Useful Data

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

BICC Cables has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in this catalog, however, we cannot be responsible for errors, omissions, or changes due to obsolescence. All data herein is subject to change without notice. Data and suggestions made in this catalog are not to be construed as recommendations to use any product in violation of any government law or regulations relating to any material or its use. EFFECTIVE 1998-09-30






9. Technical Information
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Glossary..........................................................................................9.01-9.07

Reference Standards........................................................................9.08-9.16

Cable Handling and Storage ...........................................................9.17-9.20

Cable Pre-Installation..............................................................................9.21

Cable Installation............................................................................9.22-9.28

Cable Testing ..................................................................................9.29-9.32

Common Color Sequence........................................................................9.33

Metric Conversion ..................................................................................9.34
9.ii TECHNICAL INFORMATION

BICC Cables has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in this catalog, however, we cannot be responsible for errors, omissions, or changes due to obsolescence. All data herein is subject to change without notice. Data and suggestions made in this catalog are not to be construed as recommendations to use any product in violation of any government law or regulations relating to any material or its use. EFFECTIVE 1998-09-30

CABLE GLOSSARY



Abrasion Resistance. Ability of a wire, cable or material to resist surface wear.

Accelerated Aging. A test in which voltage, temperature, etc. are increased above normal operating values to obtain observable deterioration in a relatively short period of time. The plotted results give expected service life under normal conditions.

ACM. Aluminum conductor material.

Accelerator. A chemical additive that hastens a chemical reaction under specific conditions.

Admittance. The measure of the ease with which an alternat- ing current flows in a circuit. The reciprocal of impedance.

AEIC. Association of Edison Illuminating Companies

Aerial Cable. A cable suspended in the air on poles or another overhead structure.

Aging. The change in properties of a material with time under specific conditions.

AIA. Aluminum Interlocked Armor.

Alloy. A metal formed by combining two or more different metals to obtain desirable properties.

Alternating Current. Electric current that continually reverses its direction. It is expressed in cycles per second (hertz or Hz).

Ambient Temperature. The temperature of the medium surrounding an object. Generally a lower temperature than the temperature at which the cable is operating.

American Wire Gauge (AWG). A standard North American system for designating wire diameter.

Ampacity. See Current Carrying Capacity.

Ampere. The unit of current. One ampere is the current flowing through one ohm of resistance at one volt potential.

Analog. A data format using continuous physical variables such as voltage amplitude or frequency variations.

Anneal (Soften). Relief of mechanical stress through heat
and gradual cooling. Annealing copper renders it less brittle.

Armor. A protective metal covering commonly in the form of flexible interlocking aluminum or steel tape, steel wires, or aluminum sheath.

ASTM. American Society for Testing and Materials.

Attenuation. The general term used to denote the decrease of power from one point to another. In fiber optics, the
optical power loss per unit length is expressed logarithmical- ly in decibels per kilometer (dB/km) at a specific wavelength.

Audio Frequency. The range of frequencies audible to the human ear. Usually 20-20,000 Hz.

AWM. Designation for appliance wiring material.

Balanced Circuit. One utilizing cables having two or more identical conductors with the same electromagnetic charac- teristics in relation to each other and to ground.



Band Marking. A continuous circumferential band applied to a conductor at regular intervals for identification.

Bandwidth. (1) The difference between the upper and lower limits of a given band of frequencies. Expressed in Hertz. (2) A measure of the maximum frequency range over which light intensity exiting a waveguide one kilo- meter in length can be varied before the attenuation varies
3dB from the mean. The greater the bandwidth, the greater the information carrying capacity. Bandwidth is expressed in Megahertz (MHZ)–Kilometer (km).

Bending Radius. Radius of curvature that a cable can be safely bent without any adverse effects.

Binder. A spirally served tape used for holding assembled cable components in place awaiting subsequent manufac- turing operations.

Bonding Conductor. An insulated or uninsulated conductor forming part of the cable assembly which is used for the purpose of connecting non-current carrying parts of electri- cal equipment to a system grounding conductor.

Braid. A fibrous or metallic group of filaments interwoven in cylindrical shape to form a covering over one or more wires.

Braid Angle. The smaller of the two angles formed by the shielding strand and the axis of the cable being shielded.

Braid Carrier. A spool or bobbin on a braider that holds one group of strands or filaments consisting of a specific number of ends. The carrier revolves during braiding operations.

Braid Ends. The number of strands used to make up one carrier. The strands are wound side-by-side on the carrier bobbin and lie parallel in the finished braid.

Breakdown Voltage. The voltage at which the insulation between two conductors breaks down.

B & S Gauge. The same as American Wire Gauge (AWG).

Buffer. A protective coating over an optical fiber.

Building Wire. A general term used for light and power wiring products, 1000 volts or less.

Bunch Stranding. A group of wires of the same diameter twisted together without a predetermined pattern. Used in flexible cords and cables.

Buried Cable. A cable installed directly in the earth without use of underground conduit. Also called “direct burial cable”.

Butyl Rubber. A synthetic rubber with good insulating properties (i.e. low voltage cords).

Cable. An insulated conductor, or group of individually insulated conductors in one assembly.

Cabling. The twisting together of two or more insulated conductors to form a cable.

Capacitance. The ratio of the electrostatic charge on a con- ductor to the potential difference between the conductors required to maintain that charge. Units expressed in Farads.