Technical Data
Copper and copper alloys are often used to construct conductors. Copper is often electroplated in materials such as silver, nickel, and tin. For special applications, alloy and composite coatings are plated in multiple layers. Adding coatings changes and improves the performance of the conductor material. Plated wire is commonly used throughout the electrical engineering world.
To get the most from plated wire, you should consider important industry specifications directly related to conductor plating. The three most important specifications include:
ASTM B-298 (Annealed Copper/Silver-Coated Soft Wire)
This standard encompasses silver coated, round copper, and soft types of wire used for electrical equipment. These wires are further broken down into five classes (A, B, C, D, & E). Classes are broken up depending on the coating’s weight, the tensile strength, and the dimensional measurements. Straight and cut wire falls into this category.
ASTM B-33 (Annealed Copper/ Tinned Soft Wire)
This standard covers tensile strength, wire size, and elongation requirements. The characteristics deal with soft, tinned, and annealed copper plated wire used inside electrical devices.
ASTM B-355 (Annealed Copper/Nickel-Coated Soft Wire)
This specification standard covers soft, nickel-coated, and round-copper plated wire used to build electrical equipment. The standard covers five classes (27, 19, 7, 4, & 2). These wires have properties such as area elongation, even dimensions, and resistivity.