What is the difference between copper clad aluminum wire and pure copper wire?

The difference between copper clad aluminum wire and pure copper wire

1. Mechanical properties

The strength and elongation of pure copper conductors are greater than those of copper-clad aluminum conductors, which means that pure copper is better than copper-clad aluminum in terms of mechanical properties. Copper-clad aluminum conductors are much lighter than pure copper, so copper-clad aluminum cables are lighter in overall weight than pure copper conductor cables, which will bring convenience to cable transportation and cable erection. In addition, copper-clad aluminum is softer than pure copper, and cables produced with copper-clad aluminum conductors are better in flexibility than pure copper cables.

2. Electrical properties

Because the conductivity of aluminum is worse than that of copper, the DC resistance of copper-clad aluminum conductors is larger than that of pure copper conductors. When the frequency exceeds 5MHz, there is no obvious difference in the AC resistance attenuation under these two different conductors. At 5MHz, the current flows in a thickness of about 0.025 mm near the surface, while the copper layer thickness of the copper clad aluminum conductor is about twice as thick. For coaxial cables, because the transmitted signal is above 5MHz, the transmission effect of copper-clad aluminum conductor and pure copper conductor is the same. To a certain extent, it can be said that the return loss index of cables with copper-clad aluminum is better than that of cables with pure copper conductors.

3. Economy

Copper-clad aluminum conductors are more expensive than pure copper conductors of the same weight. But the copper-clad aluminum of the same weight is much longer than the pure copper conductor, and the cable is calculated by length. With the same weight, the copper-clad aluminum wire is 2.5 times the length of the copper wire, and the price is only a few hundred yuan more per ton. In summary, copper-clad aluminum has great advantages. Because the copper-clad aluminum cable is relatively light, the transportation cost and installation cost of the cable will be reduced, which will bring certain convenience to the construction. the

4. Ease of maintenance

The use of copper-clad aluminum can reduce network failures and prevent network personnel from "cutting the core in winter and cutting the skin in summer" (aluminum strip longitudinal cladding or aluminum tube products) during maintenance. Due to the large difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the copper inner conductor and the aluminum outer conductor of the cable, in the hot summer, the aluminum outer conductor stretches greatly, and the copper inner conductor retracts relatively, which cannot fully contact the elastic contact piece in the F head seat; in severe cold In winter, the aluminum outer conductor shrinks greatly, causing the shielding layer to fall off. When the coaxial cable uses a copper-clad aluminum inner conductor, the thermal expansion coefficient difference between it and the aluminum outer conductor is small, and when the temperature changes, the failure of the cable core pulling is greatly reduced, and the transmission quality of the network is improved. the

Copper clad aluminum wire

Copper-clad aluminum wire refers to a wire with an aluminum core wire as the main body and a certain proportion of copper layer on the outside. It can be used as a conductor for coaxial cables and a wire and cable conductor for electrical equipment. The aluminum wire has a small specific gravity, but its welding performance is not good, so the aluminum wire is covered with a copper layer. This copper-clad aluminum wire can not only take advantage of the small specific gravity of aluminum, but also improve the welding performance. It is suitable for electric power and electrical appliances industry, and the category level is international and domestic.