The important role of BUSSMANN and the history of fuses
The history of electronic engineers using fuses to protect circuits from overcurrent damage has exceeded 100 years. Nowadays, despite the emergence of cheaper circuit breakers, fuses are still widely used.
We say 'over a hundred years' because it is difficult to trace back to the exact time when fuses were first used. In the book "Electric Fuses", A Wright and PG Newbery believe that fuses were first used in 1864. This information appeared in a letter from WH Preece to the Society of Telegraph Engineers in 1887. The letter states that fuses have been used to protect submarine cables since 1864.
These early fuses were platinum wires that would melt when overcurrent reached a certain level. In the following decades, people made improvements to this basic design. In 1879, Professor SP Thompson designed a fuse that contained a shot or tin ball and was supported by a pair of iron wires. This ball will melt and fall before the wire melts. Compared to using fuses alone, this method is more reliable and has better predictability.
Another method of quick disconnection is to use metal foil springs welded together.
In 1887, AC Cockburn published an article titled "On safety fuses for electric light circuits and on the behavior of the various metals used in their construction" in the journal of the Telegraph Engineers Association. This literature contains the first detailed study on the physics of fuses and led Cockburn to propose a new fuse design.
A fuse based on Cockburn's research (upper part), a "high current single pole cut-off" (middle part), and a set of fuses in a multi arc shape with a "main lead cut-off" (bottom part). Taken from Electronic Review, February 10, 1888.
In Cockburn's fuse, the wire supports a non-conductive weight that will disconnect when it melts. This type of fuse, called Cockburn, is more predictable compared to other designs.
In 1914, the Bussmann five brothers began producing fuses at home and soon moved into a small factory to start the production of automotive fuses, thus creating the world's first fuse production line!
In 1985, Cooper purchased the company and established a new business unit - "Cooper Fuses". Today, it is the most well-known brand in the world for fuse circuit protection and related accessories.
In 1992, Bussmann began the development of the first chip fuse. This fuse settles the meltable material onto a ceramic substrate. This type of fuse is only 3mm * 1.5mm in size and can be installed on a printed circuit board using an automatic assembly machine.
As a world leader in circuit protection solutions in the global market, Cooper Bussmann has never stopped innovating for nearly a century, leading the industry in producing high-performance overcurrent protection products with innovative and cutting-edge technology.
In recent years, the development of fuse technology has been rapid, and the analysis of phenomena during the process of melting components through computers has provided revolutionary progress for the performance of fuses. The computer simulation of fuse behavior truly helps fuse designers better understand some phenomena that occur during fuse operation, which were originally very mysterious processes.
A more revolutionary change was introduced by thick and thin film technology. The first metal film fuse was introduced in 1985.
Chip fuses were officially launched in 1995. Moreover, new materials have also played an important role in the upgrading of fuses and circuit breakers. Researchers from ABB have developed a semiconductor polymer. When made into a thin sheet and placed between two electrodes, this polymer can conduct electricity. But when the current rapidly increases, the junction between the thin sheet and the copper electrode heats up to 110 ℃, and at this time, the particles near the polymer surface separate, causing the resistance to rapidly increase.