The term Litz wire is derived from the German word litzendraht meaning woven wire. Generally defined, it is a wire constructed of individual film insulated wires bunched or braided together in a uniform pattern of twists and length of lay.
The multistrandconfiguration minimizes the power losses otherwise encountered in a solid conductor due to the "skin effect", or the tendency of radio frequency current to be concentrated at the surface of the conductor.
In order to counteract this effect, it is necessary to increase the amount of surface area without appreciably increasing the size of the conductor. It is also essential to position each individual strand in the Litz construction in a uniform pattern moving from the center to the outside and back in a given length.
Even properly constructed Litz wires will exhibit some skin effect due to the limitations of stranding. Wires intended for higher frequency ranges require more strands of a finer gauge size than Litz wires of equal cross sectional area but composed of fewer and larger strands.
Polyurethane is the film most often used for insulating individual strands because of its low electrical losses and its solderability.Other insulations can also be used. Litz wires are generally further insulated with a single or double wrap or serving, of a textile-typically nylon-but are also available unserved.
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