CA1250871A - Slow blow fuse - Google Patents

Slow blow fuse

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Publication number
CA1250871A
CA1250871A CA000498722A CA498722A CA1250871A CA 1250871 A CA1250871 A CA 1250871A CA 000498722 A CA000498722 A CA 000498722A CA 498722 A CA498722 A CA 498722A CA 1250871 A CA1250871 A CA 1250871A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
fuse
fuse element
element section
heat
slow blow
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000498722A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Katsumi Matsunaga
Yoshitsugu Tsuji
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd
Original Assignee
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd filed Critical Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd
Priority to CA000498722A priority Critical patent/CA1250871A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1250871A publication Critical patent/CA1250871A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

SLOW BLOW FUSE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A slow blow fuse comprising a fuse element section and a pair of electrical terminals integrally formed with the opposite ends of the fuse element section is disclosed.
The fuse element section and the electrical terminals are formed of a high melting point metal and heat accumulators formed of aluminium are secured to the opposite ends of the fuse element section in heat transfer relationship therewith.

Description

3'~

SL~W BLOW FUSE
B~ck~round of the Invention:
A ~low blow fuse having ~uch time lag characteristic that the fuse has a low critical current for blowing at a s low current area and does not blow at instantaneou~ over-current i8 di~closed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model A~plication Publicly Laid-Open No~ 20254/1981. In the fuse of thi~ U.M. application, the fu~e element formed of a low melting point metal is held in an intermediate area of the fuse element section formed of a high melting point metal.
However, this prior art fuse present~ the problems that the blowing characteri~tic of the fuse i~ dull in the low current area which is beyond continuous permissive currents and that the fuse blows relatively ea~ily at in~tantaneous overcurren~ flows. Japane~e Utility Model Application Publicly Laid-OpPn No. 66844~1984 propose~ ~ slow blow fuse which is improved over the ~bove-mentioned prior art. In this improved fuse, the fuse element ~ection is formed of bimetal and a heat accumulator or accumulator~ ormed of a low mPl~ing poin~ me~al are hcld in an intermediate arPa of ths bim~tal fu~e element section, ~owever~ this fuse presents problems in performance and manufacture. That is~
since the heat accumulator or accumul~tor~ are formed of a low melting poin~ met~l ~uch a~ tin or lead, a~d ~ diffusion phenomenon occurs at relatively low temperature~ of g2ner-~ted heat, when the fu8e iS in~talled in high temperature envirsnments a~d iB u~ed in ~n application condition in which heat i& generated due o the intermittent flow o normal current, the diffu~ion occurs progres~ively and this re~ult~ in ~hortening of the service life.
Al o the ~low blow fuse compri~ing the bimetal fu~e element ~ection e~sentially requir~ a bimetal jointing step ~hich makes the ~anuf3cture of the use complicat~d ~nd e~pensive. ~ur~her~ore, ~ince he~t genera~on ~nd cooling alternate ~7ith each oth~r as lntermltt~n~ current fl~w~ the ~u~e ha~ the di~a~van~age ~h~ ~he ~oining por~p~ of ~he bi~et~1 u~e el~ment ~etion ~nd of the ter~in~ tend o suffer from insufficient contact and, thus, the performance o~ the fuse may vary after use over a long period of time.
Furthermore, since the fu~e element section of the slow blow fuses referred to above are housed in a protective case formed of plastic, there is a disadvantage in that the plastic cas~ melts when high temperatures are generated in the fuse element section.
Summary of the Invention:
The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages inherent in the prior art fuses referred to above.
In order to attain this object, the present invention provides a slow blow fuse in which by the use of a low radiation rate metal such as aluminium as the material for the heat accumulator, even when a high melting point metal such as copper alloy is used as the material for the fuse element section, ~he slow blow fu6e can exhibit a satisfac-tory time lag characteristic for blowing and further dis-play advantages in terms of durability and cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ~low blow fuse in which the peripheral surface of the use element section i~ covered wholly or ~ubstantially wlth a lamina or laminas formed of a metal having a low rate o radiation whereby the time lag for blowing can be further extended and the case in which the fuse element section is r~ceived is protected against melting even when high temper-atures are generated in the fuse element section.
Many other advant~ges, features and additional objects of the present invention will become apparent to 30 persons skilled in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which preferrefl embodiment~ of the present invention are shown by way o illu6trative example.
Brief Description of the Drawing:
Fig. 1 is ~n exploded per~pective view of one embodi-ment of the slow blow use according to the pre~ent invent ion;

