Overhead transmission is a definitive way for the transmission of electrical power from one place to another. It is an effective and low-budget transmission method in the areas which do not support underground electricity transmission. Electrical cables used in the overhead transmission actually have air as their insulating material because most of the high voltage transmission cables are not insulated. Its material is usually aluminum alloy, made using several steel strands. Copper was also used in the overhead transmission as an aerial cable but aluminum was selected for proper transmission because of being lighter in weight and offers less resistance, capacitance and inductance losses as compared to copper.
Aerial cables involve another usage which is the transmission of electrical signals not to transmit power but to transmit signals in the perspective of telecommunication. Optical cables which transmit the signal by converting the electrical signal into a light signal. The interconversion of the signal let the signal to pass from one place to another with the speed of light.
Following are some of the important aerial cables used for communication: –
1) Optical Fiber Figure 8 cable
In the Figure 8 cable, the messenger wires are built into the cable. One just needs to clamp both the messenger cable and the wire. These Aerial cables are always the telephonic cables used in commercial and residential plots.
2) All-Dielectric Self-Supporting cables (ADSS)
Another type of aerial cable is ADSS cables. ADSS cables do not contain any metallic component due to which these aerial cables could be installed in various different environments. It has its applications both for high voltage transmission lines or short span telephone cabling. These Aerial cables have the advantage to be used in hybrid systems.
Economically one has to judge which aerial cable is needed for the efficient transmission of electrical signals. Because that is the only perfect aspect in selecting the best aerial cables.