Die-Cast Copper Motor Rotors: Motor Test Results, Copper Compared to Aluminum
Motor manufacturers have long realized that because the electrical conductivity of copper is nearly 60% higher than that of aluminum, substituting copper for aluminum in the squirrel cage of the induction motor would markedly increase the electrical energy efficiency of the machine. Most motors larger than about 200 kW and a few special purpose smaller motors are built with copper squirrel cage structures manufactured by a time consuming and costly fabrication process. The intricate squirrel cage of smaller motors is produced by pressure die casting aluminum. Alternative cost-effective manufacturing methods have not been devised. A major barrier to adoption of copper for the rotor has been the high cost resulting from the short die life of the ordinary die steels experienced in die casting copper with its high melting temperature (1083°C compared to 660°C for aluminum).
Some economical comparisons between aluminium and copper squirrel cages
Serious thought is being given to the use of die cast copper cages; this is why the cost of copper for cage manufacture might become reasonable, even for small motors. Eight optimum designs are presented; two different powers, two different objective functions (initial price or total price including the price of future losses), and two cage materials (copper and aluminium) have been considered. Various components of prices are compared. >
Solidarity. Reflections on an Emerging Concept in Bioethics. Summary
1. References to solidarity are currently on the increase in public discourse. In the UK and beyond, during economic crises and in a political climate where many feel that mutual assistance has lost currency, calls for a new and forceful emphasis on the meaning of solidarity are increasingly heard. Such appeals to solidarity are inevitably linked to ideas about how societies function, and about how and where the boundary between individual, familial, communal and societal spheres of responsibilities should be drawn.