ABSTRACT

Since the days of Nikola Tesla and omas Edison, electrical transmission and distribution (T&D) engineers have evaluated the merits of various bare overhead conductors. Copper was employed early on, due to its excellent conductivity. Soon, however, usage trended toward aluminum, due to its lighter weight and lower cost. ese advantages overcame the roughly 40% lower conductivity of aluminum compared to copper. Another factor was that copper was considered a strategic material in high demand during World War I.