Balancing Thermal Performance With Other Desirable Cable Properties

Improving the thermal performance of a control cable can be a balancing act. Some of the changes to cable construction that widen the operating temperature range can compromise the cable’s electrical or mechanical properties. Silicone and cross-linked polyolefins do a good job striking that balance. Here’s why.

Wider Temperature Range

Both types of materials can dramatically widen the continuous use temperature range of control cables. A typical PVC control cable, for instance, can function in a temperature range of -40 to 90ºC. Compare that range to silicone-based cables, which work comfortably in a range of -50 to +180ºC.

The conductor material is also an important factor. For higher temperatures, a coated conductor is necessary to protect the bare copper effectively against corrosion. Tinned copper conductors should be used within a cable with a jacket made of silicone or cross-linked polyolefin.

Improved Wear And Chemical Resistance

With the most advanced cable technology, the additional thermal performance won’t affect the electrical properties of the cable at all, and any effects on mechanical properties will be minor or even advantageous. Compared to traditional PVC cables, the silicone and cross-linked polyolefin cables will exhibit:

●     Equivalent flexibility—though polyolefin cables are slightly stiffer than silicone or PVC cables

●     Improved wear resistance (for cross-linked polyolefin)

●     Improved chemical resistance

●     Equivalent flame performance

●     Halogen-free construction

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New White Paper Explores Cable Solutions For Extreme Temperatures

Control cables increasingly have to withstand temperature extremes in applications such as food and beverage machines, industrial ovens, furnaces, foundries and industrial process equipment. Extreme temperature applications can subject the cable to continuous-use temperatures as low as -50ºC and as high as 180ºC. For these environmental conditions, you have to think about cables with jacket materials other than PVC.

A Middle Ground

You could buy very expensive specialty cables that can withstand even hotter or colder temperatures, or you could try to use a more traditional PVC control cable, whose lifecycle starts to fall dramatically in hot or cold environments.

A growing class of control cables occupies a middle ground between over-engineered specialty cables and commodity PVC cables. Based on silicone or cross-linked polyolefin copolymers, these cables can take over in thermal environments that would cause PVC cables to fail prematurely. The trick is to choose a cable that balances thermal performance against other desirable cable properties.

Silicone Cables

Silicone cables are suitable for applications involving high temperature and a need for flexible wiring. They are also resistant to UV radiation, hydrolysis, oils, chemicals and plant and animal fats. For these reasons, they are commonly employed in metal processing applications, as well as in the industrial, automotive and automation industries because of their superior chemical resistance properties.

Polyolefin Cables

The second material alternative, crosslinked polyolefin, is formed from a combination of heat and high pressure—either by irradiating or chemically cross-linking the compound. These cables exhibit important electrical and mechanical properties that make them ideal for applications in electrical systems or heat treatment plants. These benefits include:

●     Increased thermal strength

●     Improved corrosion and abrasion resistance

●     Resistance to solvents, detergents and other operating fluids

●     Resistance to high temperatures

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