An electrical conductor has a first layer, wherein the first layer is electrically conducting, and has micro protrusions, macro protrusions, wherein the micro protrusions are arranged on the macro protrusions, a first set of depressions, wherein the first set of depressions comprises at least two longitudinal depressions; the macro protrusions and the at least two longitudinal depressions are arranged in an alternating pattern, at least one coating layer, wherein the at least one coating layer comprises an electrically conducting polymer, touches the first layer, at least partially covers the first layer; wherein at least 50% of the macro protrusions have a width, measured along a first direction in the range of 2.0 mm to 40.0 mm and at least 50% of the micro protrusions have a width, measured along the first direction, in the range of 0.001 mm to 1.000 mm.

An electric wire includes a conductor having a cross-sectional area of not less than 180 mm.sup.2 and not more than 220 mm.sup.2, an insulation provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the conductor, and a wire sheath provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the insulation. The amount of deflection is not less than 180 mm when, at 23° C., one end of the electric wire is fixed to a fixture table so that another end horizontally protrudes 400 mm from the fixture table and a weight of 2 kg is attached to the other end, and cracks and breaks do not occur when wound with a bending diameter of three times the diameter at −40° C.

An insulated electric wire and a method of producing the electric wire are provided. The insulated electric wire includes: a copper wire; and an insulating coating formed on a surface of the copper wire by an electrodeposition method. A cross section shape of the insulated electric wire including the insulating coating is in a hexagonal shape, a chamfered part that suppresses swelling of the insulating coating is formed on each corner part of a hexagonal cross section of the copper wire, a length of the chamfered part is 1/3 to 1/20 of a length of a flat part of the hexagonal cross section, and a void ratio in a wound state is 5% or less.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cable used to at least moor a moving body to be moored and supply power thereto, such that weight of the whole cable can be reduced. A cable according to the present invention connects a moving body to be moored to a unit assembly including a power supply unit. The cable is used to at least moor the moving body to be moored to the unit assembly and supply power from the power supply unit to the moving body to be moored. The cable includes a conductor constituted with element wires, and at least part of the element wires is a high-strength aluminum-based conductor.

Provided are a core electric wire for a multi-core cable superior in flex resistance at low temperature, and a multi-core cable employing the same. The core electric wire for a multi-core cable according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a conductor obtained by twisting element wires, and an insulating layer covering the conductor, a principal component of the insulating layer being a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin having a carbonyl group; the α-olefin content in the copolymer being 14% to 46% by mass; and a mathematical product C*E being 0.01 to 0.9, wherein C is a linear expansion coefficient of the insulating layer at from 25° C. to −35° C., and E is a modulus of elasticity thereof at −35° C. Average area of the conductor in the transverse cross section is 1.0 to 3.0 mm.sup.2. Average diameter of the element wires in the conductor is 40 to 100 μm, and number of the element wires is 196 to 2,450.

Provided are a core electric wire for multi-core cable that is superior in flex resistance at low temperature, and a multi-core cable employing the same. A core electric wire for multi-core cable according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a conductor obtained by twisting element wires, and an insulating layer that covers an outer periphery of the conductor, in which, in a transverse cross section of the conductor, a percentage of an area occupied by void regions among the element wires is from 5% to 20%. An average area of the conductor in the transverse cross section is preferably from 1.0 mm.sup.2 to 3.0 mm.sup.2. An average diameter of the element wires in the conductor is preferably from 40 μm to 100 μm, and the number of the element wires is preferably from 196 to 2,450. The conductor is preferably obtained by twisting stranded element wires obtained by twisting subsets of element wires. The insulating layer preferably comprises as a principal component a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin having a carbonyl group.

A highly bendable insulated electric wire includes a conductor part that has a plurality of non-compressed strands made of a copper alloy, each of the non-compressed strands having a cross-sectional area of 0.13 sq. mm, and a covering part that is provided on the conductor part, wherein the conductor part has an elongation of 7% or more and a tensile strength of 500 MPa or more, and the covering part is made of 100 degree Celsius heat-resistant polyvinyl chloride and has an elongation of 100% or more at a temperature of −40 degree Celsius.

A self-retracting coiled cable having a variable length along a center line can include an outer insulator sleeve having a longitudinal axis. The self-retracting coiled cable can also include a spring material extending along the longitudinal axis of the outer insulator sleeve. The spring material can hold the outer insulator sleeve in a helical shape around the center line. The spring material can also allow the self-retracting coiled cable to expand upon an application of an axial force to an end of the self-retracting coiled cable, thereby increasing a length of the self-retracting coiled cable, and to retract upon a removal of the axial force from the end of the self-retracting coiled cable, thereby reducing the length of the self-retracting coiled cable. The self-retracting coiled cable can further include multiple wires extending along the longitudinal axis of the outer insulator sleeve and disposed symmetrically around the spring material.

A flex-resistant wire has a conductor portion configured as a multiple-stranded wire. The multiple-stranded wire has a plurality of bunched strands that are twisted together. Each of the bunched strands has a plurality of conductors that are twisted together. In each of the bunched strands, the lay length of the conductors that are twisted together is at least 10 times greater than a strand diameter of the bunched strand but not greater than 47.2 times the strand diameter. The lay length of the bunched strands that are twisted together is at least 5 times greater than a pitch diameter of the multiple-stranded wire but not greater than 30 times the pitch diameter. The lay length of the conductors is smaller than or equal to the lay length of the bunched strands. The flex-resistant wire may be provided as one of the wires forming a wire harness.

Disclosed are cable types, including a type THHN cable, the cable types having a reduced surface coefficient of friction, and the method of manufacture thereof, in which the central conductor core and insulating layer are surrounded by a material containing nylon or thermosetting resin. A silicone based pulling lubricant for said cable, or alternatively, erucamide or stearyl erucamide for small cable gauge wire, is incorporated, by alternate methods, with the resin material from which the outer sheath is extruded, and is effective to reduce the required pulling force between the formed cable and a conduit during installation.