Tranning Report Production Department

2. Metal Section

2.1 Introduction

The metal section is the area of the production factory where the first step for cables
Manufacturing is carried out, the conductor manufacturing process. This section is divided
basically in two main areas, one for the drawing process and another for the stranding
process.

Metal Section

Drawing section Stranding section

Fig. 2.1 Metal section

As we see in the fig.2.1 the sections of the metal section split to 2 sections named
Drawing section and Stranding section . . . . .

We will take about the two sections but first we will take about the Row material that can
be used in the two sections . . . . . .

There are three types of metals are used in cables manufacturing:

A- Copper with diameter 8 mm and weight (3-4) ton.
B- Aluminum with diameter 9 mm and weight 1.5 ton.
C- Aluminum Alloys with diameter 9.5 mm and weight 2.5 ton.

There are three types of raw material used in the metal section:
Copper, Aluminum, and Aluminum Alloy. Copper arrives from El Sewedy UMC. Before
entering into the drawing process, a welding machine must join the different coils,
therefore in this way it becomes a non stop process. We can have copper with all
possible cross-sectional areas.

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There are two types of aluminum used here to manufacture conductors: H12 used to
obtain underground cables, and H14 used to obtain overhead lines. There is just one type
of aluminum alloy, the H17, used to obtain overhead lines too.

And now we will find table show us description of Diameter, electric resistive, tensile
strength, elongation and Specific weight of the rows material.

Tensile
Diameter Ele. Resistive Weight
Row Material Strength Elongation
(mm) (Ω.m2/km) (g/mm2/m)
(Kg/mm2)
AL. H12 9 28.264 8:10.5 20% 2.7
AL. H14 9 28.264 10.5:14 15% 2.7
AL. Alloy 9.5 32.53 17:22 3.5% 2.7
Copper 8 17.241 Max. 250 40% 8.89

Notes:

 The max. Tensile strength of the copper that’s mean the maximum force that can
applied over cross section area.
 Not good efficiency of conductor when Elongation and CSA increasing because the
resistance will increase too.
 Aluminum Alloy put additives with the alloy contains silicon and magnesium to
avoid the tensile strength increasing.

Advantage of copper or Aluminum

 CU is approx. 60% lower specific resistance than AL.

 CU has small cross section area than AL for the same power.
 AL has lower weight than CU for the same power.
 AL is cheaper than CU.
 AL is used for cables needing flexibility and copper for cables needing high
stresses.

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 AL mainly using for over head cables and copper mainly using for under ground
cables.

2.2 Drawing Section

2.2.1 Definition

Drawing is a mechanical process to reduce the wire diameter by tension force between
17 to 33 % of the first diameter by passing the wire through number of dies of certain
sequence till we get the required diameter.

2.2.2 Drawing theory

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Where

Is Reduction Ratio or Elongation

d1 is diameter of wire before reduction operation
d2 Is diameter of wire after reduction operation

From the final equation and known the reduction ratio we can calculate the die size of all
stages.

2.2.3 Main Machine Component

 Pay Off
 Drawing Block
 Final capstan Block
 Annealer
 Dancer
 Take Up

Pay Off Drawing Block Final capstan Block Annealer

Take Up Dancer

Fig. 2.2 Drawing Machine Block Diagram

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Fig. 2.3 Pay Off Diagram

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2.2.3.1 Pay Off

This part is the first stage in the

drawing machine , its function is take
the row material (copper or aluminum
wire) to the second stage and it can be
bobbin or Basket

2.2.3.2 Drawing Block

1 3
2

Fig. 2.4 Drawing Block

The drawing block is the most important block in this machine cause it's make the main
process of the machine.

Block Component:

1- wire guide (die holder) this block is die holder and die.
2- gear box , for rotate all capstans.
3- Final Die Holder.
4- Capstan.
5- Drawing Lubricate.

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2.2.3.2.1 Dies Construction

Fig. 2.5 Die Cross Section Area

 Entrance angle: give chance for oil to pass with wire in die.
 Reduction zone: reduce the diameter of wire (elongation process).
 Boaring: die diameter and this zone is response of output wire.
 Back relief: this zone is curvature to give smooth surface.

Reduction angle : copper 18 Aluminum 20 Alloy 14

The length of die related to the kind of material and the desired diameter of the wire.

The die and wire is lubricating continuously for cooling the wire and die.

Types Of Dies:

 Ceramic die (using as a guide not for boaring)

 Tungsten die (using in Stranding operation)

Note : we use diamond in the boaring area when we care of quality of wire surface and
using in fine boaring machine.

