[Shop-talk] Is this really true ??

[Karl Vacek]

Indeed, I've long heard of "skin effect" in antennas, but never heard of it 
in electrical power transmission.  12-gauge stranded wire is rated the same 
as 12-gauge solid, so it sounded like BS, but I figured I'd ask.

There may be some advantage in avoiding the corrosion issues with aluminum 
conductors, with the copper "coating", but who knows what that "coating" 
really is anyway.

Thanks !
Karl



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roland Wilhelmy" <rwil at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Karl Vacek" <KVacek at Ameritech.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 9:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Is this really true ??


The only current I know of that travels on the surface of a conductor
is radio frequency AC.  In other words AC of something like 1000 to
100,000 hertz.  Everything else uses the whole conductor, otherwise
they'd make conductors for household current some funny shape or at
least a flat ribbon instead of round, and  they would be figuring
current capacity by something other than cross-sectional area.

I would suspect that the rest is bullshit.

-Roland


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donald H Locker" <dhlocker at comcast.net>
To: "Karl Vacek" <KVacek at Ameritech.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 8:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Is this really true ??


> Someone's been dreaming up marketing BS.  Direct current flows through the 
> bulk of the metal, not on the skin.  Skin effect only comes into play at 
> radio frequencies.
>
> The advantage that stranding brings to cables is not conductivity, but 
> flexibility.  That's the only advantage.  It's more expensive, it's 
> larger, it's harder to make.
>
> HTH,
> Donald.