How to select Heat Shrink Cable Accessories-From Cable Conductor Material

Beneath city streets, through industrial complexes, and inside our homes, a vast network of electrical cables runs unseen, powering our modern world. These cables are the unsung heroes of our civilization, but they have a crucial weakness: their connections. However, exposed splices, terminations, and junctions can fail due to moisture, corrosion, and electrical faults. That's where heat shrink accessories help out. These clever polymer sleeves shrink when heated to create a permanent, watertight, and electrically insulated seal.

Therefore, choosing the right accessory is a precise science, crucial for safety and performance. Every cable has a conductor at its core, which serves as the pathway for electrical current. The material of this conductor is one of the most crucial considerations.

Copper is widely used as a conductor because of its great electrical conductivity, flexibility, and resistance to corrosion. Standard heat shrink accessories are designed to work perfectly with copper. First and foremost, make sure you have a strong mechanical connection, like with a crimp connector, before you apply the heat shrink. Then, the tube seals the connection from oxygen and moisture, preventing the copper from oxidizing over time, which can cause increased resistance and heat buildup.

Aluminum is commonly used in high-voltage power lines and other situations where its light weight is a plus. At the same time, it brings up two main challenges that the heat shrink needs to tackle:

1. Aluminum oxidizes immediately when exposed to air, creating a layer of aluminum oxide. This compound is a poor electrical conductor, causing high resistance and overheated connections.

2. Corrosion happens when aluminum touches a different metal, like copper in a connector, and there's moisture around. This setup acts like a battery. This galvanic corrosion quickly eats away at the aluminum connection, causing it to fail.

Aluminum conductors, the heat shrink tube does not only insulate, but also a vital shield against corrosion.The seal needs to be perfect to keep moisture out. In addition, many pros also use an inhibitor gel or compound made for aluminum connections. Apply this gel to the connection before crimping to displace air and moisture, preventing oxidation. Then, use a heat shrink tube over it to contain the gel and create a hermetic seal that protects the connection for decades.

Selection application: Copper is easy to work with. While aluminum need a careful process using anti-oxidant compounds and a perfect heat-shrink seal .