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Electrical Wire- Article www.electricalwire.biz
Electrical wire in a term used to describe insulated conductors employed to deliver electricity. The type of electrical wire used for the interior electrical systems of buildings is determined by it’s purpose and the amount of power demand on the circuit, the operational environment of the wiring, the type of occupancy and size of the building as well as government regulations.
Electrical wiring for a single family home is the most simple as it requires far less power and fewer changes to the building structure and layout. In a light commercial building, such as a hair salon or retail store, more complex systems will be installed and wiring changes may be more frequent. Electrical wire systems for heavy industrial use are designed to withstand large currents, high voltage, frequent changes to equipment layout and dangerous conditions.
The first electrical wiring systems used conductors that were bare or were protected with cloth and then stapled to building frames or running boards. Because of the high labor cost to install those systems, and the danger of electrocution or fire, the industry soon turned to knob and tube wiring, which was the first standardized method of wiring in buildings.
The first armored cables with two rubber-insulated conductors in a flexible metal sheath were used dating back to 1906. Beginning in the 1920s, polymers were used to insulate the cables because rubber encasing becomes dry and brittle over time. However, rubber insulated electrical wiring cables is still used for short term projects and in instances when flexibility is required. Industrial cables that are buried underground are often insulated in a rubber-like polymer in order to protect against moisture.
Modern cables used for electrical wiring are commonly referred to as “Romex cables,” named after the company that first manufactured modern, non-metallic sheathed cables. The design is comprised of two to four wires covered with thermoplastic insulation and a bare wire for grounding wrapped in a flexible plastic jacket. Sometimes, the individual conductors are wrapped in paper before being encased in the plastic jacket.
For the most part, electrical wiring used in single conductor buildings wire is solid wire because it is not necessary for the electrical wire to be flexible. Building wire conductors larger than • 6 mm² are stranded for flexibility during installation; however, they are not designed to be flexible during use.
Electrical wire cables used in industrial, commercial and apartment buildings are often manufactured with many insulated conductors in an overall jacket, with helical tape steel or aluminum casing, or steel wire casing, and perhaps as well an overall PVC or lead jacket for protection from moisture and physical damage.
Woven bronze wires are used to protect electrical wiring cables intended for very flexible services or in marine applications. Power or communications cables such as those used to build computer networks, and that are routed in or through air-handling spaces of office buildings typically fall under a specific model code. These electrical wires must be either encased in metal conduit or rated for low flame and smoke production.