~ ,~5~3t~

Figs. 2(a~ and 2(b) are cross-sectional views taken along the line A - A of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the blowing characteris-tic of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1.
Preferred Embodiment of the Invention:
The present invention will now be described referring to the accompanying drawing in which one preferred embodi-ment of the slow blow fuse according to the present inven-tion is shown. In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a charge member, reference numeral 2 denotes a case formed of insulation material such as synthetic re~in and receiving the charge member 1 therein and reference numeral 3 denotes a lid adapted to be fitted on the opening in the ~ase 2.
The charge member 1 comprises a pair of electrical terminals 4,4, a fuse element section S and heat accumu-lators 6,6. The electrical terminals 4,4 and fuse element ~ection 5 are integrally formed by pressing a flat sheet of a high melting point metal such as copper alloy, for example, and the heat accumulators 6~6 which are in the form of a rivet and secured to the terminals 4,4 and fuse element sectlon 5 by fitting the heat accumulator~ into aliyned holes ~not shown) formed in the joining portions between terminals and fuse element section 4,4 and 5 and then elon-gating the heat accumulators in the holes under pressure.
The fuse element section 5 is in the form of a narrow straight copper alloy piece having a suitable length and the electrical terminals 4,4 have a B-shaped cross section and extend in a parallel and facing relationship to each otherO
The fuse element section 5 extends between and bridges the electrical termin~ls 4,4.
The rivet-shaped heat accumulator is ~ormed of aluminium,which has a low radiation rate and a melting point lower than that of the copper alloy of which the electrical terminals 4~4 and fuse element ~ection 5 are form~d.
A~ ~hown, the charge member 1 i8 held in position within the ca~e 2 by placing the electrical termi~ 4,4 into the respectively associated compartment~ 2A,2A of the ca ing 2 wi~h ~he el~ctrical terminals ~,~ disposed in front ~'3~'7 l and the fuse element section 5 disposed at the rear and the lid 3 is then fitted onto the case 2 so as to close the opening in the case and electrically insulate the charge member l and thereby complete the slow blow fuse.

When flat male terminals connected to the ends of electrical wires are inserted into the terminal inlets of the terminal receiving compartments 2A,2A until the male terminals fit the respectively associated electrical terminals 2A,2A in the compartments, the fuse element section 5 is interposed in an electrical circuit which includes the electrical wires.

In the above-described slow blow fuse, since the radiation rate of the heat accumulator 6 is low, heat dissipation is relatively less at low current low and, thus, heat migration from the fuse element section 5 is inhibited. As a result, the slow blow fuse exhibits a sufficiently rapid blowing performance at low current flow.
On the other hand, since aluminium is light in weight, even if the amount of accumulation heat of the heat accumulator 6 is increased by constructing the heat accumulator such as to have a large capacity, this does not add excessive load to the fuse element section 5 and thus the slow blow fuse can exhibit a sufficiently slow blow characteristic even on application of instantaneously large current flows.

And since aluminium is a metal having a melting point higher than those of tin and lead, the diffusion proceeds slowly even when the slow blow fuse is placed in a high temperature environment and thus the durability of the slow blow fuse is improved. Also, since the radiation of the heat accumulator 6 is low, even when the heat accumulator 6 is heated to a high temperature, it is capable of preventing heat melting of the plastic case. Further, since aluminium :`

~5~

-4a-l is light in weight and is excellent in workability, when the heat accumulator 6 is attached on the terminal 4 and fuse element section 5, it does not add any substantial load burden to the fuse element section 5, which is usually thin in size and mechanically weak, and this makes production of the slow blow fuse easy, thus providing the products with stable and uniform qualities.

Figs. 2(a) and 2(b) are cross-sectional views taken along the llne A - A of Fig. l and show two alternate arrangements of the fuse element section 5. The whole or a substantial portion of the fuse element section 5 is covered by a metal lamina or laminas 7 formed of a narrow metal piece having a high melting point such as copper alloy. The lamina 7 is formed of a metal having a radiation rate lower than that of the material of the fuse element section and : "

