The Best Fire Resistance Technology

Posted by Rajnikant on July 5th, 2019

When fire starts, the basic need is to stop or reduce its propagation and extinguish it if possible. Several fire retardant systems including GRP cable trays have been developed by cable industry to ensure safety of workforce. These systems prevent spreading of fire and major loss when the fire is out of control. Special devices are being installed to alert people to EXITs. And these devices must be connected to the power network.

Fire resistant cables are often applied for power connections and they function as active elements since they have to maintain continuity of electricity for an adequate amount of time. Fire retardant cables are produced by using three main technologies. Initial designs were based on copper conductors that were wrapped in mica tape and cross-linked polyolefin. Today, manufacturers combine the benefits of mica and silicone rubber conductors excluding their limitations.

The point of installation

Safety installations can be segregated in two ways. The first is placing fire resistant cables directly within cable management systems including ladders, cable trays, etc. having minimum equal performance when it comes to integrity. This can be achieved by standard assemblers.

The second solution is more complex and sophisticated. The cables are installed inside the trays that are either pre-built or manufactured onsite. These cable trays protect standard cables against fire. The temperature inside never exceeds than their failure point (> 100° C).

However, these systems are super sensitive to external threats, such as mechanical shocks. A small fissure is enough to give unreliable results, since heat will penetrate within. Installation of these systems is sometimes more expensive and time consuming. Additionally, such building spaces are pre-allocated by expert architects since they are bulky, and once the installation is completed, maintenance part becomes tricky.

The fire protection of electrical raceways or cable trays that function like conduits for supporting cables is vital to operators. There are numerous options available to operators to bring hydrocarbon fire protection to cable trays, such as calcium silicate boards, ceramic fiber blankets, endothermic mats, intumescent and ablative coatings. Each of these materials carries distinct properties that operators should evaluate to select the most apt system to match the requirements of their specific application.

Whom to approach to get composite cable trays?

You must contact FRP cable tray manufacturers in your town for best quality delivery. There are suppliers that provide post sale services to their customers that include free installation of cable trays. Ask the supplier about such services and perks before finalizing the decision.