Ways to differentiate between wires
Wire is made up of one or several flexible wires, covered with a light and soft protective coating, used to carry current conductive metal wires.There are various forms such as solid, stranded or foil braided.According to the insulation condition is divided into two categories of bare wire and insulated wire.
Bare wire without any insulation or protective layer.In addition to the transmission of electrical energy and information as a wire, but also for the manufacture of electrical machinery, electrical components and connecting wires.General use of copper, aluminum, copper alloy, aluminum alloy and copper-clad steel, aluminum-clad steel and other composite metal materials.Bare wire in addition to good electrical conductivity, there are certain mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, elongation, bending and twisting characteristics, creep resistance, wear resistance.
Insulated wires are categorized into electromagnetic wires and general-purpose insulated wires according to their applications.General-purpose insulated wires include all kinds of connection wires and installation wires.Electromagnetic wires are specifically insulated wires used to make coils or windings.
Ways to differentiate between cables
The cable consists of one or more mutually insulated electrically conductive cores placed in a sealed sheath to form an insulated wire.A protective covering may be added to it for the transmission and distribution of electrical energy or the transmission of electrical signals.The difference between it and ordinary wires is mainly cable size is larger, more complex structure.
The cable consists of the following 4 main parts.
Conductive wire core: made of high conductivity material (copper or aluminum).Depending on the laying conditions of use on the cable flexibility requirements, each core may be made of a single wire or multiple wires twisted together.
Insulation: Insulation materials used as cables should have high insulation resistance, high breakdown field strength, low dielectric loss and low dielectric constant.Commonly used insulating materials in cables are oil-impregnated paper, PVC, polyethylene, cross-linked polyethylene, rubber and so on.Cables are often categorized by insulation materials, such as oil-impregnated paper insulated cables, polyvinyl chloride cables, cross-linked polyethylene cables and so on.
Sealing sheath: Protects the insulated core from mechanical, moisture, humidity, chemicals, light and other damage.For insulation susceptible to moisture, lead or aluminum extruded sealing sheaths are generally used.
Protective covering: used to protect the sealed sheath from mechanical damage.General use of galvanized steel tape, steel wire or copper tape, copper wire, etc. as armor wrapped around the outside of the sheath (called armored cable).Armor layer at the same time to play the role of electric field shielding and prevent external electromagnetic interference.In order to avoid the steel belt, steel wire corrosion by the surrounding medium, generally outside them coated with asphalt or wrapped around the impregnated jute layer or extruded polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride sleeve.
Cables can be divided into power cables, communication cables and control cables according to its use.Compared with the overhead line, the advantages of the cable is a small distance between the line insulation, occupies a small space, underground and does not occupy the space above ground, without the influence of the surrounding environmental pollution, high reliability of power delivery, personal safety and little interference with the surrounding environment.But the high cost, construction and maintenance are more troublesome, manufacturing is also more complex.Therefore, the cable is mostly used in densely populated and densely populated areas of the power grid and traffic congestion and busy place: in the river, river, seabed laying can be avoided by using a large span overhead line.In the need to avoid the overhead line on the communication interference places and need to consider the aesthetic or avoid the exposure of the target of the occasion can also be used cable.
This is all about the distinction between wires and cables.
