Tubular fuse component with end caps with a hermetically sealing plastic sealing body insert

Abstract

A fuse component () has a fusible conductor () which extends in a gas filled cavity () within a cylindrical tube () between two end surfaces (). Two end caps () of an electrically conductive material are applied to the ends of the tube () so that an electrical contact is produced with the fusible conductor (). At at least one of the two ends of the tube (), a sealing body of a plastic material, which is predominantly elastically compressible but at the same time capable of creep, is introduced into a gap between the base of the end cap and the end surface () of the tube () and into a portion of the cavity adjacent to the cap base. The sealing body has been compressed between the end surface () and the cap base during the manufacture of the fuse component () when positioning the end cap (). The compressed sealing body () attempts to expand again, whereby it expands principally into the cavity (). If a sudden pressure rise occurs in the cavity shortly after its introduction during the manufacturing process as a result of a temperature increase, it can occur that this overpressure balances out into the external surroundings via a temporarily formed passage between the tube, the sealing body and the end cap. The passage which is formed is then sealed again as a result of the ability of the plastic material to creep.