21, rue dArtois, F-75008 PARIS B2-306 CIGRE 2014

http : //www.cigre.org

Creep and fatigue into copper micro alloys for overhead transmission lines

Luis M Riera Fontana

Gustau Castellana

La Farga Lacambra
Spain

SUMMARY

It is long ago that certain Copper alloys like bronze and brass are know , they show a great
mechanical performance but their electrical conductivity is too low to be considered as
overhead electrical conductors .

This paper introduces a new family of Copper micro alloys : a Copper micro alloy is an alloy
with at least 99.9 % Copper and the 0,1% remaining consisting of a mixture of several
elements . These kind of alloys have the advantage to share the best of both worlds : the world
of pure copper with high electrical and thermal conductivity ( > 95 %IACS and 350 W.m)
and the world of alloys like bronze : good mechanical proprieties and good behaviour in face
of high temperatures .

When Copper is micro alloyed with suitable chemical elements the mechanical properties
change dramatically during the addition of the first hundreds of ppm and in the other hand the
electrical and thermal ones remain almost unchanged .

The paper focuses in the creep aspect ; Copper ETP is prone to display creep at temperatures
above 100 C under load > 20 UTS . The micro alloyed Copper as it has a high annealing
temperature of about 350 C doesnt displays significantly creep up to temperatures > 250
C .

These propriety together with the fatigue resistance that gives an excellent behaviour against
Aeolian vibrations , the relative high UTS, the extremely reduced corrosion and the lower
section against wind and ice places the micro alloyed Copper as good HTLS material able to
solely constitute cables , cables of just one material .

Copper micro alloyed keeps in hard temper at a sustained temperature of 200 C and therefore
the micro alloyed cables dont require the help of second materials like steel for spans up to
1.000 m .

0
KEYWORDS

ETP Copper
Copper micro alloys
High conductivity
Annealing temperature
Deformation maps
Sustained Temperature of operation
Hard temper
Strain rate
1

1
Lluis.riera@lafarga.es

1
Introduction

In the laying of overhead transmission lines the Creep [1] effect should be considered, an effect
which changes the final sag and doesnt manifest with the same intensity in different
materials. The goal of this paper is to present new copper micro alloys that have the property
of a very low Creep under the conditions of normal work in overhead transmission lines.
A micro alloying is an alloy in which the alloyed elements do not reach 0.1% of the total. In
the case of micro-alloyed copper, the copper keeps a high conductivity (> 95 %IACS), but its
mechanical properties vary significantly [2] .
The mechanical properties of most interest in the overhead transmission lines are the
following: annealing temperature, creep, and fatigue. These properties can be dramatically
altered by means of micro-alloying.
The main properties of micro-alloyed copper are:

Property Value
Electrical conductivity Typically between 95 and 99% IACS
Melting temperature 1360 K (1089 C)
UTS 480 MPs
Yield point 460 MPs
Annealing temperature 350 C
[3]

Plastic flow
Plastic flow is a kinetic process. Although it is often convenient to think of a polycrystalline
solid as having a well-defined yield strength, below which it does no flow, and above which
the flow is rapid, this is true only at absolute zero temperatures.
The deformation mechanisms are mainly divided into 3 groups regarding the temperature and
the stress applied on the material:
1. Low temperature and high stress plasticity by dislocation glide. The plastic flow is limited
mostly by:
a. Lattice resistance
b. Discrete obstacles
2. Medium temperature and stress plasticity or power law creep.
a. Limited by lattice-diffusion
3. Diffusional flow or high temperature and low stress plastic flow

The temperature concept is referred to the materials melting temperature. A temperature is

considered high if it is closer to the melting temperature and vice versa; in the same way the
concept low or high stress relates to the materials UTS.

The plastic flow process is caused by the shear stress (ss) that is related with the tensile stress
by:
=
3
The macroscopic variables of plastic deformation are the shear stress ss, temperature T, strain
rate (d/dt) and strain as the integration time of strain. If ss and T are prescribed (The
independent variables), then (d/dt) and have the forms shown at Figure 1.

