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Question

Question: Which material is generally used in fuse wire?...

Which material is generally used in fuse wire?

Explanation

Solution

A fuse is a piece of wire of a material with a very low melting point, that is, it melts and breaks as soon as its temperature gets higher than its melting point. The material used for making fuse have low melting points, hence fuse wires are mainly made up of tin, lead or zinc.

Complete answer:
An alloy of lead and tin as it has a low melting point and a very high resistance is used in fuse wire.
Characteristic properties of a fuse wire: It is made up of an alloy of lead and tin and it has high resistivity and low melting point.
The fuse breaks the circuit if a fault in an appliance causes too much current flow. This protects the wiring and the appliance if something goes wrong. The fuse contains a piece of wire that melts easily. If the current going through the fuse is too great, the wire heats up until it melts and breaks the circuit.
The materials mainly used for fuse elements are tin, lead, silver, copper, zinc, aluminum, and an alloy of lead and tin. An alloy of lead and tin is used for small current rating fuses.

Note:
In electronics and electrical engineering, a fuse is an electrical safety device that operates to provide overcurrent protection of an electrical circuit. Its essential component is a metal wire or strip that melts when too much current flows through it, thereby stopping or interrupting the current.