Different Types Of Wires & Cables And How To Choose One

03 Apr 2023

A cable is described as a collection of individually insulated wires (conductors) that are sheathed together, as opposed to a wire, which is defined as a single electrical conductor. To protect the conducting portion of the wire or cable, sheathing is a non-conducting substance. While being an excellent conductor, wire can nonetheless experience some resistance. Copper, gold, and aluminium are just a few of the materials that may be used to make wires and cables. Each of the materials has a unique resistance. The resistance of thick wire produced of the same material will be lower than that of thin wire. As the temperature or wire length vary, the resistance of the wire may also change accordingly. The diameter of the wire's metal conductor is indicated by the wire size. The gauge, wire capacity, and intended purpose of the wire must all be taken into account when determining the wire size. Too much current will flow through a wire that is too tiny, increasing its resistance and resulting power loss in the form of watts.

Copper or aluminium are commonly used to make electrical cables. They are normally coated with a thin coating of thermoplastic and are either bare or insulated. If the wires are covered with thermoplastic, the thermoplastic's colour designates whether the wire is a neutral, ground, or hot wire in your electrical installation.

A neutral wire, ground wire, and hot wire—all of which are twisted or joined together—are at least present in cables. The number of wires in the cable will vary depending on its intended use. Each color-coded layer of thermoplastic insulation on a cable's wires serves as insulation. Next, to create the single cable, the collection of wires is coated in an outer sheath.

Different Types Of Wires

Magnet Wires: Copper or aluminium wire that has been extremely thinly insulated is known as magnet wire. Several layers of wire can be woven together without short circuiting using magnet wire. The wire forms an electromagnetic field when it is twisted into a coil and powered. Transformers, inductors, motors, electromagnets, Tesla coils, and other devices that need for tightly wound insulated wire frequently employ magnet wire.

Jumper Wires: Jumper wires are flexible stranded wires that are pre-cut to various lengths and have stiff ends so they can be put into breadboards with ease. Hook-up wire is often a single conductor, insulated wire used for internal connections in low current, low voltage (600 Volt) applications. It is available in various gauges and lengths. A wire stripper can be used to remove the insulation from the hook-up wire after it has been cut to the proper length, allowing the metal conductor to be connected to a circuit.

Muscle Wire: Muscle wire is a very thin Nitinol wire that can contract when an electric current is applied, earning it the name.

Wire-Wrap: Thus the name, wire-wrap wire is excellent for wire wrapping. The silver-plated copper wire is well insulated, flexible, and abrasion-resistant. Prototypes benefit greatly from wire wrapping since it makes point-to-point connections and their maintenance simple. Due to the amount of contact the wire has with the post, wire wrapping connections are more dependable than soldered connections.

Single Conductor Wire: A single insulated conductor makes up single conductor wire, sometimes referred to as simply wire. It is the most often used option for wiring in homes. It comes in a variety of hues to help you identify the earth's phase. There are two varieties of single conductor wire;

·         Single-stranded wire: A single conductor is formed by joining many thin wire strands together. They are useful for situations where wires must be bent or twisted because of the flexibility provided by the stranded architecture. Because of its flexibility, stranded is preferred by electricians over solid because it is simpler to route around pipes in walls.

·         Single Solid Wire: A single solid core with plastic insulation makes up a single solid wire. The solid construction provides a better connection, but because of its hardness, it is challenging to bend or twist. The conductor within might be harmed and broken by repeated bending. They are utilised in situations when wires don't need to move around or bend.

Cable

A cable is just a collection of insulated wires that have been sheathed together. A cable typically contains at least one hot wire, one neutral wire, and one grounding wire to transport current. The quantity and size/gauge of the wires it includes are used to categorise cables. The markings on the wires consist of a string of characters, a number, a dash, and another number. The type of insulation is indicated by the letters. The cable's conductors' resistance is represented by the first number. The cable's number of separate conductors is indicated by the number that comes after the dash. If a G appears after the last number, the cable additionally has a ground wire that does not transmit electricity.

Types of Cable

Multi-Conductor Cable: Multi-conductor cable is a type of stranded wire that houses between two to sixty different conductors inside a single jacket. Both solid and stranded conductors may be wrapped together inside the jacket. These cables can be used to connect heavy appliances, in medical electronics, in audio systems, and more.

AC Power Cables: The current and voltage from household electricity are securely delivered via AC power cords to an electronic equipment, often an AC to DC power supply. The individually insulated conductors have connections on one or both ends and are enclosed in a more robust protective outer jacket. The jacket often has printed information on the conductor size and count, current and voltage rating, temperature rating, and agency approvals.

Coaxial Cable: Coaxial cable is made up of an insulated central conductor, a braided wire shield, and a hard outer jacket or sheathing. When two or more three-dimensional linear shapes share one axis, they are said to be coaxial. With little loss, this kind of transmission line can carry electrical signals of high frequency. Broadband internet networking connections, cable television transmission, and tying radio transmitters and receivers to their antennas are a few uses for these cables. The outer plastic sheath, woven copper shield, inner dielectric insulator, and copper core make up the coaxial cable.

Shielded or Screened Cable: Electrical cables that are shielded or screened have conductors that are shielded by an additional metallic layer. The shield might be a foil, a spiral tape, or a solid layer formed from the aforementioned conducting metals, or it could be braided aluminium, copper, or any other metal.

