lscsusa

EQA-16 1350 vs. 8000 Series Aluminum

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 18:11:02 GMT

Q: What is the difference between 1350 Aluminum and 8000 Series Aluminum Alloy?

A: As a metal material, aluminum plays an essential role in different industries. It's flexibility, durability and light weightiness have made it a go-to option for many engineers, designers and manufacturers. However, not all aluminum types are the same. In particular, 1350 and 8000 aluminum alloys have distinctive properties that make them suitable for various functions.

What is 1350 Aluminum?

This alloy has a purity of 99.5% and is often used in electrical applications. One significant advantage of 1350 aluminum is its high electrical conductivity rating, making it an excellent choice for electrical wiring, transformers, and other electrical components. Additionally, its malleability makes it easily formed and shaped, making it an ideal material for intricate components.

What is 8000 Series Alloy Aluminum?

8000 aluminum alloy is made by mixing aluminum with copper, manganese, and other metals. Unlike 1350 aluminum, it is not primarily used for electrical applications. Instead, it's commonly used in aerospace and manufacturing due to its strength and durability. Parts made with 8000 aluminum often withstand high-stress environments and are used in constructing aircraft, trucks, and other vehicles.

Another significant difference between these two aluminum alloys is their corrosion resistance. 1350 aluminum is quite susceptible to corrosion, so corrosion resistance is crucial in applications that are not recommended. In contrast, 8000 series aluminum alloy is highly corrosion-resistant and can withstand harsh environments. One particular area where the two aluminum alloys are similar, however, is in terms of their weldability. Both 1350 and 8000 series aluminum are relatively easy to weld, making them a preferred choice.

Per the National Electrical Code (NEC), low voltage (2kV or less) aluminum conductors must be made of 8000 series aluminum alloy. The reasoning behind this is that 8000 series aluminum has better creep resistance compared to 1350. This makes them better for terminations, where the heating and cooling of the conductors can cause terminations to loosen over time. 8000 series aluminum behaves more like copper in this regard and results in more stable terminations. For medium voltage cable, both 1350 and 8000 series can be used. The logic here is that medium voltage terminations are more robust than low voltage, and the termination technicians are more highly skilled, mitigating the risk posed by 1350. However, 8000 series still results in a more stable connection which is why some customers require it even for MV cable. Although 8000 series aluminum is still required by the NEC for low voltage, 1350 remains the preferred choice for medium voltage due to its lower cost and better process capability.

There were issues with 1350 aluminum conductor terminations when aluminum conductors were first deployed as building wire (low voltage, 600V) in the 1960's. This problem was solved by transitioning the aluminum used in building wire from 1350 to 8000 series alloy which has lower creep values than 1350, an improving the termination design. This was not an issue for medium voltage (MV).

All U.S. national standards, as well as the NEC, allow 1350 for MV cables.

EQA-15 Strand Fill Material

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 17:58:43 GMT

Q: What kind of material is used for strand filler in your filled strand primary cable? Is it a powder, gel or something different? Is the same strand material for all sizes and both copper and aluminum?

A: LS Cable & System USA utilizes Chase BIH20ck in its strand filled products. See details in attached image.

EQA-14 Wooden Reel Design and Application

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:58:40 GMT

Q: Where do I find standard reel sizes and protective coverings?

A: NEMAWC26 / EEMAC201 the BINATIONAL WIRE AND CABLE PACKAGING STANDARD contains reels and packaging for use in the United States and Canada.

Q: How do I specify a specific reel size?

A: Reels are designated by the dimensions (in inches) of the Flange x Inside Traverse x Drum (i.e.: 96x4x56).

Q:: What is the difference between CL1, CL2 and CL3 wooden reels?

A: There are a few differences between CL1, CL2 and CL3 wooden reels -

The higher the class, the thickness of the reel flange increases to hold more weight.
Depending on the class and size of the reel, the arbor hole metal type and shape changes; (higher the class and reel size, more metal protection is required to hold weight)
The arbor hole size is relatively the same (3.06") for both CL1 and CL2 reels; some larger CL2 reels may have larger arbor hole)
The arbor hole size for CL3 reels can range from 3.06" to 5.25" depending on reel size.

EQA-13 XLPE Jacket - MV URD EPR

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:51:46 GMT

Q: Can LS manufacture MV URD EPR with an XLPE jacket?

A: Yes, we can.

EQA-12 UL Listing for MV-105 Cable Products

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 16:17:14 GMT

Q: Is LS MV-105 cable UL Listed or only UL Compliant?

A: LS MV-105 products are UL Listed. UL Certificate of Compliance attached below.

EQA-11 Low Smoke Zero Halogen Cables

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:31:46 GMT

Q: Does LS offer low smoke, zero halogen (LSZH) cables?

A: LS does not have a low smoke, zero halogen (LSZH) compound for any of our cables. Also of note, UL nor ICEA offer this compound for MV cable.

EQA-10 Low Voltage Tray Cable Product Cross Reference for Belden

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:30:24 GMT

Q: Do we have a cross reference for LS LV tray cables and Belden?

A: Yes, we can manufacture LV tray cables similar to Belden, but with notable exceptions (see below):

Type | LS Cable E-Series | Exceptions

TCXH12/3G | E3BFA-121B03CE00 | CSA, FT-4 RATING

TCXH6/3G | E3BFA-061B03CE00 | CSA, FT-4 RATING

TCXH4/3G | E3BFA-041B03CE00 | CSA, FT-4 RATING

TCXH10/4G | E3BFA-101B04CE00 | CSA, FT-4 RATING

4C16 TC-ER | NO QUOTE | EPR, CPE JACKET

5C16 TC-ER | NO QUOTE | EPR, CPE JACKET

19C16 TC-ER | NO QUOTE | EPR, CPE JACKET

1118A | E1BEB-161B01PJ00 | NPLF*, EU**

1055A | E1BED-161B02PJ00 | NPLF*, EU**

1039A | E1BED-161B04PJ00 | NPLF*, EU**

1119A | E1BEB-161B01TJ00 | NPLF*, EU**

7806R | NO QUOTE | COAXIAL CABLE

*NPLF - Non-power limited signaling cable manufactured by Belden and distributed by Allied. NPLF fire alarm cable is rated 150V, 75 C. It is non-conduit cable for indoor use, according to NEC standards.

