TENSILE STRENGTH CHART FOR WIRE & CABLE

Tensile strength is a term denoting the greatest longitudinal tensile stress a substance can
bear without tearing apart or rupturing.     PSI = Pounds per Square Inch.

TENSILE STRENGTH CALCULATIONS FOR A SOLID/SINGLE CONDUCTOR:

PSI  =            F           
            (D)2  x .7854

Where: F = The breaking force of the specimen in pounds.
             D = The diameter of a solid or single strand conductor (inches)
.



TENSILE STRENGTH CALCULATIONS FOR A STRANDED CONDUCTOR:

PSI  =                      F                      
            (d)2  x No. of strands x .7854

Where: F = The breaking force of the specimen in pounds.
             d = The average diameter of a single strand (inches).

    

TENSILE STRENGTH CALCULATIONS FOR TWO OR MORE CONDUCTORS 
IN A CABLE:

    PSI  =   d x 1/4PI (.7854) x number of strands x 35,000 x 90%

PSI = The breaking strength of the AWG in pounds is divided by the diameter of a single strand 
of wire squared, times the number of strands, times 1/4 PI (.7854), times 90% of the resulting figure 
to be used as a nominal tensile strength calculation, for safety.  Than multiply by the total number
of conductors for the total tensile strength of the finished cable.

Example 1: a 2 conductor 22(7/30) cable equals .0001" x .7854 x 7 (strands) x 35,000* = 19.2423, 
than take only 90% of that number for safety.
 

Example 2: a 2 conductor 22(168/44) cable equals .00004" x .7854 x 168(strands) x 35,000* = 
18.4726, than take only 90% of that number for safety.

*The PSI for annealed copper wire.