Some important features about copper
When it comes to copper, it is a very famous metal that is used in almost everyday activities and is known for its multiple purposes. It has a reddish-metallic coloring to it. It is one of the first metals to be used and found by humans, also it is easily available. It is a natural antibacterial agent. It is also heavily used to prepare alloys with other elements.
Some important properties of copper
The Properties of Copper |
| High electrical conductivity |
| High ductility |
| Good malleability |
| Corrosion-resistant |
| Antimicrobial properties |
| Good heat conductor |
| Non-magnetic |
Copper as an electrical conductor
It is a very well known fact that copper is an amazing electrical conductor, and the whole electrical circuits of our homes, schools, offices, and so on are made up of copper. But what makes copper such an amazing electrical conductor? Let's see in detail.
1. The first requirement of a metal to be able to flow electric currents through its surface is to have minimum or no resistivity. It has to be flexible to allow the currents to pass by, that is what makes it an amazing electrical conductor. Copper possesses the following characteristic, which makes it a fantastic electrical conductor. It has very low resistivity allowing flexibility.
2. Copper is also super flexible, which is not very common in other solids due to their rigid intermolecular bindings. But due to copper's awesome flexible surface, it can be bent into forming wires and similar shapes. And it can also handle a large amount of electricity passing through it. That is why it is used in almost every electrical circuit system and in addition it is cheap too.
3. Copper is resistant to corrosion which makes it even more reliable as an electricity conductor. Copper doesn't rust away easily but it does produce a greenish layer called copper oxide. It is not harmful to the metal itself as it doesn't rust away but instead it protects the metal
from corrosion.
| Features of copper | Measure |
| Electric Conductivity(10.E6 Siemens/m) | 58,7 |
| Electric resistivity(10.E-8 ohms.m) | 1,7 |
| Thermal conductivity(W/m.k) | 386 |
| Thermal expansion factor10E-6(k-1) | 17 |
| Density (g/cm³) | 8,9 |
| Melting temperature (°C) | 1083 |
Why Is Copper Used for Most Electrical Wiring?
Copper is the best choice for Electrical connectors as other metals are not that resistant to corrosion or rusting, and other metals are not even that flexible like copper. Another major benefit of copper as a conductor is that it has great thermal resistance properties too. These properties make copper safer to use. Copper is an all-in-one metal so it is the best choice for
electrical connectors.
Electrical resistance in different sizes of copper
| Cross-sectional area (mm²) | Resistance (ohm/km) |
| 0.5 | 34.5 |
| 0.75 | 23 |
| 1.0 | 17.2 |
| 1.5 | 11.5 |
| 2.5 | 6.9 |
| 4.0 | 4.3 |
| 6.0 | 2.9 |
| 10 | 1.7 |
| 16 | 1.1 |
| 25 | 0.69 |
| 50 | 0.34 |
