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It appears steel is used for conductors but is not widely used:
Steel
According to "The Electronics Handbook," steel conductors are one tenth as effective as copper conductors and rust easily--due to which steel conductors are hardly used alone. Steel conductors are commonly galvanized (or coated with a layer of zinc to counteract their rusting tendency). According to "Guide to Electrical Power Distribution Systems," steel-based transmission conductors are three to five times stronger than copper conductors, and can be used for longer spans with fewer supports.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6388089_types- … lines.html
So the benefit of steel is that it is stronger and hence good for bridging longer spans, say across a chasm or something. The downside is it rusts easier and is not as conductive. There is an article in IEEE about the properties of steel for power distribution:
Abstract
In this paper are given the results of some work which was carried out with a view to obtaining definite information as to the electrical properties of steel conductors when carrying alternating currents. The most important values measured in the tests were the ¿effective a.c. resistance¿ and ¿internal inductive reactance,¿ and it is shown that it would be impossible to calculate these in the case of iron or steel conductors. Full particulars with regard to the selected range of test samples are given, including their mechanical properties, chemical analyses and magnetic qualities. The test methods are briefly described, the method of power-factor measurement employed in the ¿internal inductive reactance¿ tests being more fully referred to in the Appendix. The effect of spacing on the values of ¿effective a.c. resistance¿ and ¿internal inductive reactance¿ is then considered. The test results show that these values do not vary with the spacing until the conductors are brought very close together and, in fact, are separated only by a thickness of paper. Some observations on the test results are given, and it is shown that the most suitable of the four grades of material tested is the ¿45-ton quality, hard-drawn¿ grade.
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_ … er=5314507
If conductivity is the main reason it isn't used (you'd need 10 times as much of it to get the same conductivity) than early on in a mars colony if Aluminum and copper are both 10 times as costly as steel then steel may be used for some power transmission provided it can be protected from rusting.
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That is a very reasonable argument. I don't believe that Aluminium will be 10 times as expensive (and this is on a volumetric basis, correct?) as steel, but I suppose it's possible. I wouldn't imagine that we would be suspending many wires early on, seeing as there's nothing in the way on the ground and building a tower or a pole where one is not needed seems wasteful.
Corrosion is not nearly so much of a problem on Mars (at least outside) as it is on Earth. The combination of the low-oxygen atmosphere, the aridity, and the low temperatures mean that corrosion reactions are likely to proceed extremely slowly.
While Aluminium production might be difficult and Copper ores rare, I do think that it will be worth it to use one of them. It's also worth considering that there are significant downsides to a wire that is 10 times larger and in the case of Aluminium vs. Steel 25 times heavier beyond the simple cost of materials.
-Josh
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