[Towertalk] Tensile strength - Cu wire

Barry w2up@mindspring.com
Thu, 03 Oct 2002 20:04:02 -0000


Based on personal experience, I suggest avoiding straned cooper clad 
steel. A number of years ago,I had a bunch of low band wires made of 
this stuff. As they swung in the breeze, the strands abraded each other, 
exposing steel core. It then rusted and snapped. Back to solid copper 
clad wire. Hard to work with, but nothing beats it for the long haul.
Barry W2UP

On 3 Oct 2002 Chuck Counselman wrote:

> >N1EU wrote:
> >>I haven't had luck searching online for info on tensile strength
> >>  of garden variety hard drawn copper wire.  I was hoping to compare
> >>  10-14 AWG copper versus copperweld, in stranded and solid flavors. 
> >>  I'm sure the numbers are out there, and would appreciate help
> >  > gathering the info.
> >
> 
> This doesn't answer your question, but I hope it's helpful and/or 
> will provoke others to comment helpfully:
> 
> 1. In an antenna, stranded wire lasts longer than solid wire of the 
> same gauge.  Solid tends to fail by fatigue, due to the 
> stress-variation caused by wind etc.
> 
> 2. It has been suggested that stranded antenna wire should be 
> insulated, and where insulation has been removed for 
> splicing/connections, the exposed parts should be sealed with 
> CoaxSeal, Liquid Electrical Tape, or whatever, to prevent corrosion, 
> because some RF current flows between adjoining strands.
> 
> 73 de Chuck, W1HIS
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--
Barry Kutner, W2UP              Internet: w2up@mindspring.com
Newtown, PA                     Frankford Radio Club