Fire-resistant cable: types, brands, characteristics, purpose

Fire-resistant cable has been used for many years in power supply. Previously, it was made on the basis of basalt threads, fiberglass, mica and other materials not subject to combustion. The production required a lot of time, and the design was quite complicated. Along with this, high cost limited the scope of application: it could only be found at strategic sites.

Comparison with the standard version

When installing power supply systems, fire safety of cable lines and wiring has always been of particular importance. Overloading the lines and their malfunction often lead to fires. An extensive network of communications can provide not only the convenience of using energy consumers, but also the spread of the flame throughout the structure.

Standard wiring in the combustion process is characterized by a significant heat release, while the value may increase depending on the mass and materials used for the shell and insulation. Simultaneously, asphyxiant gaseous products are allocated, which makes it more difficult to evacuate people and increases the risk of poisoning with toxic and corrosive substances.

Characteristics

Today , fire safety rules have become more stringent, among the innovations it is worth noting the instruction indicating the need to use fire-resistant wiring, such as FRLS cable, YnKY and other options, to equip fire protection mechanisms. The functioning of such elements remains at the same level even with the spread of fire throughout the building. Emergency lighting, warning systems should continue to work for a long time to ensure the evacuation of victims.

Currently, materials have been created that have sufficient characteristics, among them silicone Wacker. Devices made on their basis remain operational even when exposed to temperatures above 1000 degrees. This is possible due to the insulating surface made of special rubber, which forms a dense ceramic layer at a certain temperature range. In addition to a high level of protection, a fire-resistant cable based on it has a relatively low cost.

What is special wiring used for?

The fire of the wiring, the closure in the network lead to the spread of fire and possible human casualties. These problems are not the only ones, no less attention should be paid to the maximum preservation of efficiency and, as a result, the long-term operation of ventilation devices and fire extinguishing systems.

Due to the fact that the fire alarm cable has remained an expensive element for a long time, which is difficult to install, it began to acquire a wide distribution recently, so today only a small fraction of buildings are equipped with such products. Products made on a silicone or glass-mica basis are laid almost in the same way as standard wiring. This is relevant not only for architects and electricians, but also for building companies, since the creation of such a network takes less financial investment.

Varieties

There are two main types that have certain merits and demerits:

1. The cable for the fire alarm system with isolation on the glass-Molybdenum base has high fire-resistant characteristics due to use of special tapes, resistant to temperature influences. The design consists of conductive elements wrapped in a protective barrier made of fiberglass with mica content. The production involves some difficulties, manifested in the winding of cores with a small cross-section and a low speed of overlapping the tape.
2. Cables power fire-resistant, having protection in the form of silicone elastomer - thermoplastic rubber, forming a barrier of thermal and electrical insulating purpose. Material in the process of exposure to a high temperature regime creates on the surface of the products a ceramic, reliable, dielectric layer that prevents damage to the conductors and preserves the functioning of the connected systems. The production is done in a short time and does not require any complicated technological operations, since the material is easily applied to the veins.

The FRLS cable has a sheath of PVC compounds that do not contain any halogen components. Products based on special rubber are highly flexible, which provides an easy installation, virtually unchanged from the usual elements.

Fire-resistant structures

When spreading fire, not only the wiring suffers, but also the reinforcing elements used for its installation, in particular, the box, clamps and trays. That is why their resistance to fire must be of an appropriate level and checked beforehand.

Systems to prevent fire, signaling and evacuation management should be equipped with special devices that are able to maintain their long-term performance and improve the quality of all necessary measures. At the design stage of the building, the functioning of the lines and fire fighting systems is calculated in accordance with the time interval allocated for evacuation. To prevent occurrence of unforeseen situations, fireproof wiring, for example, KPSEng-FRLS, should be used, which will increase the time of safe evacuation. The minimum value for high-rise buildings is 1.5 hours, for objects with an average number of floors - 1 hour, for small buildings - 30 minutes.

Scope of use

The modern development of technologies has ensured greater availability of non-combustible connecting elements, which makes the scope of their use much wider. Fire-resistant cable has become widespread in the creation of such systems as:

• emergency lighting;
• fire alarm;
• Automatic extinguishing of local fires.

Increased efficiency

The connecting cable is fire-resistant, the price for which starts from 8 rubles per meter, wire elements and loops in the fire alarm should be made with separate wires with copper-based cores. Electrical loops are usually carried out by connected wiring, in some cases receiving and monitoring devices require the use of cables of other types.

If the fire protection does not have automated control, dedicated communication lines can be used. In this case, the elements connected to the system components must have a resistance to the temperature effect corresponding to the values of the minimum operating time at the established location. Increased fire resistance is possible by selecting more modern types of wiring and choosing the optimal location of the gasket.

Mounting Features

Efficiency of the SAM should be provided by lines to which more stringent requirements are imposed. In accordance with the established rules, the connecting elements must be in the mounting ducts and structures made of special materials not subject to combustion. Thus the laying of fire-resistant cables can be carried out without the use of boxes with additional stability, they are presented in the Russian market in a sufficient range and approved for use.

Fireproof cable: requirements

High requirements are imposed on connecting elements, among which the following are the main ones:

• Possibility of creating group branched networks;
• A small amount of released combustion products;
• Prevention of flame propagation, this function is provided by melting the wire and simultaneous quenching of sparks;
• Low level of toxicity of emitted smoke.

Brands

A modern range of connecting and cable goods, available in stores, is represented by a large number of elements with different functions and characteristics. There are both domestic manufacturers producing such products as ВВГнгд, ВВГнг FRLS, and foreign brands offering an extensive choice of various options, for example, halogen-free wiring FLAME-X 950, FLAME-X950, and also N2XH and YnKY.

Products have an average price category, which contributes to the expansion of their use. Cables can provide the reliability of both fire systems and other devices in an environment of fire.

The materials sold by FireKab differ widely enough, the vast assortment is represented by quality elements, so there are no difficulties in choosing.

Products of Russian production are not less popular, among them the KPSWV line is leading - it has an acceptable cost and high quality, corresponding to foreign standards.

Products VVGng-FRLS and KPSEng-FRLS

The posting of KPSEng-FRLS was the first product among domestic products with silicon-organic protection, which acquired serial production. Currently, the company produces large quantities of products intended to ensure the functioning of fire fighting systems. This series complies with all established standards and is actively used in popular fire prevention systems, this was achieved by the formation of high-quality interface and connection of existing components. The fire-resistant cable OPS has a pair twist, symmetry and is used to create a stationary branched network.

VVGng-FRLS cables are a kind of products resistant to temperature effects, they are made from special plasticizers, characterized by the absence of halogen additives. They maintain a complete structure in the conditions of an open flame and a high temperature range, it is also possible to use the electrical installations necessary to eliminate fires. These products are installed in rooms with a high level of explosion hazard and in buildings for which compliance with high safety requirements is required. Various communications and systems using these cables are able to function for more than 3 hours.