Although there have been many developments in the world of metal wiring since the 1820s, people still continue to use copper wiring. Copper is largely responsible for the telecommunication boom of the 1870s because of the elements electrical conductibility. Since that time, copper has been used throughout the electronics field. You can find copper wire in the circuitry of electrical equipment, as well as in power generation and power transmission. As of 2015, the main usage of copper wire and copper alloys is the electrical wiring in buildings. Copper is used because of it many properties. These include:
High tensile strength: The strength of the wire is why the material is used in the building of homes. It is almost three times stronger than aluminum, and so the wire will not stretch, creep, or break. There are very few service interruptions as a result of using copper wire.
High ductility: Copper is easy to work with, and only gold and silver are easier. Copper is consistently used in metalworking as a result of this characteristic. It can be drawn to diameters with small tolerances.
Strong creep resistance: When using copper for electronics, it will be easy to make connections that will not loosen. This is the case when compared to other metals.
Beryllium Copper
These beneficial characteristics are just a few of the reasons why people still use copper wire and alloys like beryllium copper wire and plated wires.
Related Reading: