# Advanced Composite Materials: A Panacea for Improved Electricity Transmission
## 2 Strength and Challenges of Transmission Conductors
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**HTLS Conductors** & **Conductor Picture** & & **Advantages** & & **Weaknesses** & **Ref.** \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{(i) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(i) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(ii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(i)} & It can withstand temperatures of up to 250 \({}^{\circ}\)C. & \multirow{6}{*}{(i)} & The steel core has high density. & \\  & & & It is self-damping and sags lesser & & & The core is prone to corrosion. & \\  & & & than ACSR. & & & \\  & & & Higher ampacity & & & Galvanized steel & \\  & & & than ACSR. & & & is costly. & \\  & & & Increased fatigue & & & \\  & & & resistance. & & & \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{(ii) ACCR} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iv) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iv) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iv) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(i)} & Lower CTE than Al or steel. & \multirow{6}{*}{(i)} & \multirow{6}{*}{It has relatively high CTE and, thus, can sag at higher} & \\  & & & Higher ampacity. & & & \\  & & & Lower density & & high CTE and, thus, can sag at higher & \\  & & & & Higher stiffness and ductility than steel. & & temperatures. & \\  & & & & Can operate & & \\  & & & at 210 \({}^{\circ}\)C. & & & \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACCC} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iv) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} \\  & & & & & & \\  & & & low density. & & cannot carry much & \\  & & & It has very low sag. & & ice load. & \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{(iv) G-TACSR} & \multirow{6}{*}{(iv) G-TACSR} & \multirow{6}{*}{(ii) ACSS} & \multirow{6}{*}{(i)} & Its sag is lower than & \multirow{6}{*}{(i)} & High density. & \multirow{6}{*}{(iii) ACSS} \\  & & & ACSR. & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & & & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & & & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & & & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & & & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & & & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: HTLS conductors and their properties. ductors on the market. Table 2 compares the properties of currently available transmission conductors with this new transmission conductor material. Meanwhile, critical examination and assessment of the new composite conductor material shows that it is challenged by high density, as Nb is a dense metal. Density is particularly essential in transmission conductors since it dictates how many pole supports are needed to carry the cable [64]. Denser conductors need additional pole supports, which may drastically increase the conductor's cost and installation costs. For this reason, nano-based material with lower density and better properties will be more preferred in the design and development of a smart-composite-based transmission conductor. According to studies, the density of graphene nanosheets (GNs) is a suitable fit for this sort of design since its density is substantially lower than that of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), aluminum oxide (Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\)), niobium (Nb), and steel materials [14; 65]. Furthermore, titanium is another element that can be used in place of Nb or steel as the transmission conductor core material. This is because the density of Ti is much lower than that of Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\), Nb, and steel [66; 67; 68].