Copper-clad aluminum wire

Copper-clad aluminum wire

Copper-clad aluminum wire, commonly abbreviated as CCAW or CCA, is a conductor composed of an inner aluminum core and outer copper cladding.

Uses

The primary applications involve of this conductor revolve around weight reduction requirements. These applications include high-quality coils, such as the voice coils in headphones, portable loudspeakers or mobile coils; high frequency coaxial applications; such as RF antennas; CATV distribution cables; and power cables.

CCA was also used in mains cable for domestic and commercial premises. The copper/aluminium construction was adopted to avoid some of the problems with aluminium wire, yet retain some of the cost advantage. But, solid copper is most commonly used in internal residential 120v or 240v wiring in the US.

CCA became extremely popular on emerging markets as a cheap replacement for copper category 5e twisted pair cables.

Properties

The properties of copper-clad aluminum wire include:

  • Lighter than pure copper
  • Higher conductivity than pure aluminum
  • Higher strength than aluminum
  • Better solderability than aluminum, due to the lack of the oxide layer which prevents solder adhesion when soldering bare aluminum.
  • Less expensive than a pure copper wire
  • Typically produced as a 10% or 15% by copper volume product

Skin effect

The skin effect causes alternating current to concentrate on the more-conductive copper cladding of the conductor, causing the resistance of the wire to approach that of a pure copper wire at high frequencies, which makes the copper-clad aluminum wire a good fit for such applications. The skin effect is also utilized in copper-clad steel wire such as RG-6 coax, which is also commonly used in high frequency applications with high strength requirements.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Copper-clad steel — (CCS), also known as copper covered steel or the trademarked name Copperweld is a bi metallic product, mainly used in the wire industry that combines the high mechanical resistance of steel with the conductivity and resistance to corrosion of… …   Wikipedia

  • Copper wire and cable — Copper has been used in electric wiring since the invention of the electromagnet and the telegraph in the 1820s.[1][2] The invention of the telephone in 1876 proved to be another early boon for copper wire.[3] Today, despite competition from… …   Wikipedia

  • Mineral-insulated copper-clad cable — MIMS redirects here. For multi isotope imaging mass spectrometry, see Isotope mass spectrometry. PVC sheathed MICC cable. Conductor cross section area is 1.5 mm²; overall diameter is 7.2 mm …   Wikipedia

  • aluminum processing — Introduction       preparation of the ore for use in various products.       Aluminum, or aluminium (Al), is a silvery white metal with a melting point of 660° C (1,220° F) and a density of 2.7 grams per cubic centimetre. The most abundant… …   Universalium

  • Single-wire earth return — (SWER) or single wire ground return is a single wire transmission line for supplying single phase electrical power from an electrical grid to remote areas at low cost. It is principally used for rural electrification, but also finds use for… …   Wikipedia

  • CCAW — Copper Clad Aluminum Wire (Academic & Science » Electronics) * Cywaith Cymru Artworks Wales (Business » Firms) …   Abbreviations dictionary

  • Cladding (metalworking) — Cladding is the bonding together of dissimilar metals. It is distinct from welding or gluing as a method to fasten the metals together. Cladding is often achieved by extruding two metals through a die as well as pressing or rolling sheets… …   Wikipedia

  • Coaxial cable — RG 59 flexible coaxial cable composed of: A: outer plastic sheath B: woven copper shield C: inner dielectric insulator D: copper core Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by …   Wikipedia

  • building construction — Techniques and industry involved in the assembly and erection of structures. Early humans built primarily for shelter, using simple methods. Building materials came from the land, and fabrication was dictated by the limits of the materials and… …   Universalium

  • Aluminium — Infobox aluminiumAluminium (Audio IPA|En uk aluminium1.ogg|ˌæljʊˈmɪniəm, IPA|/ˌæljəˈmɪniəm/) or aluminum (Audio IPA|En uk aluminum.ogg|/əˈluːmɪnəm/, see spelling below) is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”