2
At low temperatures (1) on Figure 1 (T>= 0.1TM)
the material work hardens until the flow strength just
equals the applied stress. The material dislocation
density increases obstructing further flow. The
material just shows the expected behavior: there is
no creep, the strain rate falls to zero, and the strain
tends asymptomatically to a fixed value.
1
At higher temperatures (~0.5 TM) the
polycrystalline solids creep (2) as shown in Figure 1.
After a transient period in which the strain rate is
high, a zone of stability is reached in which the solid 2
is deformed continuously to a constant strain rate.
This is the normal work area of the overhead
transmission lines.
At very high temperatures (~0.9 TM) (3) in Figure 1
there is an oscillation in strain as well as in strain 3
rate related to the dynamic recrystallization.
[4]

This area is of no interest in the overhead

Figure 1: Deformation mechanisms
transmission lines.
[4]
Deformation Maps The creep effect as it has been
presented in the previous point has several areas of
behavior. Modeling this behavior and translating it
into the so-called deformation maps offers a quick
overview of the behavior of the material discussed
under the effects of different stress and temperatures.
In Figure 2 you can see the deformation map of the
micro-alloyed copper.
The graph represents for each strain-rate expressed in
1/s the evolution curve according to the temperature
and the applied stress.
For example, the micro-alloyed copper presents,
under a shear stress 100 MPs (equivalent to 178 MPs
stress according to x axis) and 0.31 TM (equivalent Figure 2: Typical micro-alloyed copper's
to 148 C), a strain-rate of 10-7/s.
deformation maps
Strain rate curves have a non-linear shape that is
defined by the different deformation mechanisms
that are happening and, sometimes, overlapping as the T and ss vary.

3
Overhead lines application area

Speaking about the field of the overhead transmission lines, at the time of their laying it is
necessary to give tension to the overhead cable in such a way as to guarantee the sags under
different mechanical loads and temperatures; essentially, the mechanical loads are due to wind
and the deposition of ice on wires. Temperatures vary depending on the transported electric
intensity, ambient temperature, and wind.
Normally the working temperature oscillates between -50 C and 80 C (223 to 353 K),
although the HTLS type cables working temperature can occasionally rise up to 200 C (473
K). In the case of copper these temperatures correspond to standard temperatures of 0.16 to
0.35 TM.
Mechanical loads to which the material are subject to are in the range of 22 to 50% UTS
(from 100 to 250 MPs); a 50% UTS value is assumed under exceptional loads of wind and
ice.
The rectangle shown at Figure 3 shows
the strain-rates that the material will
present under these conditions.
When analyzing this area of work it
should be noticed that when the
mechanical load is high (under
deposition of ice or strong winds)
temperature is necessarily low and
therefore the cable is in the upper left
corner of the rectangle
At this point it is deducted from the
development made so far that the
micro-alloyed copper presents a set of
mechanical characteristics suitable
for work as a material of the overhead
transmission lines under conditions of Figure 3: Representation of the workspace of the
high temperature (HT) and high micro-alloyed copper when it is in an overhead
mechanical load, since it hardly transmission line
presents creep and its annealing
temperature is very high.

Experimental data

A test of some thousands of hours has been carried comparing samples of ETP copper (Cu
electrolytic or pure copper) versus the same number of micro-alloyed copper samples by
applying a succession of increasing stresses (sx) on circular samples of 3.2 mm diameter
previously deformed to a 84%. The results obtained are the following:

4
Micro-alloyed copper at 149 C

sx (Mps) Test Time (h) Total strain Strain rate (1/s)

50 (10,4% UTS) 6400 0.12 % 5.2110-9
70 (14,6% UTS) 6500 0.17 % 7.2610-9
100 (20,8% UTS) 6400 0.54 % 2.3410-8
140 (29,2% UTS) 6500 2.33 % 1.0010-7
175 (36,5% UTS) 1780 2.56 % 4.0010-7

ETP Copper at 149 C.

sx (Mps) Test Time (h) Total strain Strain rate (1/s)

50 (10,4% UTS) 150 3.62 % 5.2110-6
70 (14,6% UTS) 150 5.32 % 7.2610-6
100 (20,8% UTS) 25 2.3 % 2.3410-5
140 (29,2% UTS) 25 10.8 % 1.0010-5
175 (36,5% UTS) 25 34 % 3.3010-4

