Well, you learn new physics every day! It's certainly true that there is a
"skin effect" at high frequencies, but battery current is not high
frequency.
Brian K
> From: Karl Vacek <kvacek@ameritech.net>
> Reply-To: Karl Vacek <KVacek@Ameritech.net>
> Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:08:19 -0600
> To: <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
> Subject: [Shop-talk] Is this really true ??
>
> Today's Hemmings weekly newsletter had the following article on a new
> copper-coated aluminum battery cable material from Accel. The aluminum cable
> is said to conduct as much current as a similar gauge of copper, because the
> aluminum is copper-coated, and (they assert) "as with any electrical cable,
> the current flows over the surface of the strands, not through them". If this
> is true, why then doesn't stranded wire carry far more current than
> similar-gauge solid wire ?? Lots more surface area.
>
> The article follows.
>
> Karl
>
>
> ACCEL introduces lightweight battery cable
> Racers are always on the lookout for new ways to shave mass from their
> machines, looking for even a small advantage over the other guy. Recently, at
> the SEMA show in Las Vegas, ACCEL rolled out one of its newest techniques for
> saving a few pounds: Lightning Cable. The name is a clever play, as these
> cables offer the benefit of lightening combined with excellent electrical
> current flow.
>
> The design of the cable itself is fairly clever as well. Typical battery cable
> is made from copper strands for superior conductivity, but copper is
> significantly heavier than aluminum, though aluminum cant provide the same
> quality of current flow. ACCELs solution was to use aluminum strands coated
> with copper, since, as with any electrical cable, the current flows over the
> surface of the strands, not through them. The result is a battery cable that
> weighs half as much as similar gauge copper without sacrificing performance.
>
> Lightning Cable is offered in 1/0-, 2- and 4-gauge wire thickness and is
> available with trick compression terminals that fasten by inserting the
> stripped end of the cable into the fitting and then threading the fitting into
> the terminal. Heat-shrink wrap is also offered to finish off cable assemblies.
> For more information, go to www.accel-ignition.com
> ___
_______________________________________________
Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html
Shop-talk mailing list
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shop-talk
http://www.team.net/archive
|