Ribbon Cable: A ribbon-shaped cable is created by connecting a number of single-conductor wires side by side. Due to the ability to detach the conductors from the ribbon, it is also known as zip-wire. The wires are individually insulated rather than being covered in a single protective jacket like the other types of cables.

Paired Cable: Electrical cables known as "paired cables" are constructed from a pair of two insulated conductors encased in an insulation sheath. They are mostly employed in low-frequency AC and DC applications.

Portable Cord: It consists of a flexible electrical wire with connections on either end to supply an ac power source temporarily. It is typically employed as an extension of the power source to power portable machinery, equipment, and gadgets. The conductor's application or environment of usage is determined by the sort of insulating material chosen for it (such as temperature, moisture, weather, oil etc.). Whereas the size of the wire conductor determines the cord's rating.

Submersible Cable: This kind of electrical cable is intended to be utilised in damp environments or submerged in liquids, as the name would imply. In order to fulfil the demands of the installation environment, such cables' insulation is incredibly tough, abrasion-resistant, long-lasting, and trustworthy. They are intended for direct buried cable usage. To suit their applications, they come in single- and multiple-conductor designs with flat or rounded structures. Phase and earth connections, as well as the control wires that run along the power conductors, are identified by the conductors' colour coding. They are utilised in places that are both physically limiting and inaccessible. Submersible cable is most frequently used to power submersible motors and pumps that are submerged in water, in the agriculture sector, in underground mining, or for drilling operations.

Overhead Power Line: To transport electricity across great distances, cables are suspended from electrical poles or towers. The utilised conductors are composed of aluminium and are entirely bare. The design of the conductor affects both its electrical and mechanical characteristics. Below are a few of the cables that are used to transmit power.

All Aluminum Cable: AAC transmission cable, also known as aluminium stranded conductor or all aluminium conductor, is formed of several strands of the 99% pure 1350 aluminium alloy, which contains a small amount of silicon, iron, and other impurities. Because of this, smaller lengths inside the stations are chosen over large distances for the transmission of rural electricity.

All Aluminum Alloy Conductor (AAAC): AAC cable's mechanical strength is improved by using a unique aluminium alloy produced with magnesium and silicium. By keeping the corrosion resistance, it improves the strength-to-weight ratio. However the conductivity decreases little.

Flexible Cable: Electrical wires that can tolerate continuous bending in moving applications are known as flexible cables. In order to obtain the flexibility, stranded conductors are used. They are utilised in the automation sector where equipment such as pick-and-place units and CNC-based engraving, milling, etc. units are constantly in motion.

·         Stranding in Layer: This kind of cable is constructed from many conductor strand layers. Its cable's outer layers are built to be lengthy and its solid core is designed to be rigid. because when anything is bent, the outside layer extends while the inner core contracts. This kind of cable is less expensive and easier to produce. Although the material used to make the cable is flexible, excessive bending may cause the cable to distort.

·         Stranding in Bundles: The braiding technique used to create this type of cable allows the conductor to extend equally as the cable bends. Due to its tension-proof core, this kind of cable is more enduring yet a little stiffer than stranded cable.

How to Select Wire & Cable For Different Applications

Selecting the right wire and cable for different applications requires considering several factors. Here are some general steps that can help you choose the appropriate wire and cable for your specific needs:

Determine the application: The first step is to determine the application for which you need the wire or cable. This could be anything from power transmission to signal transmission, data transfer, or control systems.

Consider the environment: Once you have identified the application, you need to consider the environment in which the wire or cable will be used. Factors such as temperature, humidity, abrasion resistance, and chemical exposure can all impact the type of wire and cable you choose.

Determine the voltage and current requirements: Voltage and current requirements will depend on the application. You will need to consider the amount of power needed to run your system and select the wire and cable accordingly.

Select the appropriate wire and cable type:There are many different types of wire and cable, including coaxial, twisted pair, shielded, and unshielded. You will need to choose the type that is best suited for your application.

Choose the right conductor size: The conductor size will depend on the amount of current that needs to be carried. A larger conductor will be needed for higher current applications.

Consider additional features: Additional features such as fire resistance, water resistance, and UV resistance may be necessary depending on the application.

Follow industry standards: It is important to follow industry standards and regulations when selecting wire and cable for your application. This will ensure that your system is safe and meets all necessary requirements.

Overall, selecting the right wire and cable for your application requires careful consideration of many factors. It is important to work with a knowledgeable supplier who can help guide you through the selection process.

Conclusion

The wire and cable industry in India was doing well, with significant growth in recent years. According to a report by Research and Markets, the Indian wire and cable market was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% from 2020 to 2025. This growth is driven by factors such as urbanization, infrastructure development, and increasing demand for power and telecommunications.

The Indian government has also launched initiatives such as "Make in India" and "Digital India" that are expected to drive further growth in the wire and cable industry. The government has also announced plans to invest in building smart cities, which will require extensive infrastructure development and thus, drive demand for wires and cables.

The future of the wire and cable industry in India looks promising, with increasing demand for power and telecommunication infrastructure, smart city development, and the government's initiatives to promote manufacturing in the country. However, the industry may face challenges such as fluctuations in raw material prices, increasing competition from domestic and international players, and changing consumer preferences.