You can obtain the resistivity or conductivity (either directly or in % IACS) for any metal from almost any table of metal and alloy properties.
[IACS is the International Annealed Copper Standard that, in 1913, defined the resistance of a pure copper wire, one meter long, weighing one gram to be 0.15328 ohms (meter-gram @ 20°C)]. Thus, 100% IACS resistivity is 1.7241 x 106 ohm-cm or, 10.371 ohm/mil/ft @20°C.
Given the metal properties, the current-carrying capacity of various metals can be calculated and compared.
It also depends upon how the conductor is installed. A bare conductor in free air will have a greater capacity than a heavily-insulated conductor, both electrically and thermally, surrounded by other high-current conductors in a tight space.
British Standard 7671 should be an interesting read?
__________________
"Did you get my e-mail?" - "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - George Bernard Shaw, 1856
metals
Re: metals
