Properties and Characteristics of Copper
– Copper has the highest electrical conductivity rating of all non-precious metals.
– The main grade of copper used for electrical applications is electrolytic-tough pitch (ETP) copper.
– Copper’s long mean free path contributes to its high electrical conductivity.
– Copper has higher tensile strength compared to aluminium.
– Copper has a higher ductility than most other metal conductors.
– Copper has a unique combination of high strength and high ductility.
– Copper has a 60% higher thermal conductivity rating than aluminium.
– Copper is readily soldered to make durable connections.
– Copper’s strength, hardness, and flexibility make it easy to work with.
Types of Copper Conductors
– Solid wire consists of one strand of copper metal wire, either bare or surrounded by an insulator.
– Single-strand copper conductors are typically used as magnet wire in motors and transformers.
– Stranded wire has a group of copper wires braided or twisted together.
– Stranded wire is more flexible and easier to install than a large single-strand wire.
– A copper cable consists of two or more copper wires bonded, twisted, or braided together.
– Electrical cables may be made more flexible by stranding the wires.
Applications of Copper Conductors
– Twisted pair cable is the most popular network cable and is often used in data networks for short and medium length connections.
– Coaxial cables were extensively used in mainframe computer systems and Local Area Networks (LAN).
– Structured cabling is the modern wiring for high-capacity telephone, video, data-transmission, security, control, and entertainment systems.
– Copper is widely used for power distribution bus bars because of its high conductivity.
– Appliance conductors for domestic applications and instruments are manufactured from bunch-stranded soft wire.
– Copper wiring is strong enough to remain in place in an automotive alternator, subjected to constant vibration and mechanical shock.
– Magnet wire or winding wire is used in windings of electric motors, transformers, inductors, generators, headphones, and loudspeaker coils.
– A copper splice closure is an enclosure used to restore the mechanical and environmental integrity of copper cables.
Types of Copper Closures
– Butt closures, also known as dome closures, permit cables to enter from one end only.
– In-line closures allow cables to enter from both ends and can be used for branch splicing and cable access.
– Telcordia has identified two types of copper closures: environmentally sealed closures (ESCs) and free-breathing closures (FBCs).
Future Trends
– Copper will continue to be the predominant material in most electrical wire applications. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_conductor
Copper has been used in electrical wiring since the invention of the electromagnet and the telegraph in the 1820s. The invention of the telephone in 1876 created further demand for copper wire as an electrical conductor.
Copper is the electrical conductor in many categories of electrical wiring. Copper wire is used in power generation, power transmission, power distribution, telecommunications, electronics circuitry, and countless types of electrical equipment. Copper and its alloys are also used to make electrical contacts. Electrical wiring in buildings is the most important market for the copper industry. Roughly half of all copper mined is used to manufacture electrical wire and cable conductors.
