Wires and cables are very common in our lives and are undoubtedly indispensable. However, while wires and cables are often mentioned, there are actually significant differences, especially in their uses. In today's article, I will briefly explain the conceptual differences between them. Cables can be either single-core or multi-core. Today, I will focus on the differences between 3+2 and 4+1 5-core cables.
Differences between Wires and Cables
① Wires: A wire is a flexible metal conductor that carries current and is made up of one or more flexible conductors, covered in a lightweight, flexible sheath. These conductors can be solid, stranded, or braided. Based on the insulation, they are categorized as bare wire and insulated wire.
Cables: An insulated conductor consists of one or more mutually insulated conductive wires enclosed in a sealed sheath. These conductors may be covered with a protective covering and are used to transmit and distribute electrical energy or transmit electrical signals. Cables differ from ordinary wires primarily in their larger size and more complex structure.
② Wires with a smaller diameter are called "wires"; cables with a larger diameter are called "cables."
Simple structures are called "wires"; complex structures are called "cables."
The Difference Between 3+2 and 4+1 5-core Cables
The 3+2 and 4+1 designations on electrical wires indicate the number of cores in the cable. Cables with two or three, three or four insulated wires, four or five insulated wires are called 2-core or 3-core cables, three or four insulated wires, four or five insulated wires, and five-core cables, respectively.
The following uses the YJV power cable as an example.
In a 3+2 cable, the 3 represents the three phase wires (L1, L2, and L3, which have the largest diameters). These wires have the same diameter. The 2 represents the neutral and PE wires. One wire is used for the neutral conductor (N, which has a smaller diameter than L1, L2, and L3) and the other is used for the grounding conductor (PE, which also has a smaller diameter than L1, L2, and L3).
Yjv 4+1 core
The 4 in a 4+1 cable means the three phase and neutral wires have the same diameter, and the 1 in a PE ground wire has a separate diameter. 4+1 means a cable has four wires: one for the live wire (L1), one for the neutral wire (N), and one for the ground wire (PE).
As you can see, there's a lot of knowledge involved in wires and cables, and even a single article wouldn't be enough to cover just one model. Interested readers should learn more about the differences between wires and cables, as this provides a fundamental understanding of them. Also, consider the number of cores in a cable. Cables are categorized not only by single-core and multi-core, but also by wires. Therefore, a thorough understanding of wires and cables requires careful consideration.
