High-voltage transmission conductors are critical to the electrical grid, but the aluminum alloys used to manufacture them have remained largely unchanged for decades. While these materials provide good conductivity, they can have limited performance in applications requiring higher strength, lower thermal expansion, or improved conductivity at elevated temperatures.
Aluminum-based composite materials offer a potential path forward, but producing them cost-effectively and at scale has remained a challenge.
In this new paper, EWI researcher Jerry Gould investigates resistance-based sintering (RBS) as a manufacturing method for aluminum (Al) composite materials intended for transmission conductor applications.
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It specifically looks at composite systems including Al-graphene, Al-carbon nanotube (CNT), Al-titanium diboride (TiB2), and others, along with the processing advantages RBS offers over conventional approaches.
Read the full paper to discover:
- Aluminum composite systems being developed for transmission conductor applications and the property improvements they may offer over conventional aluminum alloys
- How RBS rapidly consolidates composite powders in milliseconds to seconds without shielding atmospheres
- Demonstrated production of Al-graphene composites at near-full density (~99%) without reactive products at the matrix-graphene interface
- Extrudability results that point toward a potential manufacturing route for transmission conductor strands
To access the full paper for FREE, complete the form on this page.
To learn more, contact Jerry Gould, Senior Technology Leader, at [email protected].