copper strands

[aostling]

I spotted this thing on the ground where a sidewalk crosses a driveway. My first thought was that it had been flattened by a car tire, but on closer inspection it looks like it was pressed or run through rollers. The strands are 0.005".

Any theories on what it is intended for?

[Paul Alciatore]

A Q-Tip for cleaning out robot's ears?

Some kind of copper electrode?

[WhatTheFlux!]

We used something similar for drawing static off of moving webs in the blown-film industry. Web-fed printers do something similar.

[vpt]

Copper "steel" wool.

[krutch]

Copper weed? Hair piece for a robot? Scat from an Amazon drone?

[boslab]

We used something similar for drawing static off of moving webs in the blown-film industry. Web-fed printers do something similar.

I had a spell working in a blown film extruder plant years ago, making film for carrier bags out of LDPE and HDPE, it was a hot ****ty job, however the rolls of film off the extruders would shock you without mercy, added to which there were corona discharge units on the rewind stations to ready the film for printing, the static from the granule silos and batch mixers was horrible, you couldn't touch anything without getting a belt off it, antistatic shoes and ankle chains just made it worse for you.
As it was a long time ago Gamma radiation was used to kill the static on the pinch rolls, Cobalt 60 source was fixed to a holder above the film (my intro to radioisotopes!) it does work but its dangerous, i thought i would end up sterile!, 3 kids later it didn't work!
They then stuck me on a bag making machine, 6 million bags a shift, all packed into boxes, i didnt stay long after!
Mark

[john hobdeclipe]

It's the Martian equivalent of what we used to call "Venus grass." (aluminum radar chaff)

[Weston Bye]

Are the strands enameled? It might be magnet wire scrapped out of a motor or disk drive or whatever. It's the kind of stuff I deal with daily at work except we make it more orderly. Looks like it was twisted up by hand.

[Bruce Griffing]

Exterminators use this material to plug weep holes. It prevents the ingress of most insects and allows water to escape. Why they use copper I can only guess - maybe due to easy work hardening.

[Deus Machina]

Sidewalk-driveway... Assuming it fell off at below head-height, starter motor or alternator windings? Shielding for high-end stereo equipment?

Heck, it could be chaff or something dropped from a plane on an exercise. That sort of stuff travels pretty good.

[aostling]

Are the strands enameled?

I'm not sure. Here is a closer look.

[dp]

Do the street lights still work in your neighborhood?

[Weston Bye]

Exterminators use this material to plug weep holes. It prevents the ingress of most insects and allows water to escape. Why they use copper I can only guess - maybe due to easy work hardening.

I kinda like this explanation, as I use steel wool to plug mouse holes - they hate chewing on it.

However, Allan's photo looks like magnet wire, like maybe from an ironless rotor DC motor, maybe taken apart by a kid.

[duckman]

Thats what druggys use to filter there crack smoke.

[aostling]

Do the street lights still work in your neighborhood?

If they don't I will let you know when the sun goes down in an hour.