Aluminium Copper Bi - Metal(ALCU)

Aluminium Copper Bi - Metal(ALCU)

Aluminium copper bi–metal  (ALCU) consists of copper (sheet metal) cladded on pure Aluminium (base metal), both metals being diffused together to form an inseparable whole by roll bonding process.

Bi – Metal, is therefore not an alloy and copper layers are not Electro plating / galvanic coatings but are rather mechanically welded on Aluminium with Copper sheets.

Aluminium Terminals are directly connected to Copper Terminals to carry current at a high voltage, a bimetallic galvanic corrosion occurs, resulting in a high resistance at the joint. The heated joints are oxidized and losses contact resulting in sparks, voltage dropout power losses and failure, damage to machinery.

When bimetal is placed between Aluminium Terminal and Copper Terminal at the joint (with Copper facing Copper and Aluminium facing Aluminium), bimetallic galvanic corrosion is averted due to absence of air in bimetal.
Bi - Metal is thus used at dissimilar metals joints of Aluminium and Copper to make similar metal's contact.

Bi - Metal has been successfully evaluated and used by many of the world's leading electrical equipment manufacturers.

Aluminium - Copper BI-Metal Terminals:

AI-Cu bi-metal terminal are used for connecting aluminium cable to copper busbars.

Bimetal washers to prevent bimetallic galvanic electro-corrosion at copper and Aluminium joints

Applications include the following: