Table of contents
- In which environment must the cables be protected?
- What types of cable protection are there?
- Cable conduits - The versatile cable protection
- Corrugated tubing|corrugated tubing - The all-rounder
- Cable duct - Cable protection for multiple cables
- Cable conduit - The cable protection for surface-mounted installations
- Empty conduits - The cable protection for flush-mounted installations
- Braided sleeving - The light and flexible cable protection
- Protective metal conduits - The robust and weather-resistant cable protection
- Coiled conduits - The cable protection for the office
- Spiral conduit|spiral-reinforced conduit - The cable protection made of PVC
- Heat-resistant conduits - The cable protection for hot environments
- Overrun protection for cables
- Cable protection application areas
Robust protection ensures that signal and current-carrying cables cannot be damaged by mechanical or electromagnetic influences or cause damage themselves. Depending on the area in which cable protection is to be used, the available variants differ in terms of quality, resistance and handling.
Various types of cable protection are used to protect wires. They are usually made of metal or plastic and are designed as additional sheathing for the cables. The most important properties include not only mechanical protection of the wires, but also shielding against interference or UV light. Cables can either be protected directly when the wires are laid, but can also be retrofitted.
In which environment do cables need to be protected?
Cable protection is essential outdoors, as power and signalling wires need to be protected from environmental influences such as moisture or UV light. Outdoor cable protection, including cable protection that is UV-resistant, is not only used in industry.
Cable protection is also used in gardens and parks, for example to protect wires for garden lights from mechanical damage caused by spades. Furthermore, bite-resistant cable protection in the automotive sector prevents marten bites on wires. Drive-over protection made of robust hard rubber prevents cables from being damaged when cars or heavy construction machinery drive over them.
What types of cable protection are there?
To ensure that wires can be laid indoors and outdoors in cavities or cable ducts without damage, an electrical conduit that is flexible and therefore allows tight bending radii is a good choice. A protective sleeve made of plastic fabric is also often used for cables in indoor areas. This allows cables to be sheathed cost-effectively at a later date, especially for protection against cable breakage. At the same time, such braided sleeving enables fast and efficient cable management.
Cable conduits - versatile cable protection
An electrical conduit is made of either corrosion-resistant metal or plastic and, depending on the material used, is resistant to heat and oil. A special EMC conduit can shield the wires it carries against electromagnetic interference. The protective tube for cables is also characterised by its flexibility, allowing wires to be routed around obstacles.
Electrical cable protective tubes are also often used for retrofitting wires. Manufacturers such as FLEXA have cable conduit in their range for this purpose, which is split at the sides and, depending on the version, is sealed with a sealing strip.
Corrugated tubing|corrugated tubes - the all-rounder
Cable protection corrugated tubing is usually available by the metre and is made of a robust plastic such as polyamide, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or steel, depending on the requirements. The corrugated tubing for cables is flexible and has different bending radii depending on the diameter. Thanks to its flexibility and robust construction, the corrugated tubing is used as cable protection in many areas. UV and weather-resistant corrugated tubing|corrugated tubes with a fire-retardant effect are used in vehicle and motorhome construction. Corrugated tubing|corrugated tubes are also indispensable in photovoltaics, mechanical engineering and the chemical industry.
In environments where wires are laid retrospectively and cabling is regularly modified or extended as required, cable protection that is slotted at the side saves an enormous amount of time and money. Among other things, such cable protection consists of a conduit that is closed with a suitable sealing profile. Two-part cable protection is also available for quick and uncomplicated installation of the wires. These variants, e.g. from the Flexa ROHRflex duo range, are designed as two-part corrugated tubing, making subsequent repair and/or installation of already assembled cables much easier.
The two-part conduits from the ROHRflex duo series can be split lengthways for this purpose and can be easily resealed. Other advantages of this corrugated tubing include its high resistance to bending cycles and its use in the field of insulated electrical installations in mechanical and plant engineering in accordance with DIN EN 60204.
Cable duct - cable protection for multiple cables
A cable duct is used for cable protection and for bundling or organising several cables. Among other things, corrugated tubing|corrugated tubes are used for this purpose, which can hold an entire bundle of cables and act as cable protection at the same time. Cable protection from FLEXA is available in various diameters, from small sizes for single strands to jumbo sizes for multi-core wires. Dedicated cable ducts are also available in contrast to corrugated tubing|corrugated tubes, for example as housings with cable entries. Among other things, they offer sufficient space for a multiple socket outlet to which several consumers can be connected.
