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+--- Thread: What wire do you use for aluminum? (/Thread-What-wire-do-you-use-for-aluminum)
What wire do you use for aluminum? - toyota1515 - 06-06-2022
Aluminum wire is generally easier to use than copper because it’s lighter and more malleable, making it an ideal wiring material to use over long distances. Likewise, it’s significantly more affordable than copper, so much so that you will generally have half as much copper wire than you would with aluminum for the same cost. The downside to aluminum wiring is that it’s vulnerable to corrosion and therefore cannot match the lifespan of copper wire. Likewise, its softness makes it prone to breakage and loose connections.
RE: What wire do you use for aluminum? - hmwadeseo - 06-06-2022
Aluminum is a relatively soft and weak metal compared to copper, and when the temperature of the circuit rises the wire expands and flows into empty spaces within electrical connectors. When an electric current passes through this circuit it creates pressure, which heats the aluminum wire connector. Later, the aluminum cools and contracts when the electricity is switched off. This creates small gaps between the aluminum wire and the connector. This gap increases the risk of corrosion, which further increases the resistance. As current passes through the same connector it encounters more resistance and generates more heat that can cause the connector material to ignite.
However, solutions to alleviate corrosion on aluminum wire connectors has been developed whereby tightly adhering corrosion inhibitors work as antioxidants to deter corrosion and subsequent adverse heating and high electrical resistance.