- Author
- Khare, V. K.
- Title
- Evaluation of Cable Flammability for Firesafety Design in Cable Spreading Rooms.
- Coporate
- Worcester Polytechnic Inst., MA
- Report
- Thesis, 1994, 132 p.
- Keywords
- cables | flammability | fire safety | electrical cables | ignition | hazard analysis | test methods
- Abstract
- Fires in electric cable installations have been always a concern to the utility owners and users as well. Besides property damages and business interruption they are a potential threat to life-safety also. Fires have occurred in protected as well as unprotected cable installations due to various causes and have been discussed in this thesis. Analysis of data available to WPI from NFIRS, and some statistics from insurance company's experience, shows that cable fire causes included electric faults, flammable liquid spills, welding and cutting, arson, incendiarism, service deficiencies, and human errors. A block diagram showing factors affecting 'fire in electric cable' has been developed. Literature has been reviewed based on these factors. Parameters have been identified by the research workers, which will affect the ignition of cables, e.g., laboratory scale experiments carried out by Factory Mutual Research Corporation have established critical heat flux below which insulation damage, ignition, electrical failure will not ocur. Time for ignition of cable depends on material properties of the cable and thickness of insulation. Design techniques to assess the cable damageability in the installations has been reviewed and presented. Existing test methods to evaluate cable falmmability have been reviewed. It has been noticed that none of the existing methods are capable to evaluate the performance of cables for all the desired properties and are pass or fail testsonly. However, with some modifications a few of them offer promise to look into all the parameters of interest, and simulate the actual conditions. As such modifications in the ost suitable method have been recommended so that it can be accpeted as future test method. In the end a simple methodology based on existing fire tests results and cable properties has been developed to assess the potential exposure fires and the possible consequential damage the cables and the likelihood of spread in other areas in the affected structure. Methodology essentially includes collection of data, its analysis and subsequent recommendations of measures to be taken to minimize loss in the event of fire.