Do you know what a cable sheath is?

 

The cable sheath is the outermost layer of the cable and serves as the most important barrier in the cable to maintain the safety of the internal structure and protect the cable from mechanical damage during and after installation.

Cable jackets are not intended to replace the reinforced defenses inside the cable, but they can supply an appropriate high-level but limited means of maintenance.

In addition, cable jackets also protect against moisture, chemicals, UV, and ozone.

But what kinds of cable jacketing materials are available?

There are many different types of cable jackets, and the selection of the original cable jacket material should take into account the compatibility of the application connector and its adaptability to the environment.

For example, extremely cold environments may require a cable sheath that remains flexible at very low temperatures.

The following ZMS cable editorial lists the typical characteristics of some of the most common types of sheathing let us look together.

Cable Sheathing Materials

PVC

Cable material is a particle prepared by mixing and kneading and extruding polyvinyl chloride as the base resin with additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, and inorganic fillers such as calcium carbonate, additives, and lubricants.

Polyvinyl chloride can be formulated to be used in a variety of environments and applications.

It is low-cost to use, flexible, fairly strong, and a fire/oil-resistant material.

However, this material contains harmful substances to the environment and human body and has many problems when applied in special environments. As people become more aware of environmental protection and the demand for material performance increases, higher demands are placed on PVC materials.

PE

Due to its excellent electrical insulation properties and good processing performance, polyethylene is widely used as a covering material for wire and cable, mainly in the insulation layer and sheath layer of wire and cable.

Excellent electrical properties and very high insulation resistance.

Polyethylene can be tough and very hard, but low-density PE (LDPE) is more flexible and has excellent moisture resistance.

Properly formulated PE has excellent weather ability.

The linear molecular structure of polyethylene makes it extremely susceptible to deformation at high temperatures, so in PE applications in the wire and cable industry, polyethylene is often made into a net-like structure by cross-linking, making it highly resistant to deformation even at high temperatures.

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are both used as insulation materials for wire and cable, but XLPE wire and cable is more environmentally friendly than PVC wire and cable, and at the same time it has better performance in use.

PUR

PUR cable is one of the cables, PUR cable material has the advantage of being oil and abrasion resistant, while PVC is made from common materials.

PUR has become increasingly important in the cable industry in the last few years.

At a certain temperature, the mechanical properties of the material are similar to those of rubber, and the combination of thermoplastic and elasticity gives TPE thermoplastic elastomer.

It is widely used in industrial machinery and equipment, transmission and control systems, various industrial sensors, testing instruments, electronic devices, household appliances, electromechanical, kitchen, and other equipment for power and signal connections in harsh and oil-proof environments.

TPE/TPR

The thermoplastic elastomer has excellent low-temperature performance without spending the money required for thermosetting materials.

It has good chemical and oil resistance and is very flexible.

Good abrasion resistance and surface texture, but is not as robust as PUR.

TPU

Polyurethane cables are cables that use polyurethane materials as insulation or sheathing, and their superb abrasion resistance refers to the superb abrasion resistance of the cable sheathing and insulation.

The polyurethane material used in the cable is generally called TPU, which is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber.

Mainly divided into the polyester type and polyether type, hardness range (60HA-85HD), wear resistance, oil resistance, transparent, and good elasticity, TPU not only has excellent high wear resistance, high tension, high tensile strength, toughness, and aging resistance characteristics but also is a mature environmentally friendly material.

Applications for polyurethane sheathed cables include cables for marine applications, industrial robot and manipulator cables, harbor machinery and gantry crane reel cables, and mining and construction machinery cables.

Ceramicized Silicone Rubber

Ceramicized silicone rubber has excellent fireproof, flame retardant, low smoke, and non-toxic characteristics, and the extrusion molding process is simple. Its residue after burning is a hard caramelized shell, hard shell in the fire environment does not melt and does not drip, and can withstand the temperature of 950 ℃ -1000 ℃, subject to fire 90min, cooling 15min line integrity test.

It is suitable for any place that needs fire protection and plays a solid protection role in ensuring the smooth transmission of electricity in case of fire.

Ceramicized silicone rubber products have no special requirements for equipment, processing technology is simple, using traditional silicone rubber processing equipment to achieve production.

Then the current production process of fire-resistant wire and cable, there is higher production efficiency, which can reduce the production of energy consumption and cost savings.

Cable Acceptance Requirements

(1) Coiled cable iron or wooden disc should be intact, its iron or wooden disc plate surface should be factory labeled, and the card marked with the manufacturer's title, fulfillment standards, cable designation, specifications, rated voltage, cable length, gross weight, disc number, manufacturing date, indicating the correct direction of rotation of the cable disc arrow.

(2) Cable identification should be clear, complete, complete, part of the cable should be the manufacturer's special logo line, or within every 300mm printed with the manufacturer's title and the year of manufacture of the logo tape.

(3) Various cable surface anti-corrosion maintenance layers should be free of cracking, mechanical damage and flattening, and other shortcomings.

Bare steel belt armor should be lubricated and flat, rust-free, and coated with asphalt oil.

The maintenance layer of petroleum asphalt should not be dissolved and lost phenomenon.

Load-detecting cable surface should be lubricated and rounded, with no jumping, scratches, rust, or corrosion.

(4) A variety of oil-impregnated paper insulation and oil-filled, inflatable cable ends should be sealed outstanding, and there should be no leakage.

(5) The cable should be tightly and neatly wound on the cable tray, there should be no slack cross, and the diameter of the cable tray is not less than 50 times the outer diameter of the cable.

Both ends of the cable should be wrapped, the inner end should be led from the eyelet to the outer side of the tray fixed and nailed maintenance box to prevent abrasion, the outer end is fixed on the inner side, the packaging tray should be nailed around the maintenance plate.