The temperature characteristics and current conducting ability of horizontally curved conductors

According to experimental results, the temperature on a horizontally curved conductor proved to be higher than that on a straight conductor. The temperature deviation increased with the current ratio I/I_cr increasing or the curved angle α and curved radius R₀ decreasing, where I_cr is the critical melting current. In a previous paper, the critical melting current I_cr of horizontal, straight copper conductors in the air can be expressed by the following equation: I_cr = 2.21 × 10³ D^1.505 (A) (1) (70 A ≤ I_cr ≤ 2500 A, 0.1 cm ≤ D ≤ 1 cm, D-diameter). Therefore, if the maximum surface temperature is settled for conductors of the same diameter and manufactured of the same material, the current conducted by a curved conductor was smaller than that conducted by a straight one. When the curved angle α was ∠45° and current ratio I/I_cr was 38.5%, the current decrease deviation was approximately 10%.