terminals such as silver or nickel. The lamina 7 is plated or vapour deposited on the fuse element section 5 having a thickness of several microns so as to cover the wh~le periph-eral surface of the section 5 as shown in Fig. 2(a) or each of the opposite sides of the section 5 as shown in Fig. 2(b).
The means for forming the lamina or laminas 7 is not limited to plating or vapour-deposition, but may be cladding comprising a combination of a high melting point metal and a low radiation rate metal of very small thickness.
And it is, of course, within the scope of the present invention for a thin foil of low radiation rate metal to be applied to the fuse element section 5 as and when required.
By covering the peripheral surface of the fuse element section 5 with the lamina 7 or laminas 7 of a metal having a radiation rate lower than that of the metal of the fuse element ~ection 5~ as is apparent from the Stefan-Boltzman Law, that is:
q = ~ o a T4 ... ~........ (A) wherein q : a~ount of radiation heat ~ : radiation rate (blackness) a : Stefan-Boltzman con tant T : surface temperature difference S : surface area, since the amount of radiation heat (q) is reduced as a matter of course when radiation rate ~) is reduced, it is possible to restrain the di~sipation of heat generated in the fuse element section 5 into the exterior of the section.
Further, the following formula i~ established by the energy conservation law:
~heat accumulation amount in the element) =
~heat generation amount in the element) -(amount of heat transfer to the element end) -(amount of heat dissipation to the air) -(amount of radiant heat) ~ (B) From the above-m~ntioned formula (B), it is apparent that when the amount of radiant heat iB reduced, the heat accumulation amount in the element increa~es corre~pondingly and the temperature of the elemen~ also ri~e~ corre~pondingly.

Since q ~ T4 as known from the formula (A~, the greater the surface temperature difference ~T) is, the greater the variation in amount of radiant heat and, thus, the degree of reduction in the amount of radiant heat due to the reduction in radiation rate is great in the blowing area where the element is maintained at high temperatures for long periods of time. That is, when the radiation rate is small, the blowing characteristic will not vary substan-tially for a short time blowing area, but for a long time blowing area, the temperature of the element rises easily (the element easily becomes ready for blowing).
The phenomena stated above are shown in Fig. 3 in which, when the fuse element section 5 is not covered by the lamina or laminas 7, the blowing characteristic of the element is as shown by the broken curve (a), whereas when the fuse element 5 is covered by the lamina or laminas 7, the radiation rate of which is lower than that of the fuse element, the blowing characteristic of the element for a long time blowing area ~hifts in the direction sf the arrow shown in Fig. 3 thereby changing into the characteristic shown by the solid curve (b3 therein.
In shortv the covering of the fuse element section 5 with the lamina or laminas 7 of lower radiation rate reduces the rated capacity o~ the fuse element section.
In order to evaluate the effect on the time lag for blowing of the fuse element by the provision of the covering formed of the lamina or laminas of lower radiation rate, when one observes the blowing characteristic of the fuse element having the same capacity in long time blowing area 30 as that of the fuse element having the blowing characteris-tic (h), but not the lamina covering, the blowing charac-teristic of its fuse element is seen to be as shown by the one dot-chain curve (c3 and, thu~, it is apparen~ that for the ~ame current, ~he time lag for blowing (tb) of the curve (b) is greater than the time lag for blowing (~c~ of the curve (c).
As demonstrated hereinabove D by the prsvi~ion of the lamina covering th~ fu~e element ~ection, a ~low blow fu~e having a further extended time lag for blowing can be obtained.
Furthermore, even when the fuse element generates heat at high temperatures, the lamina or laminas 7 of lower radiation rate maintain the interior of the case 2 at low temperatures to thereby protect the case against melting.
Thus, in accordance with the invention, a slow blow fuse which can exhibit a ~ufficient time lag characteristic for blowing and has advantages in terms of durability and manufacturing cost is obtained.

Claims (3)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A slow blow fuse comprising a fuse element section and a pair of electrical terminals integrally formed with the opposite ends of said fuse element section, said fuse element section and electrical terminals being formed of a high melting point metal and heat accumulators being secured to the opposite ends of said fuse element section in heat transfer relationship therewith, characterized in that said heat accumulators are formed of aluminium.
2. The slow blow fuse as set forth in Claim 1, in which said fuse element section is covered with lamina means formed of a metal the radiation rate of which is lower than that of the metal of which said fuse element section is formed.
3. The slow blow fuse as set forth in Claim 1 or 2, in which said fuse element section is received in a plastic case.
CA000498722A 1985-12-30 1985-12-30 Slow blow fuse Expired CA1250871A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000498722A CA1250871A (en) 1985-12-30 1985-12-30 Slow blow fuse

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000498722A CA1250871A (en) 1985-12-30 1985-12-30 Slow blow fuse

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1250871A true CA1250871A (en) 1989-03-07

Family

ID=4132199

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000498722A Expired CA1250871A (en) 1985-12-30 1985-12-30 Slow blow fuse

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1250871A (en)

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