Cable conduit - Cable protection for surface-mounted installations
In contrast to flexible corrugated tubing, cable conduit is used when it is rigid and does not allow large bending radii. Cable conduit is often used in environments where the subsequent installation of wires is required. Thanks to suitable brackets, uncomplicated and robust surface-mounted installation is also possible. For example, in basements where flush-mounted cables would be too complex and cost-intensive.
In addition, the cables to be laid can also be subsequently installed in a cable conduit, provided the elbows or the bending capacity of the cable allow it. Rigid PVC conduit, which is standard for surface-mounted installation, is often used for the purpose of sheathing or cable protection. Thanks to integrated sleeves, several empty conduits can also be quickly connected together.
Elbows matching the diameter allow the cables to be laid in any direction and protect the wires from damage along the entire route from an electrical consumer to a distribution cabinet or fuse box.
Empty conduits - cable protection for flush-mounted installation
Empty condu its made of plastic are also suitable for cable protection that is to be laid flush-mounted. To lay this cable protection under the wall or in the floor, suitable slots are required in the screed or wall plaster. Grey protective conduit for surface mounting simplifies the subsequent installation of electrical cables and is often referred to as armoured conduit.
Braided sleeving - The light and flexible cable protection
Braided sleeves made of plastic or metal mesh are characterised in particular by their extremely high flexibility. Depending on the application, this type of cable protection consists of a metal braid or is made of plastic fabric. In principle, braided sleeves are always used as cable protection when wires need to be bundled for the purpose of clear and reversible cable management.
The braided sleeves, some of which are self-sealing, fit snugly around the cables and, thanks to the air-permeable fabric, also offer the advantage that the wires running through them cannot overheat so quickly. Depending on the variant and material, braided sleeves also provide strain relief and abrasion protection for the cables they contain. Metal versions are also used in environments where electromagnetic compatibility is a top priority.
Protective metal conduits - Robust and weather-resistant cable protection
Cable protection made of stainless steel is characterised by its high resistance to pressure, tension and impact. Furthermore, electrical conduit metal is made of a metal such as brass, is liquid-tight and, depending on the variant, certified to protection class IP68/IP69k.
Due to its weather resistance, metal cable protection is often used outdoors when wires need to be protected from penetrating moisture and dust. Another advantage of protective metal conduits is that they are flexible and can be laid in the desired direction without changing their cross-section. Electrical conduit stainless steel is also corrosion-resistant and does not rust when exposed to salty air.
Coiled tubing - cable protection for the office
Coiled conduit is often used in the office as cable protection for PCs, printers and monitor cables. It is usually made of plastic and allows several signal and power-carrying wires to be bundled together at any time. Flexa coiled conduit is also used to bundle individual wires and is used for the mechanical protection of cable harnesses and moving wires in plant construction, mechanical engineering, switch cabinet construction and vehicle construction.
Spiral conduit|spiral-reinforced conduit - PVC cable protection
The typical winding shape gives the spiral conduit|spiral-reinforced conduit its name, which is used in many branches of industry and also in the home. Spiral conduit|spiral-reinforced conduit is often available by the metre and is ideal for quickly bundling cables.
Heat-resistant conduits - cable protection for hot environments
Heat-resistant tubing for cables is always used when the insulation of a cable could be damaged by the effects of heat. In order to avoid short circuits or the failure of systems, devices and tools, heat-resistant cable protection is indispensable in many branches of industry.
Drive-over protection for cables
Drive-over protection for cables is used on construction sites, trade fairs and fairgrounds, among other places. Temporarily laid wires, e.g. from a generator to a consumer, can be protected from the mechanical loads caused by lorries driving over them. There are also variants with a D hose that are inserted into the drive-over protection. To ensure that the cable protection can be driven over, it is usually made of hard rubber, which protects the cables inside from excessive pressure.
Cable protection areas of application
There is hardly an
industrial sector that can do without electrical conduit, and various
types of automotive electrical conduit are also usually installed in
vehicles. Protective tubes for cables are installed in vehicles in the
form of braided sleeves in the vehicle interior and as heat-resistant protective metal conduits in the engine compartment.
Depending on the requirements and area of application, electrical conduits must also offer protection against mechanical impact, protect wires from moisture and UV light or ensure electromagnetic compatibility. An electrical protective tube ensures that the wires it contains do not induce any field-bound interference signals that could impair the operation of devices.
Despite careful editing and checking of the content, Stecker Express assumes no liability for the topicality, correctness, completeness and quality of the information provided.
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