- Constantan is an alloy of 55% Copper and 45% Nickel.
- The main feature of this alloy is its low temperature coefficient of resistance due to which its resistivity remains constant over a wide range of temperatures. This makes it suitable for making thermocouples with wires made of Iron, Copper, or Chromel (alloy of 90% Nickel and 10% Chromium by weight) which is used to measure temperature. This property also makes it suitable for use as standard resistances.
- It has a high specific heat resistance which makes it a good insulator and high ductility which means that it can be easily stretched out into wires. These properties make it the ideal alloy for electric motor starter resistance wires and heavy-duty industrial rheostats.
So, Constantan is an alloy of 55% Copper and 45% Nickel. Its high ductility, high specific heat resistance and low temperature coefficient of resistance make it ideal for a wide range of applications.