Basic Knowledge of the Cable

HIMALAYAL - SHANGHAI - CHINA

I. Basic Introduction 

The cable is made of one or more individually insulated electrical conductors, usually held together with an overall sheath. It is mainly used for transmission and distribution of electrical power.  

The cable is mainly composed of the following parts:    

1. Conductor: The conductor in the center of the cable is made of copper or aluminum. Each core may be stranded by one wire or several wires.    

2. Insulation: The insulation material of cable should possess a high insulation resistance. Common insulation materials include oil-immersed paper, PVC, XLPE and rubber etc. The selection of insulation material is based on operating temperature.  



3. Coating: To protect the conductor against the damage from mechanics, moisture, chemical items and light etc. The lead or aluminum coating is recommended for the kind of insulation, which is easy to be moistened.    

4. Sheath: To protect the coating from mechanical damage. The coating is wrapped by galvanized steel or copper belt and wire, which is called armour cable. The armour sheath can also prevent electromagnetic wave interference.   

II.Cable Specification  

The cable specification refers to the number of conductors and the dimension of section area. Considering that the cable’s full name is complex, it is common practice to replace the complex name with the simple one. For example, the low voltage stands for all 0.6/1kV plastic insulation power cables. In other words, if you can point out the specification of standard model, the product will be clear for you.   

III. Cable Classification  

The cable is classified according to the insulation material into oil-immersed paper cable, PVC cable, XLPE cable etc. The classifications of cable according to the usage are power cable, communication cable, control cable etc. They are applied in the electrical system, information transmission system, mechanical equipment and instrument system respectively. The cable is classified according to the product into bare cable, electrical cable, electrical equipment cable, communication cable and optical fiber and electromagnetic wire.