The great debate of copper vs. aluminum windings in motors is still going on. It’s a topic that I first wrote about in 1988, and it remains a topic of discussion today as engineers in a variety of industries question whether the quality and performance of aluminum windings can possibly compare with copper.
In the 1960s, aluminum house wiring was the subject of much attention because of the apparent fire hazards it created. It turned out that the cause of these house fires was not the wire itself, but rather connection problems. The junctions would become so hot, the heat would transfer to the wire itself, eventually deteriorating the wire insulation.