Questionable Conductor Size

westward10 · Aug 1, 2019

They have worked miracles to slim down a 70mm so it fits a 50mm lug.

Spenny · Aug 1, 2019

I will ductor the length tomorrow and calculate the resistance value expected. This just does not add up to me.

static zap · Aug 1, 2019

Spenny said:
I will ductor the length tomorrow and calculate the resistance value expected. This just does not add up to me.

I like it ,if they have squashed the air out,without making it brittle locally.

James · Aug 1, 2019

static zap said:
I like it ,if they have squashed the air out,without making it brittle locally.

So similar to using shaped conductors rather than round to get a smaller overall diameter on the multi core cable, they have taken a stranded single core and run it through a series of rolls so the strands become shaped.

Bobster · Aug 1, 2019

James the Spark1976 said:
So similar to using shaped conductors rather than round to get a smaller overall diameter on the multi core cable, they have taken a stranded single core and run it through a series of rolls so the strands become shaped.

Yes but shaped conductors still have a CSA of 70mm, shaping them only improves the overall diameter of the cable.

This clearly is not a 70mm cable.

westward10 · Aug 1, 2019

This is a 50 next to a 70 so it would require some magic to reduce one to the other without affecting its csa.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Questionable Conductor Size

snowhead · Aug 1, 2019

westward10 said:
They have worked miracles to slim down a 70mm so it fits a 50mm lug.

And then go to the trouble of padding out the whole cable to the same overall diameter as a 70mm.

Lucien Nunes · Aug 2, 2019

As you'll soon be in a position to test the resistance there's little point doing what I was going to suggest which was to cut the ends of an offcut carefully square, measure the length, strip the insulation, weigh the copper and determine the CSA from the density.

A 70mm² solid conductor is only 9.44mm diameter and the ideal compacted conductor is as close to this as possible. Datasheets for a couple of 50mm² terminals give the cable socket ID as 9.6 and 10mm respectively, so it is theoretically possible for a compacted 70mm² to fit a 50mm² lug, although I too am surprised it fits that easily.

davesparks · Aug 2, 2019

I've noticed a trend for compacted conductors getting to be an increasingly sloppy fit in lugs, it doesn't inspire confidence.
I always ask for correct lugs to be supplied with a cable wherever possible, yet still they turn up loose.

Strima · Aug 2, 2019

We were supplied with some 10mm hybrid cable (fibre in the same sheath) and very few 10mm crimps fit correctly, turned out it was 8 AWG cable from China.