Three methods of identifying copper-clad aluminum wire and cable

Copper-clad aluminum copper wire and cable is a new cable material due to the fish-dragon hybrid in the wire and cable market. Unscrupulous copper-clad aluminum cable manufacturers produce copper-clad aluminum, copper-clad aluminum-magnesium, and copper-clad steel wire instead of oxygen-free copper wire.

1. Copper clad aluminum cable

Copper-clad aluminum is coated with a layer of copper or a layer of copper on the outside of aluminum wire or aluminum magnesium wire. Advantages: good electrical conductivity, light weight, small specific gravity, low price, relatively easy processing and production of raw materials, based on copper wire production, it is an excellent material to replace copper conductors.

2. Introduce three methods for identifying copper-clad aluminum cables:

Copper-clad aluminum copper, copper-clad aluminum-magnesium, and copper-clad steel appear to be copper wires in appearance, and it is easy to confuse the two in unprofessional situations.

1. Look at the cross-section: If the thicker wire uses copper-clad aluminum copper, it can be easily seen. Therefore, copper-clad aluminum is generally a flexible wire, which is composed of many small filaments and multiple strands, but as long as the cross section is cut to see what is whitish (the color of aluminum), you can identify what material it is.

2. Fire method: Just use a lighter to burn, see the burning phenomenon and the result after burning, copper clad aluminum copper and copper clad aluminum magnesium wire, when the flame touches the wire, the conductor will sag straight, not easy to burn, burn After that, the body color is gray or blacker; because the melting point of aluminum is lower than that of copper. Difference: The conductor after the copper-clad aluminum burns will be broken with a finger twist, and it is relatively brittle and will break into multiple knots. If the anaerobic bare copper wire is burned to form a spherical bead, it is the copper wire. The thickness of the copper wire is different, and the result is different after burning.

3. Scratch with tools: The tinned copper wire is yellow after scratching, it is copper. The oxygen-free bare copper wire is still the original color and copper after scratching. The copper clad aluminum wire and copper clad aluminum magnesium aluminum appear snowflake white. Or rubbing the silk on the concrete floor can get the same effect. Copper-clad steel wires can also be identified by this method or by magnets.

How to avoid buying inferior copper-clad aluminum cables

Unless the poor copper-clad aluminum copper can be distinguished with the naked eye, it depends on the qualification and quality inspection and certification report of the copper-clad aluminum cable manufacturer; the copper-clad aluminum wires are mostly soft copper wires, and the identification method is very simple. The flame burns the end of the copper wire, because the aluminum wire has a lower melting point than the copper wire, so if it is copper-clad aluminum, the burning part of the flame will quickly turn to ashes, leaving nothing behind. In the case of pure copper, the copper wire shrinks quickly after burning, and a small ball is always left on the thread during the shrinking process.

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