A Small Synopsis of ACSR Conductors – the backbone of Power Transmission and Distribution.

In earlier years copper conductors were used for energy/power transmission. Over the years their expensive nature and propensity to steal made it to be replaced by Aluminum, as Copper and Aluminum since long are used as the major conductors in Power transmission and distribution owing to their high conductivity and reasonable strength and price in comparison to other metals.

Here we are going to discuss ACSR and other similar Conductors in good length. Stay tuned to us till the end and by the time you reach the end, you will have a fair know how of ACSR Conductors for sure.

ACSR stands for “Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced”.

Aluminum Conductor Steel-Reinforced (ACSR) cable, typically used for overhead power lines is a high-strength, high-capacity stranded cable with outer strands of high-purity aluminum and center strands of steel.

ACSR in other words is concentrically stranded conductor having one or more layers depending on the application of hard drawn 1350-H19 aluminum wire on galvanized steel wire core. The Steel wire inside as a core can be a single wire or stranded depending on the size of the ACSR Conductor.

For protecting the steel wire from corrosion, it is galvanized as per Class A, B, or Class C. At times, grease too is applied to the steel strands or infused completely with the grease to prevent corrosion.

The high-purity aluminum on the outer side is kept of aluminum to provide good conductivity, high resistance to corrosion, high mechanical strength and good stress resistance. It additionally keeps a check on price and weight.

While the steel strands at the core provide the additional strength to bear the weight of the conductor. Steel being of higher strength provides increased mechanical tension to be applied on the conductor. Steel’s lower elastic and inelastic deformation due to mechanical loading and lower coefficient of thermal expansion further makes it preferred choice to use in inner core to let the ACSR sag significantly less.

The Steel used is usually galvanized to provide the extended service life to steel.

Types of ACSR Conductors

AAC – All Aluminum conductor
ACAR – Aluminum Conductor Aluminum Reinforce
AAAC – All Aluminum Alloy Conductors
ACSR – Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced

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