From copper to aluminum to optical fiber: Discover how the different conductive materials in cables and wires differ from each other.
Various materials can be used as electrical conductors to transmit energy, signals or data in cables and wires. The most well-known and widely used material is copper (Cu), which is a very ductile metal with high conductivity. It is also flexible, has high tensile strength and is relatively inexpensive, making it the first choice for many applications. The conductor consists of either a single wire or multiple wires twisted together to form a so-called strand. For example, copper can be tinned to make it more corrosion resistant, or nickel plated to improve temperature resistance.
Aluminium (Al) is another potential conductor material. Its main advantage over copper is a much lower density. However, it has a lower conductivity, which means that a larger cross-section is needed to carry the same current. In addition, aluminium wires are less flexible and therefore more likely to break. This makes them unsuitable for moving applications. As a result, aluminium is mainly used for power distribution cables and medium voltage cables where weight plays a major role.
The material with the best conductivity is silver (Ag), but it is many times more expensive than copper. Therefore, silver is usually only used in special applications where exceptional performance and efficiency are required, for example in high-end audio equipment. Another possible conductor for audio cables is silver-plated copper wire, which excels in high conductivity and resistance to corrosion. The high price and lower conductivity of gold (Au) compared to silver and copper make it unsuitable as a conductor.
Another material that at first glance also seems to be an unsuitable conductor is steel, with a considerably worse conductivity than copper or aluminum. On the other hand, it is extremely strong and has a high tensile strength. For this reason, steel is used in military applications and in aerospace, often in combination with other materials such as aluminum.
In addition to all these metallic conductors, there are also optical fibers, or so-called optical waveguides. These are ideal for transmitting signals at high speed using light. They consist of a core of quartz glass or plastic fiber. The latter is more flexible and can therefore be bent more easily. The core is surrounded by an optical jacket, known as the cladding. The light signals are reflected between the core and cladding and are thus transported at high speed through the waveguide. Optical waveguides are used in various applications, such as telecommunications, medicine and aerospace. However, they cannot transmit electricity.
The best conductor material therefore depends very much on the application in question and the prevailing conditions. These must be known precisely in order to carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of each material. Of course, other characteristics of a cable, such as the layout, cross-section, insulation and sheathing material, also play an important role. Therefore, it is always best to seek expert advice when choosing cables and wires to ensure that all the requirements of daily use are met.
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