Study of interaction between high energy discharge and granular field in a confined environment for fuses applications

978-1-78561-223-7International audienceIndustrial fuses are composed of metallic elements in compacted quartz sand in a ceramic casing. In case of short circuit, rapid-heating of the metal conducts its melting and dispersion. The current is maintained momentarily by apparition of an electrical arc which create a hole of vaporized material called “arc channel”. The aim of this work is to evaluate the key phenomena and variables involved in the transfer of the arc energy to the silica filler of the fuse to develop a quantitative procedure of dimensioning. The physical description is inspired by models on laser/matter interaction. Goal is to predict speeds of liquid and gas fronts, surface temperatures, and the pressure induced in the arc channel