Automotive Fuse - What's Inside.

[MasterSolenoid]

I cut open this automotive fuse.
Was surprised to see these granules spill out.
125 amp.
I'm not sure what vehicle it's from.
Just nice to see all the 'new' technology in cars today.

For reference, it's sitting on a bread pan.

 

[eljefino]

Huh. If I were to guess it would be to lessen vibration, and not be flammable if it overheated.

 

[Trav]

I cut open this automotive fuse.
Was surprised to see these granules spill out.
125 amp.
I'm not sure what vehicle it's from.
Just nice to see all the 'new' technology in cars today.

For reference, it's sitting on a bread pan.
View attachment 236851View attachment 236854

Looked up sand in fuses, I have seen this before but didn't know why it was filled with common sand.

Filling a fuse body with sand provides additional cooling of the arc and increases the breaking capacity of the fuse. Medium-voltage fuses may have liquid-filled envelopes to assist in the extinguishing of the arc

 

[nomas]

Some fuses contain sand . I've seen some in the electrical industry that contained Borax .

 

[circuitsmith]

That sand is there to quench an arc when the element blows.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure...nd-as-the-arc-quenching-medium_fig1_373036099

 

[jhellwig]

^^^^^This. Turns to glass as it blows.

What vehicle has a fuse like that? Looks like an electrics fuse.

 

[Mechanician]

Must be from a hybrid or EV, 12 volts shouldn't need quenching.
Unless they used an off the shelf fuse to save expense?

 

[JohnnyG]

That's for a high voltage application. The one we use on 480V lines are made like that.