Question

The commonly used safety fuse wire is made of
(a). Copper
(b). Lead
(c). Nickel
(d). An alloy of tin and lead

Answer 1

- Hint: Fuse is used as an electrical safety device. It will operate when there is an overcurrent flowing through an electrical circuit. It will end the flow of current when there is a heavy load of current. So, it can protect the electrical appliances from the damages that can be aroused due to the heavy load.

Complete step-by-step solution -

Fuse is a sacrificial device used for the electrical safety purposes. It is required to cut the current flow when too much current flows through it. This metal wire or metal strip will melt during the operation, thereby it interrupts the current. Once it has operated, then the circuit will be open. So, we have to replace the old one with a new fuse wire. A fuse will operate when there is an overloading, short circuit, mismatched loads or device failure. The response time and current operating characteristics decides the material for the fuse wire.

For a fuse wire these characteristics have to be employed.
(1). Low melting point
(2). High conductivity
(3). Low cost
(4). Free from deterioration
(5). Low ohmic loss

From the given options, alloy of tin and nickel possesses the least melting point. This material is extensively used for the production of fuse wires. Hence the correct option is D.

Additional information:
Advantages of fuses are;
(1). Cheapest method for the electrical appliances’ protection
(2). Minimum time required for the operation
(3). Automatic operation
(4). No need for large spaces to keep this.

Disadvantages of fuses are;
Maintenance required once it's operated.

Different types of fuses required for the different applications.

Note: Lead, tin, copper and silver are also used for the production of fuses. For small current applications alloy of lead and tin are commonly used. While for large current applications, copper or silver can be used. For time-lag operations zinc is also considered. So, the fuse element is actually depending upon the applications. Here the question contains most materials that can be used for the production of fuse elements. But the alloy of lead and tin is the most common fuse material for normal people.