Can you connect copper wire to aluminum wire? The answer is no.
Why can't copper wire and aluminum wire be connected?
Copper and aluminum have different chemical and physical properties and it is not advisable to connect them directly. However, in some cases it may be necessary to connect the two metals.
In such situations, a transition clamp, gasket, or tinned wire can be used to make a direct connection. For example, a copper-aluminum transition clamp or tinned copper wire can be used to connect copper and aluminum.
Direct connection of copper and aluminum is not recommended due to their different electrochemical properties. When they come into contact with an electrolyte, such as water mixed with impurities such as carbon dioxide, they form a chemical battery.
Aluminum has a tendency to lose electrons and becomes the negative electrode, while copper has a lesser tendency to lose electrons and becomes the positive electrode, resulting in an electromotive force of 1.69V between the two electrodes. The resulting small current corrodes the aluminum wire, a phenomenon known as electrochemical corrosion. This leads to poor contact between copper and aluminum, which increases contact resistance.
When a current passes through the joint, the temperature increases and accelerates corrosion, creating a vicious cycle that can cause the joint to burn and even result in a fire. To avoid these problems, it is important to use a transition clamp, gasket, or tinned wire when connecting copper and aluminum.
Advantages and disadvantages of copper wire and aluminum wire
Copper wire has several advantages over aluminum wire in the same area of application. It has greater load capacity, greater flexibility, lower resistivity and better stability. However, the cost of copper wire is approximately 3.5 times that of aluminum wire, leading many people to opt for aluminum to save money. Despite this, we strongly recommend using copper wire as it is worth the investment.
It is not possible to directly connect copper wire and aluminum wire. If you have used aluminum wire in the past and are now thinking about switching to copper, the two cannot be connected directly.
