AAAC conductor technology functions better than copper

Although the United States since 1972, began using the AA-8000 series AAAC conductor building cables, but the public has been 1960's Year of aluminum construction cables accident obsession, always building new aluminum cable is not assured. The reality is, that the AA-8000 series AAAC conductors designed for building cable design and manufacturing a new type of conductor material with conventional aluminum used are essentially different. AA -8000 series aluminum iron content increased to 0.5-0.9% wt%. 

The late 1960's to early 1970's Year's, AA-1350 (also known as EC-1350) is used extensively for overhead transmission lines, but when used in building cable, its mechanical properties are not appropriate. In the world's most authoritative database "colored metallic for database" (Key to Metals), iron construction cable conductor used - aluminum (A l-Fe) alloy made a detailed presentation [3].

AA-1350 hard AAAC conductor terminal connections loose construction and local overheating caused frequent accidents. AA-1350 hard aluminum conductors, even after the prescribed torque screws are connected to the terminal, still will gradually relax. Just a little overload occurs, and the connection will heat. The expansion of the AAAC conductors is much more serious than copper fittings, and then creep, the stress increases, overheating will occur in the continuous high current state, and the aluminum conductor plastic deformation and junction relaxation reduce the security of the connection points. 

While AA-1350 aluminum after annealing improves flexibility, at 200 ° C while still softening of the microstructure will happen, if things were completely damaged. AA-8000 series aluminum alloy increases the iron content, to solve these problems, not only to overcome the local overheating, without affecting the electrical conductivity, and therefore a large number of aluminum instead of EC-1350.

AA-8000 series aluminum alloy increases the iron content and significantly improving the microstructure stability and creep resistance, without causing damage to the connection point. Experiments show that at 180 ℃, 500 hours, the strength of the AA-8000 series aluminum annealing from 125 MPa down to 116 MPa, 2000 hours down to 100 MPa, and the strength of the AA-1350 aluminum were reduced to 104 MPa and 82 MPa. 

These two aluminum are annealed to the same ductility or bending resistance, high strength aluminum alloy iron still about 2 times the normal pure aluminum. Since the 1968 AA-8000 series aluminum was put into use, and field experiments in the United States, Europe, and South Africa have proved this point.

US scientists Carlsson had yield stress of hard and soft copper and AAAC conductor have done computer simulations [4], the results showed:

1. Cross-sectional area equal to 200% of the hard copper wire of hard aluminum, soft copper is 300% soft aluminum wire.

2. Equal weight, hard copper is 61% of hard aluminum, and soft copper is 80% of soft aluminum wire.

3. Resistance equal to 105% of the hard copper is hard aluminum and soft copper is 200% soft aluminum wire.