Fuse

Generally, to fuse is to combine two objects via the process of fusion.

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In electrical engineering a fuse or fuze (short for 'fusible link') is a device that has as its critical component a metal wire or strip that will melt when heated by a prescribed (design) current, opening the circuit of which it is a part, thereby protecting the circuit from an overcurrent condition.

Fuses are often characterized as "fast-blow" or "slow-blow," according to the time they take to respond to an overcurrent condition. Fast-blow fuses (sometimes marked 'F') open quickly when the rated current is reached. Ultrafast fuses (marked 'FF') are used to protect semiconductor devices that can tolerate only very short-lived overcurrents. Slow-blow fuses (often marked 'T') can tolerate a transient overcurrent condition, but will open if the overcurrent condition is sustained.

Fuses are often sold in standardised packages to make them easily interchangeable. Cartridge fuses are cylindrical and are made in standard lengths such as 20mm, 1" and 1.25". Low-power fuses have a glass body so that the fuse wire can be inspected. High-power fuses have a stronger ceramic body filled with sand.

Blade fuses, with a plastic body and two prongs that fit into sockets, are used in automobiles.

Old electrical consumer units (also called fuse boxes) were fitted with fuse wire that could be replaced from a supply of spare wire that was wound on a piece of cardboard. Modern consumer units contain magnetic circuit breakers instead of fuses.

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In optical fiber technology, to fuse two optical fibres is to join their endfaces by melting, i.e. , welding, the endfaces together.

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C

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In explosives, a fuze (usually spelled with a 'z' in this context) is an ignition source for an explosive device. This can take many different forms, the simplest being a length of combustible material which burns from the free end down to a small opening in the casing, where it then ignites the material. More modern forms of fuze, also often called "detonators", include:

• a time fuze[?] detonates after a set time (the simple length mentioned above falls into this category, but more modern ones use electronic timers)
• a contact detonator[?] explodes on impact
• a proximity fuze causes a missile to explode when comes within a certain distance to the target, usually using radar or sonar
• a remote detonator[?] uses wires or radio waves to cause the explosive to explode on command
• an altitude fuze[?] causes a bomb to explode at a certain altitude (which may be either above sea level or above ground), usually either by radar much like a proximity fuze, or by means of a barometric altimeter