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Study on quantitative metallographic analysis method of copper wire melt trace under short-circuit and fire conditions

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Abstract

In recent years, electrical fire accidents have been frequent. Due to the lack of quantitative research on the metallographic analysis of wire melt marks, there is insufficient basis for physical evidence of identification of some electrical fires. To study the characteristics of melt marks of copper core PVC-insulated single-core flame-retardant wire short-circuit and fire-induced accidents, the electrical fault simulation experimental device was used to simulate primary and secondary short-circuit faults, and a gasoline torch was used to simulate high-temperature fire conditions and extract the metal melt marks produced by the experiments. The metallurgical microscope and Image-Pro-Plus software were used to measure the size and shape characteristics of grains and pores and to quantitatively analyze the metallurgical organization characteristics of the melt marks under different conditions. The results indicate that the primary short-circuit melt traces have fine grains with an average diameter of 13.14–17.87 μm, mainly concentrated in 0–800 μm2, dominated by dendrites with fine grain boundaries and excitation layer structure. They have fewer pores and regular shape, mainly concentrated in 0–1500 μm2. The secondary short-circuit fusion trace grains are mainly cytosolic and columnar grains, with an average diameter of 15.72–22.30 μm, mainly concentrated in 200–1200 μm2, sparse grains and coarse grain boundaries. They have more pores, larger volume, and irregular shape, mainly concentrated in 1000–3500 μm2. The fire fusion marks have coarse grain types, mainly equiaxed crystals, with average diameter mainly concentrated in 16–28 μm and grain area mainly concentrated in 600–1800 μm2. The fusion marks only have small pores or shrinkage holes distributed in the surface layer, and fewer internal pores and shrinkage holes. The results of the study can play an important role in the identification of the physical evidence of electrical fire and the determination of the cause of fire.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key R & D Plan of China (2021YFE0105000), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52074213), Shaanxi key R & D Plan Project (2021SF-472, 2022QCY-LL-70), Shaanxi Province Qin Chuangyuan “Scientists+Engineers” Team Construction (2023KXJ-052), Yulin Science and Technology Plan Project (CXY-2020-036).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710054, Shaanxi, China

    Weifeng Wang, Xuanchong Zhao, Xiaohan Ji, Ze Yang, Xiaoyun Gui, Zhuoyang Li & Lin Wang

  2. Elite Digital Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd., Taiyuan, 030006, Shanxi, China

    Qiang Liu

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  1. Weifeng Wang
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  2. Xuanchong Zhao
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  3. Qiang Liu
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  7. Zhuoyang Li
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  8. Lin Wang
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Correspondence to Xuanchong Zhao or Qiang Liu.

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Wang, W., Zhao, X., Liu, Q. et al. Study on quantitative metallographic analysis method of copper wire melt trace under short-circuit and fire conditions. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 12145–12158 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-12527-0

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