Tungsten is not typically used as a fuse wire material for several reasons. Firstly, tungsten has a very high melting point, around 3422 degrees Celsius, which makes it less suitable for use in fuses where a controlled and predictable melting point is desired. Fuses are designed to protect electrical circuits by melting when current exceeds a safe limit, thereby breaking the circuit and preventing overheating or fire hazards. Materials like copper or alloys with lower melting points are preferred for fuse wires because they reliably melt at specific currents, providing predictable protection.
Similarly, tungsten is not ideal for heating elements in household appliances for similar reasons. While tungsten is indeed used in incandescent light bulb filaments due to its high melting point and ability to emit light when heated, it is less practical for heating elements due to the difficulty in controlling its temperature precisely. Materials like Nichrome (an alloy of nickel and chromium) are preferred for heating elements because they have a lower melting point than tungsten, are corrosion-resistant, and can be manufactured to withstand repeated heating cycles without deformation.
In summary, while tungsten is valued for its high melting point and other properties in certain applications like light bulbs, its characteristics such as high melting temperature and difficulty in precise temperature control make it less suitable for use as fuse wire or heating elements in most household and electrical applications where controlled and predictable thermal properties are essential.