Copper and aluminum physical properties
Copper and aluminum physical properties

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Copper and aluminum physical properties

What are the physical properties of copper and aluminum?

Copper has a density of 8.96 g/cm³ and a melting point of 1084.62 °C. After melting and purification, copper becomes a soft metal with very good thermal and electrical conductivity.

Copper can be worked plastically both cold and hot, but cold working causes metal hardening (due to strain), which is removed by recrystallization annealing (at 400–600 °C). Hot working is carried out at 650–800 °C. On a macroscopic scale, the formation of longitudinal defects in the crystal lattice, such as grain boundaries or flow disturbances under applied force, increases the hardness of copper. For this reason, commercial copper is available in a fine-grained polycrystalline form, which has greater mechanical strength than the monocrystalline form.

The low hardness of copper partly explains its high electrical conductivity (59.6⋅106 S/m) and thermal conductivity, which are second highest among pure metals at room temperature. This is because the resistance to electron transport in metals mainly arises from electron scattering on thermal vibrations of the crystal lattice, which is relatively weak in soft metals.

The maximum allowable current density for copper in air is approximately 3.1⋅106 A/m² of cross-sectional area; above this value, it begins to overheat. As with other metals, if copper is in contact with other metals, galvanic corrosion occurs. Together with osmium (bluish), cesium (yellow), and gold (yellow), copper is one of four metals whose natural color differs from gray or silver. Pure copper is reddish-orange and darkens in air due to oxidation. The characteristic copper color comes from electron transitions between filled 3d shells and partially empty 4s shells — the energy differences between these shells correspond to the energy of orange light. The same mechanism is responsible for the yellow color of gold.

Physical properties of copper

1. Atomic weight 63.57
2. Atomic number 29
3. Specific gravity at 20°C 8.89 g/cm3
4. Melting temperature 1083°C
5. Boiling temperature 2310°C
6. Specific heat from 18°C to 100°C 0.093 cal/g
7. Heat of fusion 43.3 cal/g °C
8. Linear expansion coefficient from 18°C to 100°C 0.000017 °C
9. Dielectric strength at 20°C 0.017241 mm2/m
10. Strength coefficient at 20°C 0.00393 °C
11. Thermal conductivity 340 kcal/mh°C
12. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.04 to 0.50mm 24-31 kg/mm2
13. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.51 to 3.00mm 19-27 kg/mm2
14. Tensile strength for diameters from 3.01 to 6.00mm 16-24 kg/mm2

Physical properties of aluminum

1. Atomic weight 26.98
2. Atomic number 13
3. Specific gravity at 20°C 2.703 g/cm3
4. Melting temperature 650°C
5. Boiling temperature 2270°C
6. Specific heat from 18°C to 100°C 0.23 kcal/kg °C
7. Heat of fusion 92.4 kcal/kg
8. Linear expansion coefficient from 18°C to 100°C 0.000024 °C
9. Dielectric strength at 20°C 0.027808 mm2/m
10. Strength coefficient at 20°C 0.0040 °C
11. Thermal conductivity 187.2 Kcal/mh°C
12. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.04 to 0.50mm 9-10 kg/mm2
13. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.51 to 3.00mm 8-10 kg/mm2
14. Tensile strength for diameters from 3.01 to 6.00mm 7-10 kg/mm2

Comparison of copper and aluminum conductors

for the same temperature and current for the same conductivity
Aluminum diameter = copper diameter x 1.19 Aluminum diameter = copper diameter x 1.27
Aluminum cross-section = copper cross-section x 1.42 Aluminum cross-section = copper cross-section x 1.63
Aluminum weight = copper weight x 0.4 Aluminum weight = copper weight x 0.5
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What are the physical properties of copper and aluminum?

Copper has a density of 8.96 g/cm³ and a melting point of 1084.62 °C. After melting and purification, copper becomes a soft metal with very good thermal and electrical conductivity.

Copper can be worked plastically both cold and hot, but cold working causes metal hardening (due to strain), which is removed by recrystallization annealing (at 400–600 °C). Hot working is carried out at 650–800 °C. On a macroscopic scale, the formation of longitudinal defects in the crystal lattice, such as grain boundaries or flow disturbances under applied force, increases the hardness of copper. For this reason, commercial copper is available in a fine-grained polycrystalline form, which has greater mechanical strength than the monocrystalline form.

The low hardness of copper partly explains its high electrical conductivity (59.6⋅106 S/m) and thermal conductivity, which are second highest among pure metals at room temperature. This is because the resistance to electron transport in metals mainly arises from electron scattering on thermal vibrations of the crystal lattice, which is relatively weak in soft metals.

The maximum allowable current density for copper in air is approximately 3.1⋅106 A/m² of cross-sectional area; above this value, it begins to overheat. As with other metals, if copper is in contact with other metals, galvanic corrosion occurs. Together with osmium (bluish), cesium (yellow), and gold (yellow), copper is one of four metals whose natural color differs from gray or silver. Pure copper is reddish-orange and darkens in air due to oxidation. The characteristic copper color comes from electron transitions between filled 3d shells and partially empty 4s shells — the energy differences between these shells correspond to the energy of orange light. The same mechanism is responsible for the yellow color of gold.

Physical properties of copper

1. Atomic weight 63.57
2. Atomic number 29
3. Specific gravity at 20°C 8.89 g/cm3
4. Melting temperature 1083°C
5. Boiling temperature 2310°C
6. Specific heat from 18°C to 100°C 0.093 cal/g
7. Heat of fusion 43.3 cal/g °C
8. Linear expansion coefficient from 18°C to 100°C 0.000017 °C
9. Dielectric strength at 20°C 0.017241 mm2/m
10. Strength coefficient at 20°C 0.00393 °C
11. Thermal conductivity 340 kcal/mh°C
12. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.04 to 0.50mm 24-31 kg/mm2
13. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.51 to 3.00mm 19-27 kg/mm2
14. Tensile strength for diameters from 3.01 to 6.00mm 16-24 kg/mm2

Physical properties of aluminum

1. Atomic weight 26.98
2. Atomic number 13
3. Specific gravity at 20°C 2.703 g/cm3
4. Melting temperature 650°C
5. Boiling temperature 2270°C
6. Specific heat from 18°C to 100°C 0.23 kcal/kg °C
7. Heat of fusion 92.4 kcal/kg
8. Linear expansion coefficient from 18°C to 100°C 0.000024 °C
9. Dielectric strength at 20°C 0.027808 mm2/m
10. Strength coefficient at 20°C 0.0040 °C
11. Thermal conductivity 187.2 Kcal/mh°C
12. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.04 to 0.50mm 9-10 kg/mm2
13. Tensile strength for diameters from 0.51 to 3.00mm 8-10 kg/mm2
14. Tensile strength for diameters from 3.01 to 6.00mm 7-10 kg/mm2

Comparison of copper and aluminum conductors

for the same temperature and current for the same conductivity
Aluminum diameter = copper diameter x 1.19 Aluminum diameter = copper diameter x 1.27
Aluminum cross-section = copper cross-section x 1.42 Aluminum cross-section = copper cross-section x 1.63
Aluminum weight = copper weight x 0.4 Aluminum weight = copper weight x 0.5
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