This fuse welded itself after popping

    by iamzare

    28 Comments

    1. So it fused itself. I speculate that this low-voltage fuse was used in a high-voltage circuit, and when it opened, an arc was created that fused it. What was the circuit voltage?

    2. AGrandNewAdventure on

      “I’m fine now, I just needed a moment to freak out. I’m fine. I’M FINE.”

    3. I had a fuse do something like this repeatedly on my first car. Ran great, then about ten minutes in the engine would cut. Let it cool down a bit and it would start again, but the issue would repeat. After trying almost everything else it was determined the ignition fuse failed but just barely – when it got warm it would break contact, but after cooling down continuity would be restored and the vehicle would run again. Replaced the fuse and the car ran perfectly until the next in the family to get it had the control arm go on the highway. RIP Pablo, 20 years of near flawless service despite your mistreatment.

    4. there is an epidemic of counterfeit automotive fuse.

      what brand/model is the fuse?

    5. It told you that something is wrong but it didn’t want to inconvenience you at the time.

    6. gaugeinvariance on

      It’s probably the wrong type of fuse, or a poor quality one. In addition to the primary rating (you mention 10A elsewhere), quality fuses list an “interrupt rating” which is the maximum short-circuit current a fuse can interrupt. You have no guarantees that the fuse can actually interrupt currents higher than this. This is part of the reason why there are so many different classes of fuse, from the ATO/ATC automotive fuse shown in your post all the way up to class T fuses. I suspect your short circuit may have actually exceeded the 1kA or so which is the typical interrupt current for ATC/ATO fuses.

    7. This is actually why you don’t see many ATC fuses in industrial cabinets. They’re compact, but they’re notorious for this.

    8. Danson_the_47th on

      So that’s what those chip things are. I remember playing with them like little toys as a kid while our house was being built.

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