In order to meet the latest demands for environmentally friendly cables, and those with increased safety in the event of a fire, Lapp Group has continued to develop its range of halogen-free products. The emphasis is on quality and materials used are tested to the highest standards to ensure their reliability.
As legislation increases, particularly throughout Europe, there are an increasing number of applications requiring halogen-free cables. These are generally specified by the local authority and the products are intended to be environmentally friendly, thus preserving the natural habitat by the reduction of harmful pollutants created through the disposal of such products.
In the case of halogen-free and non-PVC based materials, Lapp Group has produced a wide range of products from alternative insulating and sheathing compounds. These include: silicone rubber, polyurethane and cross-linked polyolefins. In many cases, a standard product such as the ÖLFLEX 540 P or Silflex SiHF can be purchased off the shelf, to satisy the demands of this particular type of installation. These cable ranges can be supplied as single cores with solid or stranded conductors and as multicores with stranded conducts. Abrasion resistant versions for use as trailing leads on handheld equipment are also available, as well as tinned copper braid screened cables for areas sensitive to electromagnetic interference.
In addition to the environmental implications of using a halogen-free cable, there is now also an established and growing awareness of the direct dangers posed by the contents of cables when they are exposed to fire. The selection of an approproate cable may be determined by its performance in a number of tests and standards relating to the risk created when cables are ignited.
Cables can, depending upon their location and method of installtion, affect a fire in a number of different ways. Firstly, the cables may propagate flames from one area to another as they quite often form distinct links between separate office areas. Secondly, they can emit large amounts of smoke and toxic and corrosive gasses.
The performance of cables in the event of a fire depends upon a number of things, such as: the composition of the original materials, the intake of gasses, air flow and spread, as well as the actual temperature at the point of combustion. The resultant breakdown that occurs as a result of combusion will cause organic compounds to release gasses and fumes, and it is for this reason that low smoke zero halogen producs have been developed. These are not to be confused with cables which are required to remain operational during fire conditions, and are subject to futher tests and standards, although by their nature, these cables may also be low in smoke and halogen-free.
Halogen-free cables must be free of chlorine, fluorine and bromine, and a number of tests have been introduced to assess the performance of such cables under fire conditions. The main areas of interest are flame retardance, flame propagation, toxic gas emission, corrosive gas emission and reduced smoke emission. The performance of cables under fire conditions in respect to these key areas are defined in a number of IEC standards, the outline of which is as follows:
IEC 332-1 (VDE 0472 part 804 test method B)- Flame Retardant
(The ability of a single cable to self extinguish once the source of the flame is removed.
IEC 332-3 (VDE 0472 part 804 test method C)- Flame Propagation
(The ability of a bundle of vertically installed cables to self-extinguish once a source of flame is removed)
IEC 754-2 (VDE 0472 part 813)- Corrosive Gasses
(Limiting of corrosive gases which when mixed with moisture ( from sprinklers of fire hoses) may cause wider-spread damage)
IEC 1034 (VDE 0472 part 816)- Low smoke gas emission.
(To calculate the reduction in light transmission caused by smoke emission in the event of a fire.)
The ÖLFLEX H series of halogen-free cables from Lapp, meets all of the requirements of the above standards and is available in oil-resistant versions - ÖLFLEX 100H with color coded cores and ÖLFLEX110H with number coded cores, and a non oil-resistant version - ÖLFLEX 115 H also with numbered coded cores. For applications requiring additional protection against electramagnetic interference, a copper braid screened version, ÖLFLEX 110 CH, is also available.
In addition to the cables available from Lapp, we are also able to offer glands, marking systems and protective guidance systems manufactured from halogen-free compounds. Whatever the project, whether it is for building services, industrial machinery or underground transport systems, you can be assured that Lapp will have a low smoke zero halogen product to meet your demands.
For more information contact Grant Joyce, Lapp Group Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 201 3200, [email protected]
| Tel: | +27 11 201 3200 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.lappgroup.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about LAPP Southern Africa |
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