In general, cables are under immense temperature pressure because of the energy and heat that the flow of current through them emits. In order for extreme fire chaos to be avoided, the first thing to be taken into consideration is the choice of heat resistant materials for building those cables. There are various materials that can be used to provide insulation from high temperatures and make the cables useful.
High temperature cables serve to withstand extreme temperature changes that come down to extremely strong cold and hot influences. They’re designed with a special core and a layer of insulation made from a specific type of material depending on the purpose of use of the cable. The main areas where high temperature cables are used include power stations, iron works, foundries and factories for cement, ceramic and glass. They’re also used in aircraft construction and shipbuilding, brickworks and design of kitchen appliances – basically everywhere where constant flow of current is included and the result may be a fire caused by an overheated use of the device.
For these high temperature cables various types of materials are used in order to offer high functionality and safety. Among the most commonly used ones are silicone, rubber and fluorinated polymeric materials. The thing that distinguishes all of them is the specific area of application of each type: besides the aforementioned areas of use, heat resistant cables are also used in lamps and lamp holders in heat and air-conditioning systems and leakage monitoring systems. Each type of cable has its own specifics.
Silicone cables
In applications where the cable insulation is subjected to dangerous and extremely high temperature fluctuations, silicone-rubber insulated cables are used. These cables can withstand temperatures of up to +220 degrees Celsius, but only on short periods. The lower range can go down to -60 degrees Celsius thanks to the weathering resistance these cables have, which is excellent. These are mainly used for applications in iron and steel works since they are also halogen-free.
Fluorinated polymeric cables
Also known as teflon cables, these are generally used in applications such as control cabinets that are subjected to high temperatures, like kitchen fitments, measuring appliances, heaters, brick-works and similar. However, these aren’t as heat resistant as the silicone-rubber insulated ones; their temperature range is from 100 degrees Celsius up to 205 or 230 degrees Celsius in some cases but for very short periods.
Besides these most popular types of cables and most frequently used ones, the market also offers variations of them with even more great features for an even higher degree of protection. With the addition of other materials like nickel, copper and steel, the cables gain even more strength and resistance features.
