Study on the mechanical properties of aluminum cable steel reinforced conductors based on separated tensile tests

Due to slippage between dissimilar materials during tensile loading, clamping aluminum cable steel reinforced (ACSR) conductors presents challenges, often resulting in significant errors in conventional tensile tests. To address this, the tensile mechanical properties of ACSR-300/25 at 20 ℃ were studied by separate tensile tests on the steel and aluminum strands. Finite element analysis was conducted to validate the experimental findings. The results show that aluminum strands exhibit neither a distinct strengthening stage nor a clear yield point, while the steel strands show a well-defined elastic region, yield stage, strengthening phase, and localized necking. Damage in the aluminum strands predominantly occurs between 1/2 to 1/3 of the specimen length, with the failure pattern following the twisting direction. In contrast, damage in the steel strands is generally concentrated on the same cross-sectional plane near the spcimen’s center. The results of the separated tests for both the steel and aluminum strands are in good agreement with the overall ACSR simulation result, confirming the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed testing method.