of the American Civil War in the s. In today's world of semiconductors, electronics and miniaturised devices, the fuse is a mechanical dinosaur. Fuses are not the only solution for providing electicial protection. Circuit breakers are at least as old as fuses - once again it's that man Thomas Edison whose patent for a circuit breaker dates from Circuit breakers are electro-mechanical devices that interrupt electrical circuits, and - in critical comparison to fuses - can be reset to normal operation after the overload or overcurrent has been removed.

So, why would an engineer choose to use a fuse which, once blown, must be replaced when a circuit breaker can simply be reset? Anyone who lives in the UK is familiar with the inconvenience of a blown fuse for those not used to our power cables, every plug is fitted with a fuse.

Surely a resettable circuit breaker would be much more convenient. However, the advantages of fuses make them highly suitable for a huge range of applications. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.

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Home Explore Programmes Topics About. Geevor Tin Mine. Fuses are installed in series with the electric circuit on the upstream flow of electricity and are designed to immediately interrupt the circuit when exposed to overcurrent resulting from a short-circuit on the downstream flow. They are therefore critical components that protect the wiring and devices in an electric circuit from damage caused by fires and the like.

This effectively interrupts protects the circuit. Fuses are classified into different types depending on their usage purpose and application.

For example, there are fuses for high-voltage insulating structures, cylindrical fuses for applications that receive or distribute electricity, tube-type fuses used in residential electric appliances, surface-mount fuses for printed wiring boards, and automotive fuses.