Diamond types :
a- natured diamond dies (very expensive)

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b- synthetic diamond dies (more cheep that the natured)

2.2.3.2.2 Gear Box

Slip Machine : that’s mean in the draw machine gear box to rotate all the capstans
synchronies with one motor.

Non slip machine: that's mean for each capstan motor to control the motion.

2.2.3.2.3 Final die holder

Driver by separate motor to give circular motion to reduce the scrap in the die.

2.2.3.2.4 Capstans

We turn the wire over the capstan by 3 turns to save the tension of the wire.

2.2.3.2.5 Drawing lubricate

This soap is for : reduce the fraction between the wire and the die and to give a smooth
surface.

Fig. 2.6 Drawing Lubricate Cooler

Change mineral oil every 6 months

Soap oil mixed with fixed amount of water 85%

Emulsion percentage:

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Heavy drawing machine: 10 ≈ 14 %

Intermediate drawing machine: 8 ≈ 10 %
For Annealer: 0.5 ≈ 1 %

2.2.3.3 Final Capstan Block

The function of the last capstan to be sure that the diameter of wire not changed, to
reduce the cut of wire and the number of turns in technical recommendation catalog.

2.2.3.4 Annealer

This block is exist only in copper wire , This operation is temperature process for copper
metal after drawing operation done, done by increase the heat to 50 degree but system
isolating from air to decrease the hardiness of copper again because it's increasing in the
drawing operation.

Aluminum alloy is annealed in a special oven, by putting the whole spool/coil in it after
drawing.
Annealer construction
 boiler steam generator : to reduce the oxidation
 brushes transform : closed electric circuit current reach to 8000 A to heating the
wire.
 Cooling zone : cooling by emulsion.
We need to decrease the hardness because the relation between the hardness and the
resistance.

Where H ……… Hardiness of metal & R ………… Resistance of metal

2.2.3.5 Dancer

It's constructing from two capstans and pneumatic system and its
function to make synchronization speed between take up and the feed
speed of drawing block.

This part using in the start up of the machine and when the end of the
machine to avoid the wire cutting.

2.2.3.6 Take up
Take up kinds: Bobbin (400 mm up to 800 mm)
Basket (takes more amount than Bobbin and Fig. 2.7 Dancer Diagram
decrease no. of cutting the wire)

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Take up kind depend on the diameter of the wire

2.2.4 Types of Drawing Machines

1. Heavy Drawing Machine

 Single wire
 Double wire
2. Intermediate Machine
3. Fine Machine.

2.2.5 EGYTECH Drawing Machines

DO ………… Drawing operation
DO.1 DO.2 DO.3 DO.4 DO.5
Heavy drawing Heavy drawing Heavy drawing Intermediate Heavy drawing
M/C M/C M/C drawing M/C M/C
Kind of M/C Single wire Single wire Single wire 8 wires Double wire
Slipping M/C Slipping M/C Slipping M/C Slipping M/C Slipping M/C
Supported Copper
Copper Aluminum Aluminum Copper
Metal Aluminum
Max. no. of
13 15 11 8 X 11 2 X 16
dies
Inlet dia. Inlet dia. 0.26 1.35
Min. diameter 9.5 9 9.5 9
1.2
(mm) 1.7 1.53 2 1.9
Inlet dia. Inlet dia. 1.35 4.5
Max. diameter 9.5 9 9.5 9
4.5
(mm) 4.5 5.2 4.5 5.2
Max. Speed
31.5 37.5 37.5 30.5 35
(m/s)
Focusing in DO.5:

 It is a copper drawing M/C.

 This machine consists of 11 pair of dies (22 die).
 The maximum and minimum diameters I can get from this machine are
4.5&1.4mm respectively.
 This machine can draw two wires in the same time.
 The wires out from this machine can be turned on pulleys or baskets according to
the stranding machine that will strand it.

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The following table contains the sizes of the dies that used in the machine:
Die
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Number

Size Of
6.50 5.63 4.88 4.23 3.67 3.81 2.76 2.39 2.07 1.80 1.60
Die

2.3 Stranding Section

2.3.1 Definition

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The need of making the stranding operation can be explained as follows. The current
flows typically along the surface of the conductor (skin effect), so to allow the conductor
to carry more current, more wires of smaller cross-sectional areas are used instead of
using just one of larger area. In this way, conductors are made of layers of wires.