**EU - European Union.

EQA-9 Flame Retardant MV-105 PVC Jacket

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 18:49:51 GMT

Q: Is your MV-105 with PVC jacket flame retardant?

A: Yes, our MV cables meet UL 1685 Flame Exposure test per UL 1685 as noted in our catalog.

EQA-8 AIA Conductor with Oversized Ground

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:50:15 GMT

Q: Can we offer a 15kV 750MCM AIA three conductor with a 4/0 ground?

Yes!

EQA-7 Distinguishing Standard and Non-Standard Products from FG Inventory

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:49:04 GMT

Q: How can I tell if a part number / product description listed in the Inventory look up on the sales portal is for a standard product?

A: In the image below, the red boxes indicate the industry specification that products are manufactured to. If there is a spec reference other than ULXXXX or ICEAXXXX , it is a non-standard product. A non-standard product may have different colors, markings, dimensions, compound, etc. per a customer's request or specification.

EQA-5 MV-90 vs. MV-105: The Great Debate

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:47:18 GMT

We see many inquiries on MV URD cables where a customer wants MV-105 rated URD.

We see many inquiries on MV URD cables where a customer wants MV-105 rated URD. These inquiries are usually in response to a competitor's spec where the EPR URD indicates:

- 105C continuous operating temperatures
- Can be listed by UL as Type MV-90 on special orders
- Improved temperature rating (Insulation system has been tested and qualified for operation at 105C continuous and 140C emergency operating temperature)

Our MV URD for EPR/CN/LLDPE indicates designed to operate continuously at a conductor temperature not exceeding:

- 105C for normal operations
- 140C for emergency overload
- 250C for short circuit

Our default is to mark the jacket with Type MV-90 (UL) and competitor specs may list this marking as optional. Of note, the 105C insulation performance is defined by ICEA and UL as listed above for LLDPE jacket.

Overall, these products are rated with a continuous operating temperature not to exceed 105C and none of our competitor's spec (nor ours) indicate that the product will be market 'UL MV-105'. The only UL marking that any manufacturer can put on the print legends of these products is MV-90.

When comparing to competitor specs the way they are written can be confusing, but essentially they provide the same product as LS.

EQA-6 MV-105 CTS w/ EPR Jacket

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:29:53 GMT

Q: Does LS Cable offer 350MCM copper, 15kV, tape shield, MV105, 5kV 133%/8kV 100%, but instead of a PVC jacket there is an EPR jacket?

A: We do not offer MV-105 CTS with EPR jacket. EPR is an insulation material, not jacket material. Our Engineering team advises that a different EPR compound may be formulated for use as jacketing material (see below), but our current EPR compound is not and does not meet the standards we currently manufacture to (UL and ICEA). Of course, a customer may choose not to have it meet the standards we manufacture to, but it is unlikely that we source an additional jacket material unless there was a substantial upside.

EQA-4 Storing Reels in Inclement Weather

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:02:04 GMT

Q: Can reels be stored outside in the elements without being inside in a climate-controlled atmosphere?

A: Yes, LS packages reels with a level 2 reel wrap which provides adequate protection for storing reels in outdoor or inclement weather (see below).

Typically, additional packaging materials are required for cable that will be stored outside. See NEMA WC 26, 2008 Edition, 2008 - BINATIONAL WIRE AND CABLE PACKAGING STANDARD

This standard covers uniform requirements for packaging electrical wire and cable and replaces the following NEMA/EEMAC standards

EQA-3 What is a Coated Tape Shield?

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:00:06 GMT

Q: What is a coated tape shield?

A: Coated copper is generally copper plated with another metal to improve performance; i.e. nickel plated copper (high temperature), silver plated copper (better electricals), etc. Our tin-plated copper drain wires per ASTM B33 prevent the galvanic reaction between copper drain wire and aluminum laminated tape.

EQA-2 Copper Tape Shield (CTS) and TC-ER

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 19:58:16 GMT

Q: Is our Copper Tape Shield (CTS) considered TC-ER?

A: Copper Tape Shield (CTS) is considered metallic shielding for our E8 / UL1072 (MV-105) cables. TC-ER is a UL listing for Tray Cables that have passed the additional "ER testing" for impact and crush resistance, usually attached to our PLTC/ITC, low voltage instrumentation, control and power cables (E1, E2 and E3). LS does not have a specific TC-ER UL listed cable that uses CTS. Many of our larger E8 cables can be used for tray cables (CT USE). TC-ER does not apply to CTS cables but the CTS cables 1/0AWG and larger can be installed in cable trays.

For example:

EQA-1 Copper Tape Shield on LV Products

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 19:56:04 GMT

Q: Do we or can we offer copper tape shield on low volt products? The Minnesota Department of Transportation used to use a “bronze tape shield” LV product for the direct burial road lighting cables. They have now moved to Copper tape shield.

A: Our VFD cables use a copper tape over XLPE conductors, so yes, we have the capability to make this cable. Tape thickness is 10mil vs. our standard 5mil. It is odd that there is no ground wire in contact with the shield, perhaps the metal tape is for rodent control? Please note that we are not currently quoting VFD cables at this time.