The two major components of a cable: conductor and insulator
First, the cable mainly has copper conductors:
The conductor can be divided into bare copper, copper plating, copper clad steel, copper alloy, copper foil wire and so on.
Bare copper --- small conductor resistance, easy to oxidize copper plating --- enhanced oxidation resistance
Tinned copper --- Enhanced oxidation resistance, easy for subsequent welding Silver-plated copper --- Strong electrical conductivity, high price, mostly used for RF cables and fluoroplastic high-temperature wires
Copper-clad steel --- high strength, often used in overhead cables
Copper alloy --- high strength (a small amount of other metals are added to copper)
Copper foil wire --- Strong bending resistance and high softness (press copper into thin sheets and wrap it on elastic fibers)
To increase the strength of the conductor, twisting multiple copper wires is usually adopted.
Cable Insulators:
Common insulation materials are PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride, polyvinyl chloride), SR-PVC (Semi-rigid PVC, semi-rigid PVC), PP (Polypropylene, polypropylene), PE (Polyethylene, polyethylene), Foam-PE, Foam -PE + Skin, etc., as well as the latest magnesium oxide (MI) mineral insulator.