The operation of stranding can be summarized as follows:

One wire is placed in the center of the conductor; a second layer containing 6 wires is
stranded around it, then becoming the "1 + 6" conductor the center of the next third
layer, which is made of a total of twelve wires; if the conductor needs to have another
layer, the previous "1 + 6+ 12" becomes the center of the this new fourth layer.

The conductor of cables consists of a number of strands of wire of circular cross section
so that it may become flexible and array more current.

To avoid the bending and deformation of the cable conductor under normal conditions.

The number of strands in cables is 7, 19, 37, 61, 127 and 169

For example the arrangement of 7 strands cables six strands spiraled around a central
strand.

Conductor Number of layers Layers

7 wires 2 1 + 6
19 wires 3 1 + 6 + 12
37 wires 4 1 + 6 + 12 + 18
61 wires 5 1 + 6 + 12 + 18 + 24

As we see in the table the formation of wires with the number of layer

Fig. 2.8 formation of wires

Lay length:
It is the distance in mm between two
consecutive ups or downs of a certain
component of the cable.

Lay length =  final conductor x Factor

Conductor Factor
91 wires 8 – 10

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61 wires 10 – 12
37 wires 12 – 14
19 wires 14 – 16
7 wires 16 – 18

2.3.2 Calculation method of stranding conductor diameter

 Calculation method of circular conductor diameter

By this equation
Dc = µ.Dw
Where
Dc ………………… the diameter of conductor of the cable
Dw ………………… the diameter of the wire.
µ ………………….. lay factor

µ 3 5 7 9 11 13 15
No. of wires 7 19 37 61 91 127 169

 Calculation method of core of ACSR conductor diameter

By this equation

Dc = n.Dw.DS
Where
Dc ………………… the diameter of conductor of the cable
n ………………….. Factor.
Dw ………………… the diameter of the wire.
DS ………………… the diameter of the steel.

n 2 4 6
No. of Layers 1 2 3

2.3.2 Stranding lay direction

 The alternate layers have right and left spirals the arrangement of 7 strands
conductor six strands spiraled around a central strand.

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 Te direction of spiraling of this layer (12 strands) is in the opposite direction to the
previous layer.

2.3.3 Stranding Cables

1. Sector cables (used for low voltage range 3 X 120 – 4 X 90 – 3 X 100 + 60 )

2. Compact Cables (used for medium and high voltage range)
3. Over Head Transmission Line (O.H.T.L.)
a- AAC
b- ACC
c- ACSR
d- AAAC

2.3.4 The stranding M/Cs classification

1- Rigid stranded M/Cs.
This M/Cs consists of:

 Feeding carrier.

 Rotating cage contains 6 pulley carriers.

 Rotating cage contains 12 pulley carriers.

 Rotating cage contains 18 pulley carriers.

 Rotating cage contains 24 pulley carriers.

 Double capstan of diameter 2m. Fig. 2.8 Rotating cage

 Receiving carrier.

 After each cage there are rollers used in compressed and sector conductors.

2- Double twist M/Cs.

This M/C strands the wires by using a rotating arm which rotates fast twisting the wires, and then the
wires are reversed to be turned on the receiving pulley which rotates around itself and that is the other
twist.

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2.4 EYTECH Stranding M/Cs

SO . . . . . . Stranding Operation

SO.1, 2 SO.3 SO.4,6,9 SO.8 BO.1,2 OPGW

Strand 61 Strand 37
No. of wire wire (one wire (one Strand 7 Strand 37 Strand 7 Strand 31
stranding stage) or 91 stage) but it wire (one wire (one wire (one wire (one
supported wire (two work 19 stage) stage) stage) stage)
stages) wire
Circular
Circular Circular
compressed
Supported compressed circular compressed circular circular
compact
Cable Kinds sector conductors sector conductors conductors
sector
conductors conductors
conductors
Strand 1.5
to 6 mm²
for stranded
Wire CSA Strand 50 to Strand 25 to Strand 10 to Strand 25 to Strand 50 to
wires & 0.5
Supported 630 mm² 120 mm² 50 mm² 240 mm² 185 mm²
to 10 mm²
for thin
wires

Max. Speed 35 m/min 90 m/min 50 m/min 120 m/min ---------- 100 m/min

They take
It takes the It takes the It takes the They take It takes the
the wires
Pulley Or wires from wires from wires from the wires wires from
from
pulleys and pulleys and pulleys and from pulleys pulleys and
Basket cannot take cannot take
baskets and
cannot take and cannot cannot take
Supported cannot take
it from it from it from take it from it from
it from
baskets. baskets. baskets baskets. baskets.
pulleys.

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