What is the name of a switch that turns off if too much current flows in a circiut?

Answer 1

A switch that turns off if too much current flows in a circuit is called a circuit breaker. In your house, they are usually all in one location at your electrical panel, which may or may not include your electric meter.

There are also special circuit breakers that include a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) function, but the GFCI is more commonly built into receptacles found in the bathroom and kitchen. They have two buttons in the middle: the black button is for testing the device, and the red button is for resetting the device.

The GFCI is designed to turn off if the currents flowing in the hot and neutral conductors to a load (like a hair dryer or electric razor) are not exactly equal, because this would mean that there is a leakage path that might result in electrical shock. Thus, it trips not because of too much current, but because of a fault condition.

Answer 2

The switch you are askign about is called a GFCI or Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor. If an appliance is working properly, all electricity that the appliance uses will flow from hot to neutral. A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral. If there is any imbalance, it trips the circuit. It is able to sense a mismatch as small as 4 or 5 milliamps, and it can react as quickly as one-thirtieth of a second.

Answer 3

Besides all the "circuit breaker" answers, there is also the idea of current limiting circuitry. This can be found in most power supplies ( I think they call it a “crowbar circuit”) these switch are usually made up of transistors…

Take this circuit for instance….
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/2393/untitledxb3.png
The voltage across R1 has to be less than .7V or else Q2 turns on and the output turns off, therefore the circuit is limited to…

I = .7V/1.4ohms = .5A

Answer 4

There are many switches that will breakes the circuit if too much current flow they are generally called 'circuit breakers'. the y are listed below
MCB - Miniature Circuit Breaker.
MCCB - Moulded Case Circuit Breaker.
ELCB - Earth Leakage Cricuit Breaker

Answer 5

You can have a switch called a circuit breaker. Although a fuse is not a switch, this can accomplishe the same thing. Also, there are overload breakers that have button resets on them.

Answer 6

The switches for breaking propose are different type. I am classifyning it into two types one industrial and other is for domestic. for domestic purpose we called this switch as fuse. there are lot of fuse availabe in the market, like HRC fuse and also cut out. In industrial it is called circuit breaker it is alos lot of type.

Answer 7

There are many types, but generally such a switch is called a "circuit breaker."

Answer 8

g-f-i- switch.