The two graphs below (Figure 4 and Figure 5) show the evolution of both materials, which are
very similar in composition since they only differ in having 1000 ppm of alloy elements.
The difference in the strain rate between both materials is of three orders of magnitude, or a
factor of 1000. The reason for this big difference relies in the presence of the alloy elements
that block the movement of dislocations in the material, which reduces drastically the
materials creep.
It should be noticed how the micro-alloyed copper presents a conductivity like the one of the
ETP copper, but it improves very sensitive mechanical properties, allowing the material to
work at temperature conditions up to 200 C in hard temper.

Figure 4: Strain rate versus stress for micro- Figure 5: Strain rate versus stress for ETP
alloyed copper at 149 C copper at 149 C

5
The Figure 6 shows a practical case of creep:
a 95 mm2 section stranded micro-alloyed
copper cable built on a structure 1+6+12 of
2.5 mm strands, 90% deformed. The test was
done at 35% UTS and 85 C. Data gives an
average strain rate of 9.7x10-9 1/s but from
the 200-hour test onwards such speed is on
the order of 7 x 10-10 (1/s).

Figure 6: Creep at a 95 mm2 1+6+12 wire at

35% UTS and 85 C
Figure 7 shows the comparison between the
cable whose graph is shown in Figure 6 and a
ACSR 180 mm2 stranded cable subject to the
same conditions. It can be seen that the
average strain rate for the ACSR cable is
2.8x10-8 1/s but from 200 to 1000 hours of
test time the strain rate is 1x10-8 1/s.
It should be considered that ACSR cable has
a steel core that interferes with the strain rate
of aluminum.

Figure 7: Comparison between a 95 mm2

micro-alloyed cable and ACSR 180 mm2 cable

Conclusions on the micro-alloyed copper and the creep

The presences of the atoms of the micro-alloying elements make a substantial improvement of
the copper from the creep behaviors point of view.
The micro-alloyed copper presents a conductivity slightly lower than the one of ETP
Copper: 95-100% IACS versus 100% IACS.
The micro-alloyed copper presents an annealing temperature of > 350 C.
The micro-alloyed copper presents an increase of UTS in the order of 10-20% on Cu ETP
(480 MPS front 400-420 MPS for the ETP copper).
The micro-alloyed copper presents a resistance increment against creep by a factor of 103
compared to the ETP copper.
Putting together all these factors, the micro-alloyed copper turns out to be a very suitable
material for cables used in overhead transmission lines with capacity to work continuously at
temperatures of 200C and occasionally higher

Fatigue

6
A metal subjected to repetitive or periodic stress cycles will fail at a stress much lower than
the one expressed in the UTS.
Failures occurring under dynamic loading conditions are called fatigue failures. In the case of
overhead transmission cables these dynamic loading conditions are related to the Aeolian
vibrations induced by breezes and winds on the cables [5] .

Creep - Fatigue interaction

Most of the deformation at elevated temperatures cannot be considered to arise only from
pure creep or pure fatigue but from an interaction between both processes.
As micro-alloyed copper has very low creep, due to the presence within the atom matrix of
copper of isolated atoms belonging to the other alloying elements that block the movement of
dislocations which cause creep; this very fact is also responsible for the increase of UTS and
tends to reduce the effects of fatigue, or alternatively increase number the dynamic cycles
needed to get to the failure.
Summarizing, the micro-alloyed copper improves the response to material fatigue, although
this improvement is certainly not of the same order of magnitude than the improvement
experienced in the creep.

7
BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] Head conductor manual 2 edition Southwire 2007 p 2.20-2.32

[2] Tora Galvan : Transporte de la energa elctrica UPC 1997 cap 5 p 146-148
[3] Herenguel: Metalurgia especial : el cobre y sus aleaciones URM 1976 Cap 4 p 32-33
[4] Frost & Ashby deformation-mechanism maps web version Chp 1 p 1-12
[5] Dieter : Mechanical Metallurgy Mc Graw Hill 1988 CHp 12 p. 375 ,428-430