This paper aims at the existing in the cabling industry such as 1, in the bidding about the fire cable certification body is UL or ETL debate,2, how to identify the fire performance of wire and cable,3,UTP and cable fire standard rules 4, how to improve and apply the fire performance in the integrated cabling system.And so on.
Standards and Rules
After the introduction of structured cabling systems, the total number of cables installed in commercial buildings has increased significantly.
Cables are usually bundled and installed in a space between the suspended ceiling and the building's mezzanine, or under a raised floor.
S pecial attention should be paid to the performance of cables, not only for their transmission characteristics, but also to prevent potential fire hazards.
There are all kinds of fire protection regulations in the world.
There are thousands of different standards and requirements for various communication cables, each with different characteristics of fire resistance, smoke resistance, corrosion resistance and discharge toxicity.
These properties depend on the material composition of the cable, the size of the sheath and the insulation of the internal conductor.
Cables with low flame propagation and high flame retardancy are used to prevent the flame from rapidly spreading to other parts of the building.
This gives more time to escape and prevents the flames from spreading to flammable materials inside the building.
The following standards define fire and fire indices for communications cables, and specify the technical conditions and test methods for fire and flame:
• National Electrical Code-NEC item 800
• Canadian Electrical Code-CEC
• International Electro Technical Committee-IEC 332
• European Commission for Electrical Technology Standardization (CENELEC)HD405
• BS4066 in the UK
NEC's Fire standards are issued by the National Fire Protection Assiciation-NFPA and are revised every three years, most recently in 1996.
The NEC800 clause establishes four levels of fire protection requirements to be followed by all communications wires and cables installed in buildings.
They must also be clearly marked.
These cable markings help to confirm the level of safety and are also valuable from the point of view of building inspection and hazard assessment.
Underwriter Laborator-UL has developed a test method to verify whether cables conform to NEC standards.
UL910: Test for flame propagation and smoke concentration of cables and cables for spatial transmission in air environments.
The cables that pass this test are considered flame retardant for pressure-ventilated Spaces.
UL1666: Test for flame propagation of cables and cables installed in vertical shafts.
The designed vertical backbone cable shall pass this test.
UL1581: Standard for wires, cables and connections.
UL or ETL are the certification bodies for fire cables
For NRTL(North American Accredited Laboratory), both the tested and certified products must be certified.
Certification includes periodic factory inspections to ensure that products produced continuously by the manufacturer comply with the factory inspection manual.
Currently, there are nine NRTL accredited in North America, including safety Laboratory (UL), Electronic Testing Laboratory (ETL) and Canadian Association (CSA), which can test, verify and certify the fire rating and TIA/EIA class performance of communication cables.
In the United States, the National Certified Test Laboratory (NRTL) performs combustion tests and produces a cable schedule.
The Residential Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for the appointment of NRTL and for monitoring their continuous consistency with the appointment criteria.
Each appointment shall be valid for five years.
There are nine NRTLS, including UL and ETL testing laboratories.
These laboratories also test communication cables for compliance with ANSI/TIA /EIA-568-AB performance (class) specifications.
In Canada, standards Canada may designate laboratories as a certification organization (CO) and/or testing organization (TO).
Organizations such as UL and ETL.
These laboratories are responsible for conducting tests in accordance with standards and ensuring that the cables are adequately marked with the appropriate fire rating.
The lab also reviews the plant to ensure consistency in manufacturing processes.
How to identify the fire resistance of the cable
The fireproof performance is marked on the cable skin, with IBDN below
Cable coding
Nordx/CDT offers three series of enhanced horizontal cables.
They are the IBDN-1200, IBDN-2400 and IBDN-4800LX series.
Ibdn-1200 is composed of 1212, 1213, 1224 and other special cables.
The IBDN-2400 and IBDN-4800LX series are similar.
The first two digits (such as "12" and "24") are related to the maximum recommended data transfer rate, and when used in IBDN gigabit routing solutions, cables can be classified as 1.2 and 2.4GBPS.
The third digit is related to the cable design and is expressed as follows:
•1 represents UTP and USES some halogenated materials (such as PVC, LSPVC or FEP)
•2 for UTP and use of low smoke non-toxic materials (such as LSOH)
The last digit represents the flame propagation level and is expressed as follows:
•1 for CM,CMX general purpose
•2 denotes CMR(Inc. Ft-4)* vertical shaft;
•3 stands for CMP flame retardant;
Said IEC332-1, 4
Nordx/CDT offers three series of enhanced horizontal cables.
They are IBDN-FX300, IBDN-FX600 and IBDN-FX2000 fiber optic cables, marked for fire performance:
OFN-- Non-conductor optical fiber cable
FNR-- Non-conductor vertical trunk
OFNP-- Flame retardant for non-conductor fiber
How to improve and apply arson performance in integrated wiring system.
After the introduction of structured cabling systems, the total number of cables installed in commercial buildings has increased significantly.
Cables are usually bundled and installed in a space between the suspended ceiling and the building's mezzanine, or under a raised floor.
Special attention should be paid to the performance of cables, not only for their transmission characteristics, but also to prevent potential fire hazards.
Fire regulations apply all over the world.
There are thousands of different standards and requirements for various communication cables, each with different characteristics of fire resistance, smoke resistance, corrosion resistance and discharge toxicity.
These properties depend on the material composition of the cable, the size of the sheath and the insulation of the internal conductor.
Cables with low flame propagation and high flame retardancy are used to prevent the flame from spreading to other parts of the building.
This gives more time to escape and prevents the flames from spreading to flammable materials inside the building.
Flame retardant grade cable
Flame retardant grade cables for pressure ventilation ducts, listed/certified as CMP,OFNP.
The cable is characterized by high flame retardant and less smoke.
It is also used for ambient air circulation Spaces such as elevated ceilings and floors.
Silo-level cable
Vertically installed cables running through one floor to work, or vertically installed in ventilation shafts, listed/and certified as CMR,OFNR.
These cables are flame retardant and can prevent the spread of flame.