Stranded Conductor
A stranded conductor is produced by twisting together a large number of fine wires instead of one thick strand to obtain the same cross-section. As the number of wires rises the cable becomes flexible and withstands repeated bending. This is the conductor type used in moving, vibrating and on-vehicle installations.
When a conductor is bent, its outer surface is stretched and its inner surface compressed. The thicker the strand, the greater this strain and the more the metal fatigues. When many fine wires are used, the bending radius of each wire stays large relative to its own diameter, so the cable does not break even if it is bent thousands of times.
- Control levers and pendant boxes: stranded cable is mandatory at points that move continuously.
- End treatment is essential: a stranded end is not inserted bare into a terminal; it is terminated with a ferrule or a lug.
- Same cross-section, different behaviour: 2.5 mm² stranded and 2.5 mm² solid carry the same current, but their mechanical lives are not comparable.
In the vehicle, crane and work machine environments where AXI remote controls and drivers are connected, vibration is continuous. That is why flexible stranded cable is preferred on all power and signal lines on the machine; solid conductor makes sense only on short bridges inside a cabinet that never move.
Context in which this term is used: Installation, redundancy and field continuity