English Translation
I. Rare Earth Aluminum Alloy Materials
Rare earth aluminum alloy materials shall comply with the technical specifications for Grade 8176 as stipulated in national standards. A genuine rare earth aluminum alloy material must satisfy all the performance requirements listed below:
- The chemical composition of the conductor shall conform to the chemical composition requirements specified in T-CMEPCA+103-2025 General Technical Requirements for Rare Earth Aluminum Alloy Cables with Rated Voltage of 35 kV and Below.
- The tensile strength, elongation at break and resistivity of the conductor material shall meet the requirements set forth in GB/T 3954-2022 Electrical Round Aluminum Rods.
- The electrical conductivity of the conductor material shall satisfy the criteria for aluminum alloy conductors of Class 2 conductors specified in GB/T 3956-2020 Conductors of Cables.
- The density of the conductor material shall be no less than 2.71 g/cm³.
- The conductor material shall pass the 100-hour creep resistance test under the following test conditions: Test temperature: 90 °C; Test pressure: 75 MPa; Test duration: 100 h. The creep curves of rare earth aluminum alloy conductors and copper conductors shall be compared after the test.
II. Ordinary Aluminum Alloy Cables on the Market
All ordinary aluminum alloy cables available on the market are manufactured from Grade 8030 aluminum alloy rods, which makes them fundamentally distinct from rare earth aluminum alloy cables.
III. Rare Earth Aluminum Alloy Cables
Rare earth aluminum alloy cables are manufactured from rare earth aluminum alloy rods specified in GB/T 3954-2022 Electrical Round Aluminum Rods. This cable technology is fully independently intellectual property owned by our company, and it represents a key new aluminum alloy cable technology—Rare Earth Aluminum Alloy Cable—promoted by State Grid Corporation of China.
The conductors adopted for rare earth aluminum alloy cables are special-shaped conductors made of new-type rare earth aluminum alloy rods, which differ drastically from the aluminum alloy rods used for conventional aluminum alloy cables and counterfeit rare earth aluminum alloy cables sold in the market. They outperform standard aluminum alloy cables commercially available in electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, creep resistance and bending performance. This technology serves as the technical support for China’s national strategy of “Replacing Copper with Aluminum”. It is the only new-technology cable that has been applied in large quantities by State Grid Corporation of China and provincial power grid companies to date.
Appendix: Comparison Table of Rare Earth Aluminum Alloy Cables and Ordinary Aluminum Alloy Cables
Performance Comparison Table of Rare Earth Aluminum Alloy Cables | |||
Various Properties | Rare Earth Aluminum Alloy Cable | Ordinary Aluminum Alloy Cable | Pure Aluminum Cable |
Comparison of Physical Properties | The density of rare earth aluminum alloy cables is slightly higher than that of pure aluminum, featuring light weight. For cables with identical electrical conductivity, aluminum alloy ones weigh half as much as copper cables. They are easy to install and can withstand the self-weight equivalent to a 4,000-meter cable length.
| Ordinary aluminum alloy cables have a slightly higher density than pure aluminum. Among cables with equivalent electrical conductivity, ordinary aluminum alloy cables have a weight close to that of rare earth aluminum alloy cables and marginally heavier due to different material formulas. They can only withstand the self-weight of a cable length less than 3,000 meters. | Density: 2.71 g/cm³. It is relatively light but stiff and prone to fracture. |
Comparison of Mechanical Properties | 1、 The bending radius is 7 times the outer diameter of the cable. 2、Its creep resistance is 300% higher than that of pure aluminum. 3、 Its springback is 40% lower than that of copper. 4、 It features connection performance equivalent to copper. When matched with 90°C-rated mechanical connectors, it maintains stable connections without creep under fire or high-temperature conditions.
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1、 The bending radius of ordinary aluminum alloy cables is approximately 10 times the cable outer diameter. 2、It has moderate creep resistance and is less prone to creep deformation. 3、 It features low springback, yet poses potential safety hazards during installation. Its manufacturing processes vary widely, resulting in poor creep resistance and significant thermal deformation under heat. |
1、 Poor bending performance; it is highly susceptible to cracking and breakage, frequently triggering safety accidents. 2、 Creep deformation easily occurs under heat or compression. 3、 Pure aluminum delivers unstable connection performance and tends to suffer creep fracture at high temperatures. |
Comparison of Electrical Properties | At the same volume, its conductivity reaches 62.5% of copper (IACS). However, aluminum weighs approximately one-third of copper. When calculated by weight conductivity, aluminum’s conductivity is 2.08 times that of copper. | The conductivity of ordinary aluminum alloy is slightly lower than that of rare earth aluminum alloy, standing at 61% IACS of copper. There is little difference in weight between the two. However, ordinary aluminum alloy has an insufficient compaction coefficient, resulting in a larger actual outer diameter than rare earth aluminum alloy, so it is less compact in structure. | It has poor electrical conductivity. Its conductivity becomes highly unstable at high temperatures and creep tends to occur easily. |
Service Life Comparison | Over 40 years | Less than 40 years | 5 to 14 years with unstable service life |
Comparison of Elongation Properties | Elongation rate: 30%–35%; after annealing treatment, it boasts superior flexibility and requires lower tensile force during installation. | Elongation rate: 30%. It requires much greater tensile force during installation compared with rare earth aluminum alloy. | The elongation rate of hard-drawn pure aluminum ranges from 0.5% to 2.0%; The cable is prone to breakage under slight tension during installation. |