More and more construction projects, including major new developments within the public and commercial sectors, are requiring that fire resistant cable is installed.
Fire resistant cable or fire performance cable is used for vital emergency systems such as fire alarms, smoke extractors, emergency lighting and fire-fighting lifts. Even during a fire, the cable is designed to continue working for a period of time.
Yet without fire resistant cable being properly supported, there is a real danger that these vital services cables will fail. Plastic ties, cable clips and trunking are not suitable as the only means of cable support.
Rigorous Testing With Fire Resistant Cable
That’s why ETS developed with manufacturer, Ellis Patents, the Phoenix cable cleat. The cleat has been precision engineered to support fire resistant cables.
Fire resistant cables must be able to withstand temperatures of 600°F for two hours. They are also subjected to water to simulate sprinklers and a simulation of falling debris.
Unlike stainless steel cable ties or aluminium cleats, which do not match the requirements of fire resistant cables, the Phoenix cable cleat is designed to carry on supporting these types of cables for a period of time after a fire breaks out.
The Phoenix cable cleat under test conditions
To prove their fire resistance, the Phoenix cleats were used during a series of tests to secure a fire rated cable in accordance with BS 5839-1:2002, Section 26.2d. Fire resistance cable is classified as F30, F60, F90 or F120. This represents the length of time, in minutes, of the fire test.
During the testing and the performance, as expected, the cleats successfully supported the cable. We would be happy to supply you with a copy of the test report and data sheet.
Phoenix Cable Cleat Specified In Major Projects
ETS have supplied Phoenix cable cleats for major projects such as the Olympic ArcelorMittal Orbit and Twickenham Rugby Stadium (both pictured).
ETS Key Account Manager, Ron Spence, said:
“We have supplied Phoenix cleats for a number of major projects such as for residential developments at One Hyde Park and the Olympic Village. ETS have also delivered the cleats to the Twickenham Rugby Stadium, the Olympic ArcelorMittal Orbit and BP4 Canary Wharf to name just a few.
“Many main contractors are now specifying that fire resistant cable cleats are used in projects. With the Orbit, the specification was that all materials had to last for 25 years. The cleats also had to be able to withstand outside weather conditions.
“We are currently in talks for supplying the cleats for three or four Crossrail projects – Crossrail use lots of fire resistant cables on their projects,” said Mr Spence.
Precision Engineered
Precision engineered from Type 316L stainless steel with single bolt fixing, Phoenix cleats are available in 12 sizes to suit single cables from 10mm to 73mm in diameter.
Phoenix cleats are:
- Suitable for use with all fire resistant cables.
- Designed within installations which require vital circuits to continue operation in the event of a fire outbreak.
- Equally suitable within extremely onerous environmental conditions: power stations, petrochemical plants, mass transit systems and for food-industry use.
The cleats are also compliant for use with London Underground (LUL) Engineering Standard 1-085 A2, Product Register Number: 1661 and meets the International Standard IEC 61914:2009.
“We expect to see even more main contractors specifying the use of fire resistant cleats in the future,” said Mr Spence.
Wiring Regulations
BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations) sets the standards for electrical installation in the UK and many other countries.
BS 7671 states that for all cables within escape routes to be supported such that they will not be liable to premature collapse whether they are fixed to a wall, or to the underside of a ceiling regardless of being clipped direct to the structure, or enclosed within or on a wiring system.
BS 5839-1:2013 provides recommendations for the planning, design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in and around non-domestic buildings. It does not recommend whether or not a fire detection and fire alarm system should be installed in any given premises.
View product information for Phoenix cable cleats here.
For further information call: +44 (0)20 8405 6789 or email: sales@etscablecomponents.com
Connect with Ron Spence on LinkedIn.
Olympic ArcelorMittal Orbit image by ‘BaldBoris’ and Twickenham Stadium image by ‘mattbuck’. Both images licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
