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Re: Aluminum magnet wire?



    That isn't pure aluminum.  Tin lead, or tin silver solder doesn't melt
at the temperature, of tin, or lead but, is usually melting at a lower
temperature.  What I am saying is that, you are not using pure aluminum wire
because, it is paramagnetic.  There are several alloys, and I have looked
but, I know that aluminum has been used in manufacturing allow magnets.
When you break it up you can take advantage of the paramagnetic qualities,
and make a stronger magnet but, do you see aluminum sticking to a magnet
when it's pure?  Aluminum Nickel Cobalt or Alinco combined makes a very
strong magnet but, the relative ability for Aluminum, or nickel to retain a
magnetic field is nearly nill.  Once you mix the aluminum with another
metal, it may only respond like copper magnetically.  All of the magnet wire
that has aluminum in it is alloy wire.  Aluminum is not a good wire for
coiling, and they probably won't sell it to you as aluminum magnet wire,
unless it is an alloy, because aluminum by itself hates a changing magnetic
field, and by so much, that I won't go near coiling with the stuff.
Frankly, aluminum is rail gun ammo, and in a high current coil, its a
shrapnel bomb.   Alloys take some of the properties of one metal, and
sometimes apply them to another, and in some cases it is beneficial but,
aluminum by itself is nasty around changing magnetic fields.

James.




>Original Poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-jpl.nasa.gov>
>
>I don't think that Al is all that paramagnetic (at least not to a degree
>that would make any difference).
>
>I also note that loudspeaker voice coils are often wound with aluminum wire
>(to reduce the moving mass).
>
>Most VHF and UHF antennas are built with lots of aluminum.
>
>The real problem with aluminum is the resistance.  Even if you use bigger
>wire, the skin effect means that you don't gain as much as you might think.
>(It's not entirely right, but in general, doubling the diameter of the wire
>only halves the resistance, not 1/4, as you might expect from 4 times the
>area). In a close wound coil, the effect of the adjacent turns would change
>the whole skin effect thing substantially.
>
>Here is what you should do.. especially if the wire, and your time, are
>free.  Wind it, try it, let us all know how it worked. I, for one, would be
>interested to know about the measured L, C, and R of a closewound secondary
>with aluminum wire at TC frequencies (hundred kHz or so).
>
>
>----------
>> From: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>> Subject: Re: Aluminum magnet wire?
>> Date: Thursday, September 16, 1999 5:18 PM
>>
>> Original Poster: "The Flavored Coffee Guy" <elgersmad-at-msn-dot-com>
>>
>>
>>     That is very dangerous because, aluminum is paramagnetic, and it
>always
>> presents the opposing magnetic field to a changing magnetic field.  I
>> wouldn't say that was a good experiment for a novice at all.  Unless, you
>> have years of experiance, don't do it.
>>
>> James.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>> Date: Thursday, September 16, 1999 4:04 AM
>> Subject: Aluminum magnet wire?
>>
>>
>> >Original Poster: Aric_C_Rothman-at-email.whirlpool-dot-com
>> >
>> >     Is aluminum magnet wire an acceptable substitute for copper magnet
>> >     wire in a secondary?
>> >
>> >     Aric
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>