Fuses made from copper strip
 

Looking through my bits box for a few fuses and holders for a 40 Kw alternator I use for 3 phase in my workshop, I was looking for some over 50 amps in case anything went wrong with any of my machines. I found 3 which look about right but they are just a strip of copper 2 and a quarter inches long and half an inch wide clamped into a suitable holder. As a guess I would say they would probably blow at a bit over 50 amps. The thickness is, as far as I can measure it on my caliper is 1/32nd of an inch

Does any clever chap know how I can calculate the current capacity from these measurements and so adjust it by cutting the strip in half, for example.

These 3 phases will be for fusing 3 separate 13 sockets but if I just put them in the lines they will also protect the outlet on 3 phase devices too.

I suppose I could just hook an ammeter in line and a heavy duty variac, which I have and just wind it up till it blows, but I do not have an unlimited supply of the copper strips and it is not very scientific, is it?

Anyone got a clue? Thanks George.

Fuses made from copper strip
 

George wrote:

a strip of copper 2 and a quarter inches long and half an inch wide
clamped into a suitable holder. As a guess I would say they would
probably blow at a bit over 50 amps. The thickness is, as far as I
can measure it on my caliper is 1/32nd of an inch

Are the holders enclosed? sounds like a sizeable amount of copper to
spray around if it goes pop ...

Does any clever chap know how I can calculate the current capacity
from these measurements and so adjust it by cutting the strip in
half, for example.

Anyone got a clue? Thanks George.

As a starter, this calculator

http://solderer.tv/wire-size-fuse-calculator

reckons you need 0.42 mm^2 of copper for a 50A fuse, which sounds small
to me, but would make your strip over 20x the required CSA.

Another site seems to give same ball-park sizes, so maybe it's not to small

http://www.powerstream.com/wire-fusing-currents.htm

Fuses made from copper strip
 

George wrote:
Looking through my bits box for a few fuses and holders for a 40 Kw alternator I use for 3 phase in my workshop, I was looking for some over 50 amps in case anything went wrong with any of my machines. I found 3 which look about right but they are just a strip of copper 2 and a quarter inches long and half an inch wide clamped into a suitable holder. As a guess I would say they would probably blow at a bit over 50 amps. The thickness is, as far as I can measure it on my caliper is 1/32nd of an inch

Does any clever chap know how I can calculate the current capacity from these measurements and so adjust it by cutting the strip in half, for example.

These 3 phases will be for fusing 3 separate 13 sockets but if I just put them in the lines they will also protect the outlet on 3 phase devices too.

I suppose I could just hook an ammeter in line and a heavy duty variac, which I have and just wind it up till it blows, but I do not have an unlimited supply of the copper strips and it is not very scientific, is it?

Anyone got a clue? Thanks George.



50 amp fuse wire is 21 guage or.721mm dia or .412 sq mm the copper you
have would be hundreds of amps.