Copper :
Either bare or tinned, copper is the most commonly used conductor metal.
Aluminum:
This metal has many properties similar to copper; ductility, malleability, thermal and electrical conductivity, and the ability to be covered (extruded over) with almost any material suitable for insulating copper. While conductor costs may sometimes be reduced by using aluminium (especially in large sizes), savings diminish as gauge sizes are reduced. Aluminium is seldom used in OEM applications. Aluminium has only 61% of the conductivity of copper, and therefore, diameters need to be 50% greater to provide equivalent current carrying capacity. The main advantage of using aluminium is a reduction in weight; aluminium weighs 1/3 as much as copper.
Selecting the Conductor size:
Even in the design of a simple single insulated busbar many factors must be considered such as temperature, voltage, DC resistance of the conductor, insulation, O.D., required flexibility, physical properties of the conductor (tensile strength, voltage drop, conductivity, weight) and when necessary, specific electrical characteristics such as the dielectric properties of the insulating material.
Conductor size:
Size Determined with regard to DC resistance, current carrying capacity and breaking strength requirements.
