Copper happens to be the metal of top choice when it comes to dealing with electrical engineering. Starting from your car your office and to your house, every light that illuminates spaces flows through copper wires. Copper is considered to be a top choice for electrical usage is because of great conductivity, which is second to only silver. Besides, the metal is known for its high degree of durability and high tensile strength as well which makes it easier to machine it into wires and a range of other conducting cables.
Copper is also blended with other metals with promising electrical conductivity including nickel, brass, silver or bronze. So, what makes nickel copper wires special? Why should we use a wire that is an amalgamation of copper and nickel instead of using bared copper wires? We look for some answers here.
What Makes Nickel Copper Wires Work?
Even though copper has a significantly high resistance to corrosion and can be used extensively for outdoor uses, in some cases, the performance might not suffice. Often times, copper is used in environments that are wet and highly conducive for corrosion and copper wires do start corroding and losing performance in such atmospheres. So, when bare copper wires are used in solar panels or in marine motors, they start sporting corrosion and damage pretty quickly, hampering the performance of the entire set up. This is where nickel copper wires or copper wires that have been additionally protected by nickel coating, come into play.
The nickel coating lends a sort of specialty to the already effective copper wire. Speaking of nickel, apart from being a practical choice, it also proves to be an aesthetic choice as well for jewelry wrapping and other artistic finery. Whereas gold and silver plated copper wires are also known to be extremely aesthetic, they are not considered practical choices owing to their high costs.
Some Benefits of Nickel Coated Copper Wires
Copper wires that are coated with nickel plating boosts the properties of copper. Once a nickel coating is provided, the wire lasts much longer that it normally does. In fact, a plated wire would last as much as 12 times more than an ordinary bare wire. Nickel coating proves to be useful since it resists corrosion and does not oxidize. The plating on top of the copper wire helps in protecting it underneath. This does away with additional corrosion and wear and tear. Nickel resists corrosion since it doesn’t oxidize the copper metal that lies underneath and keeps it as good as new.
Therefore, nickel copper wires succeed in detracting substantial number of years from the longevity of bare wires. This is especially effective in temperatures that rise above 100C mark. When temperature rises, copper loses its ability to resist corrosion and hence nickel coating becomes all the more valuable here. It also finds usage in marine electronics. Nickel coated copper wires are also effective for soldering. Besides, nickel adds strength to the copper wires that lie beneath and makes it highly resilient for avoiding breakages and losing connections while enhancing the conductivity of copper wires.