Stranded copper-plated aluminum cable, and method for its fabrication
AssigneeFsp-One
InventorsIsabelle Michel épouse Allaire, Louis Salvat
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aluminum cable type electrical conductor having at least one stranded conductor based on conductive wires with an aluminum core coated with an intermediate layer of copper itself coated by a surface layer of nickel. The surface layer of nickel has a thickness from about 1.3 μm to about 3 μm, it has sufficient continuity to resist a polysulfide bath continuity test for at least 30 seconds without visible traces of attack of the copper appearing at ×1O magnification. This kind of conductor is particularly suitable in small diameters for conducting electricity in aircraft and motor vehicles.
Claims22
Aluminum cable type electrical conductor comprising at least one stranded conductor based on conductive wires with an aluminum core coated with an intermediate layer of copper itself coated by a surface layer of nickel, wherein:
- the surface layer of nickel has a thickness from about 1.3 μm to about 3 μm, and
- the surface layer of nickel has sufficient continuity to resist a polysulfide bath continuity test for at least 30 seconds without visible traces of attack of the copper appearing at ×10 magnification.
Method for producing a conductor using a copper-plated and nickel-plated aluminum wire fabrication procedure including the following steps:
- a) providing a wire blank with an aluminum core coated with a layer of copper representing 10% to 20% by volume, of diameter from twice to five times the required final diameter of the wire,
- b) degreasing the wire blank,
- c) etching the wire blank using sulfamic acid,
- d) depositing on the wire blank a layer of nickel by electrolysis in an electrolysis bath containing aqueous nickel sulfamate,
- e) rinsing the wire obtained with demineralized water,
- f) drawing the wire obtained in whole oil to the final diameter,
- g) stranding a plurality of the wires obtained in this way into bundles of wires,
- h) annealing in a neutral gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.