Electrical fuse
Fusible eléctrico
- Date
- c. 1847-1890 · confidence low
- Place
- Menlo Park, New Jersey, United States
- Credited to
- Thomas Edison (precursors by Louis Breguet)
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A thin fusible wire or strip that melts and opens the circuit when current exceeds a set value, protecting cables and equipment. Edison built it into his lighting systems.
Authorship is uncertain: Breguet is cited for fusible wires in telegraph lines around 1847 and Edison for his lighting fuse patents (c. 1880-1890). The date of 1880 is indicative.
What it led to
- protection of domestic and industrial installations
- cartridge and high-voltage fuses
- thermal-magnetic circuit breakers