Novelty / Silly current carrying capacity post

T

toasty

• 23 Apr 2007

• #1

Ok,

I know the answer, and I can post a picture to prove it.

I have a question for you all.

A single conductor (not the earth) from a piece of 1mm T&E can carry how much current before failing when in open air without any insulation on it and with average ambient temperature?

When I say fail, I mean it glows red and then melts in half.

What do you think? How many amps can a piece of wire normally rated at 14 amps actually take before it fails?

Answers on a postcard please!


-Dan

 

S

Steve

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #2

I have a feeling it involves a big welder.

 

T

toasty

• 23 Apr 2007

• #3

Maybe!

And my *new* clamp meter

and my *new* themocoupling DMM

and some big jumpleads

....but it wasn't just a bit of fun, I needed a fusible link for a project I'm working on. It was interesting though!

 

A

Adam_151

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #4

I'd expect it to be in the region of around 75A

 

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Chri5

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #5

How thick was a piece of 30A fuse wire?

On a guess, 145A

 

T

toasty

• 23 Apr 2007

• #6

You are both in the right ballpark.

 

A

Adam_151

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #7

Chri5 said:

How thick was a piece of 30A fuse wire?

Click to expand...

Tinned copper wire of diameter 0.85mm in absense of any other instructions from the maker of the fuse, which corresponds to a CSA of 0.57mm² and fuses at roughly 60A

45A 3036 have 1.25mm (1.22mm²) and fuse at roughly 90A

On a guess, 145A

Click to expand...

I don't beleive it will be quite that high

 

T

toasty

• 23 Apr 2007

• #8

Approx 98amps. It melted at about 1100C

 

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Steve

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #9

now without the flash

 

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Adam_151

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #10

Wasn't massively off then, not bad for a quick fag packet calculation , especially when you think about the fact that when you look up the tabulated current you probably get the figure thats worked out on worst case resistance and CSA thats allowed by the cable standards and for cable that exceeds that by a bit its likely to be a bit higher

 

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #11

out of interest, what temperatures are that thermometer calibrated to? 1100C is a lot

 

T

toasty

• 23 Apr 2007

• #12

You were close Adam, good guessing.

I love melting stuff

 

T

toasty

• 23 Apr 2007

• #13

dunno how high it'll go, I think it depends on what thermocouple you use.

copper's melting point is some 1080C so the 1100(ish) it was reading seems fairly accurate.

 

RF Lighting

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• 23 Apr 2007

• #14

toasty said:

I love melting stuff

Click to expand...

Me too

(2.5mm² T&E)

 

T

toasty

• 24 Apr 2007

• #15

2.5mm eh?

I reckon I could melt 6mm

Think you can better that?!


Let's start a 'my welder is bigger than yours competition'

-Dan