From automobiles and high-speed locomotives, to
space craft and earth moving equipment -copper is vital to getting
you where you want to go.
And since transportation is becoming faster and more electronically
complex, increased amounts of copper will be necessary - working behind
the scenes - to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of engines,
heat exchangers, electronic devices, and electrical and power systems.
Take, for example, the increased demand for copper in automobiles.
In 1948, the average family car contained only 55 wires which averaged
only 45 meters (150 feet) in length. Thanks to continuing improvements
in electronics and the addition of power accessories, today's luxury
cars contain, on average, some 1,500 copper wires which total about
1.6 kilometers (1 mile) in length. A typical mid-sized automobile
contains about 22.5 kilograms (50 pounds) of copper, including some
18 kilograms (40 pounds) of electrical components.
Yet, there is much more copper in heavier, faster, and more powerful
transportation vehicles than in automobiles. For example:
- The Triton-class nuclear submarine uses about 90,000 kilograms (200,000
pounds) of copper.
- A typical diesel-electric railroad locomotive uses about 5,000 kilograms
(11,000 pounds) of copper. The latest powerful locomotives use more
than 7,200 kilograms (16,000 pounds) of copper.
- Electrically-powered subway cars, trolleys, and buses use 280-4100
kilograms (625-9,200 pounds) of copper.
- An average motorized farm vehicle uses 28 kilograms (63 pounds)
of copper. Construction vehicles use an average of 30 kilograms (66
pounds). An electric forklift uses about 62 kilograms (138 pounds).
- The largest mobile land machine ever built is a mammoth electric
shovel, called a walking dragline excavator. The dragline uses a whopping
360,000 kilograms (800,000 pounds) of copper!
- About 2% of a Boeing 747-200 jet plane is made from copper. Included
in that weight is 190,000 meters (632,000 feet) of copper wire. |
