Good conductors are those materials through which electricity can pass easily. A number of metals are particularly good conductors. Bad conductors, also known as insulators, are those materials which do not allow electricity to pass through easily. Read on for a discussion of the great electrical conductors.
Image Credit
Best conductors
Some of the best metals for conducting electricity are aluminium, silver, brass, gold, steel, iron and copper. Some of these metals are better for different purposes, while some are more expensive than others and some can have negative side effects.
Gold
Gold is a good conductor, but too expensive to use for regular purposes. This metal does not tarnish when exposed to the air and it is often used to coat other metals. Gold is regularly used to plate electric conductors or to make small electrical components and connectors.
Image Credit
Steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and both materials are conductors. Steel is inflexible and corrodes when exposed to air, so it is not used often in machines. Instead, steel is often used to encase other metals. Technicians use metal bonding adhesive to bond two metals together.
Brass
Unlike steel, brass is easy to shape and bend to make it into smaller parts. Brass is also an alloy and is more conductive than steel and also less corrosive, while being cheaper. This is why brass is more popular as a conductor.
Silver
Silver is an excellent conductor, because it contains a high number of free electrons. However, like gold, silver is more expensive than most other conductors, so it is not often used, unless for smaller circuit parts or special equipment, such as satellites.
Copper
Copper is popular for use in household devices, because it is cheaper than silver. Wires are often copper plated, as this reduces risks of overheating. This metal is also easy to bend and shape and is useful when a lot of material is required. If you are bending a lot of metals and you come across some that are more difficult it would be much better for production if you got one of the Electric Press Brakes available from links like http://www.cotswold-machinery-sales.co.uk/euromac/electric-press-brakes/.
Aluminium
Aluminium is cheaper than copper and slightly more conductive. This metal is used in wiring and is quite popular. However, it is structurally flawed, because it can form an oxide surface which is resistant to electricity, which means circuits using aluminium can overheat. This metal is better used for high-voltage transmission cables, such as phone lines, which are then encased in steel for extra protection.
Leave a Reply