There are different types of cables and wires and they can be used for different purposes. Basically, special coatings and insulations are used in cable manufacturing so that these products can find acceptable performance and improve their properties. Two common types of coating that we see in most cables are copper and aluminum coating, which are the most used among the types of cables offered in the market. Each of these cables has its own uses and benefits. Therefore, the question is often raised for contractors and electrical engineers, which is the right option for their desired work projects? Copper or aluminum cable? In this article, we have decided to focus more on the use of copper in cable and learn about the advantages and disadvantages of copper in cable.
Copper standard in cable
Different conductors are used in the electrical industry and to make all kinds of wires and cables. The conductor is actually the agent that guides the flow of electrons and plays an important role in the electric current of various elements. Different properties can be mentioned for conductors, the most important of which are: compatibility with the environment, specific weight, acceptable tensile strength, and conductivity.
These properties are different in each conductor. The most common and widely used types of conductors used in cable and wire manufacturing industries are copper and aluminum. These two types of conductors are very different from each other. But due to some advantages and disadvantages in each of them, depending on the working conditions, one of these two options can be chosen and used. But the question is, what is the use of copper in cable? What are the standards in copper that make this type of conductor to be used in cable making?Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity and current. In fact, it can be said that in the world of metals, no element can compete with copper in terms of electrical conductivity. This red metal can carry much more current in cables. Special international standards are used in the production of copper cables. Therefore, in most industries, the use of copper cable is preferred over other cables. These cables can be used in different designs and models in modern and new buildings. One of the strong points of copper is its resistance to rust, which is highly regarded in addition to its high conductivity.
- Advantages of copper in Kabul
- In this section, we decide to learn about the benefits of copper in cable and check how copper is used in cable. Some of the most important advantages of copper cables are:
- Compared to aluminum, copper metal has a higher conductivity and transmits electric current at a faster rate. (Aluminum metal has only about 60% of the conductivity of copper metal.)
- The high tensile strength of copper is one of its other interesting advantages.
- Since copper has a lower electrical resistance than aluminum, energy consumption is greatly reduced, and this is a great advantage for copper cables.
- Compared to aluminum coating, copper has more mechanical resistance. Due to this property, copper is more resilient against electrical stresses.
- Copper cable is compatible with all types of wiring.The bending and twisting power of copper cable is almost 7 times higher than that of aluminum cable.
- Compared to aluminum, copper is more resistant to factors such as erosion and corrosion.
Copper has high flexibility and malleability. So for projects that need to be deformed, it can be deformed to different angles without breaking. - One of the acclaimed advantages of copper in cable is its high resistance to heat. Fire is one of the common factors in residential and commercial buildings. When such a problem occurs, if copper cable is used in the wiring of the building, you can be sure that there is less danger to the security of the building.
Disadvantages of copper in cable
Although the use of copper in cable is very high. But the countless benefits of copper in the cable have made the price of this product higher than that of aluminum cables. In some cases, we see that aluminum cables are sold in the market at a third price of copper cables, and this makes people who have limited budgets tempted to buy aluminum cables and prefer this product to copper cables.
In addition to the fact that copper cables are more expensive than aluminum cables, their greater weight makes these products sometimes known as the second option in some projects. One of the disadvantages of copper in cable, which may be interesting for you to know, is that due to the higher price, better quality and more efficiency of copper cable, the report of their theft is much higher, and this possibility of copper cable theft makes some contractors and Building builders prefer to use cheaper cables such as aluminum cable in their work.
Methods of identifying copper cable from aluminum cable
If you are worried that you will be supplied with an aluminum cable instead of a copper cable, it is better to pay attention to the following points when buying. By knowing these things, you can easily distinguish the copper cable from its aluminum type.
- Copper in all types of cables and wires is red in color. While aluminum is usually used in cable in silver color. Therefore, by knowing the main color of these metals, you can easily understand their difference.
- If you can compare and examine the products at a certain cross-sectional level, you will find that copper wire and cable is heavier than aluminum type.
- Copper cable can be supplied to the market in three forms: wire, semi-extruded and unextruded. While aluminum cables are often available to consumers in semi-dispersed form.
Important points about copper cableCopper cables are a little more difficult than aluminum cables in terms of ease of use due to their structure and special features. In fact, sufficient expertise is needed to install and use copper cable. Therefore, it is often suggested to get help from experts and specialists in this field to set up copper cables.In addition, when buying a copper cable, you must ensure its quality and originality and the standards used in the production of the product. Because copper cables account for a large percentage of the market demand, they are often supplied by unreliable stores with second- and third-rate quality. Therefore, it is better to buy the product you need from reliable centers.The most important uses of copper cable - The use of copper in cable is very many and varied. Copper cables can be used in various industries, we mention a few of them below:
- Using copper cable in air conditioners
- The use of copper cable in the construction of various electrical appliances
- Application in lighting systems
- Copper cable in telecommunications
- Antenna copper cable
Coaxial copper cable - Application in the construction and production of electric motors such as; Battery, electric car, direct current converter and…