Cables that are resistant to high heat, like Whitney Blake’s Fire-Tuff, are used in many industries, including foundries, laboratories, steel or plastic processing industries, sauna construction, HVAC and refrigeration engineering to aid with ac unit installation and other systems that use extremely low or high temps, oil and gas industry, aerospace, military, and fire protection.
Standards for flame resistance are set by several different agencies, including the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), Underwriter Laboratories (UL), and Canadian Standards Association (CSA). However, the all of these organizations recognize the Vertical Flame Test procedures and pass/fail criteria of the CSA, with rankings from FT1 to FT6. In these tests, the lower the number, the more severe the flame test.
The FT1 Vertical Flame Test (equivalent to UL 83 All Wires Flame Test) exposes the cable, cord and assembly to a flame output of 3,000 BTU/hour. (A single British thermal unit or BTU measures the amount of heat needed to raise one pound of water 1°F. It’s approximately the amount of heat generated by a single burning match.) The cable, cord, or assembly cannot burn for more than 60 seconds and the burn area (if any) should be less than 25% after five 15-second applications of the test.
Fire-Tuff cables and cords exceed the FT1 flame test–the most severe test currently recognized. They can withstand the flames and high temperatures of 815°C to 1150°C (1562°F to 2102°F).
For many applications, a rating of FT2 to FT6 is fine-and Whitney Blake has cables for those ratings, also. For example, passing the FT6 test (also known as the Steiner Tunnel Flame Test) means that a cable, cord, or assembly has adequate fire resistance and low smoke producing characteristics. FT6 is generally used in homes and commercial buildings when cables are run in the plenum air space-that is, in the area above a dropped ceiling.
For more information, please contact Whitney Blake. Our engineers are experts in physical, electronic/electrical, and environmental testing. We can help determine the exact cables, cords, and assemblies to fit your needs.