Westech Rigging Supply Q&AAnswer
Feb 25, 2022 - 08:28 PM
We have not personally seen a great performance difference, but then we largely swage larger diameter steel sleeves compared to smaller diameter aluminum or copper. That said, Nicopress published a finding on this (link here), and in conclusion stated the following: "Once assembled, we have found the strength of the sleeve/cable assembly is controlled to a large extent by the sleeve material properties of: tensile strength, fracture toughness/energy, and temperature expansion coefficient. It was shown copper alloy materials are, in general, tougher with a greater fracture energy required for failure when compared to the aluminum alloys used for compression sleeves. It is recommended when considering a compression sleeve material for cable applications, all of these factors be considered for proper application and use. Furthermore, in critical performance applications and those with human safety concerns, Cu alloys may
be the best choice for compression sleeve material."
