From what I understand, wire mostly gets it's amp ratings based on the type of insulation, and how well it withstands heat. Obviously there's physical limitations based on the wire gauge, but the difference between cheaply insulated stuff with a low melt point, and something like PTFE or silicone are pretty big. I use mostly 10 awg, and the spec sheets for PVC or plastic are all around 40 amps. Some of the more expensive silicone can take 70-140 amps (according to the manufacturer's data sheet).
So, my thought is what if you (again, hypothetically, I'm definitely not going to do this) used solid, bare copper wire, in a location where it could safely heat up. Copper melts around 2000°f, I bet it would hold together enough to reach 1000° before any sort of mechanical wire failure.
Could bare wire be used to carry short, relatively large loads? Is there any sort of formula that could tell me the maximum theoretical current carrying capacity of a piece of copper? It's been nagging at me all day wondering if you can pass current through red-hot wires successfully, and how much.
So, my thought is what if you (again, hypothetically, I'm definitely not going to do this) used solid, bare copper wire, in a location where it could safely heat up. Copper melts around 2000°f, I bet it would hold together enough to reach 1000° before any sort of mechanical wire failure.
Could bare wire be used to carry short, relatively large loads? Is there any sort of formula that could tell me the maximum theoretical current carrying capacity of a piece of copper? It's been nagging at me all day wondering if you can pass current through red-hot wires successfully, and how much.