Difference between Fuse and Circuit Breaker

Fuses and circuit breakers are critical components of an electrical system. Both fuses and circuit breakers are used to interrupt the excess electricity in a circuit. However, there are some key differences in the way they function.

One of the fundamental differences between a fuse and a circuit breaker is that a fuse is a metal piece that melts when excess current overloads the circuit. In contrast, a circuit breaker has an internal switch that gets tripped when there is excess current in the circuit from an overload or short circuit.

Difference Between Fuse And Circuit Breaker

Table of Contents

What Is a Fuse?

We define fuse as an electrical safety device that removes electrical current from an electrical circuit when the current in the electrical circuit is too high.

What Is Circuit Breaker?

We define a circuit breaker as an automatically operated electrical switch that is designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by an excess amount of current due to overload or short circuit. The basic function of a circuit breaker is to interrupt current flow after a fault is detected.

Fuse finds application in electronic equipment that requires very low current, while the circuit breakers find application in heavy machines or electronic equipment that requires a large amount of current.

Fuse vs Circuit Breakers

Fuse Circuit Breaker
Works on the thermal and electrical properties of the conducting materials Works on the switching principle and electromagnetism
It doesn’t give any indication of overloads It gives an indication of overloads
Fuse can only be used once A circuit breaker can be used many numbers of times
Provides protection against power overloads Provides protection against power overloads and short circuits
It detects and interrupts faulty circuit conditions It performs the interruption process only. Faults are detected by a relay system.
Low breaking capacity compared to the circuit breaker High breaking capacity
Automatic operation Can either be automatic or manually operated
Operating time of fuse is 0.002 seconds Operating time of the circuit breaker is 0.02 – 0.05 seconds
Low Cost High Cost

Most houses use circuit breakers nowadays due to their many advantages. Fuses are used widely in motor protection circuits due to their simplicity and small size.

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Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Q1

What is a fuse?

Fuse is an electrical safety device that removes electrical current from an electrical circuit when the current in the electrical circuit is too high.
Q2

What is a circuit breaker?

A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch that is designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by an excess amount of current due to overload or short circuit. The basic function of a circuit breaker is to interrupt current flow after a fault is detected.
Q3

What is the common function of both fuse and circuit breaker?

Both fuses and circuit breakers are used to interrupt the excess electricity in a circuit.
Q4

What is the key difference between a fuse and a circuit breaker?

One of the basic differences between a fuse and a circuit breaker is that a fuse is a metal piece that melts when there is excess current due to overload, while a circuit breaker has an internal switch that gets tripped when there is excess current in the circuit from an overload or short circuit.
Q5

What is an electrical circuit?

An electric circuit is a closed path or loop which forms a network of electrical devices, where electric charges are able to propagate. These paths consist of electrical wires and are powered by a source(battery).

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  1. Thank you. This is very helpful.

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