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26/03/04
Method
To ensure meaningful measurements it is necessary to define the measurement conditions. The length of cable to be measured, the temperature at which the cable is to be measured, the current used to measure the resistance, all need to be defined.
Cable Length
It is normal practice to measure a metre length of cable and special cable clamps (see fig.1) are available for holding the wire. The clamp should include connections for the current and connections for the potential points.
Fig. 1
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The use of a current clamp eliminates inconsistent readings due to small changes in the length of cable measured. Care should be taken not to stretch the wire when placing it into the clamp, as this will increase its resistance. The clamp should also have provision for shielding the wire against draughts, which can cause temperature variations. An additional desirable feature of the clamp is the provision for mounting a temperature sensor adjacent to the cable to be measured. The diagram below (Fig. 2) shows the connections to the wire being measured, note that the current connections are placed out side the potential and the exact 1 metre length is measured between the potential connections.
Connections
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Current Fig.2
Potential 1 Metre
Potential
Current
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Influence of Temperature
All wires and cables have a temperature coefficient, their resistance value will vary according to the temperature. Some materials have a relatively high temperature coefficient (e.g. copper = 3250ppm/C) and the measured resistance value will depend upon the temperature. This temperature is influenced either by ambient temperature changes or the heating effect of passing the measurement current through the cable. The effects of ambient temperature changes can be compensated for when using the Cropico microhmmeter type DO5000. This temperature compensation operates by measuring the ambient temperature with a Pt100 temperature sensor and then correcting the measurement by the samples temperature coefficient and referencing the measurement to 20C, by using this facility all measurements are relative to the same temperature. To compensate for the heating effects caused by the measuring current is not quite so easy. The temperature compensation method used for ambient temperature changes can be used, but to be effective the cable should be submerged in a tank of liquid (water is normally used) and the temperature sensor used to monitor the liquid. The liquid bath will dissipate and stabilise the temperature from the cable, however this solution can be costly and messy. A better solution is to limit the measurement current and the time the current flows through the cable thereby reduce heating effect. The DO5000 has the ability to Both vary the measurement current and reduce the measurement time to a single shot measurement of approx. 0.5 seconds or in fast mode 0.02 seconds. Fig.3 Change in resistance with temperature MATERIAL Copper Aluminium TEMP. COEFFICIENT 3930 ppm/C 4100 ppm/C @ 20 Deg. C 0.001 0.001 @ 23 Deg. C 0.01279 0.0123
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Measurement Solution
CROPICO can offer a measurement solution for all your wire and cable applications. The high accuracy microhmmeter type DO5000 combined with one of our cable clamps will ensure that your measurements are accurate and consistent.
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Cable Clamp CO2
Measuring Range 3m...30k with resolution 0.1 on 3m range High Measuring accuracy 0.03% Programmable current Automatic temperature compensation Cable length calculation
1 Meter Cable Clamp consists of a robust, warp-resistant, light-metal rail with one movable and one fixed clamping device. It allows the measurement of samples 500-mm to 1000 mm long. The clamping device is designed to accommodate cable cross-sections of 0.1 mm2 to approx. 100 mm2
The measurement length is 1000 mm. The clamping device is designed for cross-sections of 1...1000 mm2. The type CO3 is equipped with a water bath whose temperature is controlled with an integrated thermostat. The integrated circulation pump ensures a uniform distribution of temperature in the water bath.
Distributed By: CROPICO Ltd Hampton Road Croydon CR9 2RU United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)208 684 4025 Fax: +44 (0)208 684 4094 Email: info@cropico.com 4