Why do metal alloys used in electrical wires?

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1162994

2026-08-05 10:30

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Most electrical wires use unalloyed copper. The exception is high-power overhead lines that use aluminium for its low density, which means there is a lot less mass for the towers to support, so they are lighter and less expensive.

Aluminium overhead cables are either ACSR - aluminium core, steel reinforced, which uses multi-strand cables with steel strands in the centre; or AAAC which is all-aluminimum alloy conductor.

AAAC cables use an aluminium-magnesium-silicon alloy with silicon 0.5-0.9%, magnesium 0.6-0.9%, iron 0.5% max, copper 0.1%, manganese 0.03%, chromium 0.03%, zinc 0.1%, boron 0.06%. The purpose of adding other elements is to increase the tensile strength of the conductors so they can be tensioned up without too much dangling.

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