1. Phenomenology of cable fires

1.1 Principle

Electrical and communication cables play a critical role in the spread of fire in buildings. Because of their ubiquity and often complex configuration, they are an effective vector for fire. They create vertical and horizontal pathways through which flames and heat can spread rapidly, compromising the safety of the building and its occupants. Cables are often bundled together and installed in ducts or cable trays that run through different parts of a building. These routes can be vertical, such as service ducts or risers, or horizontal, such as cable trays in false ceilings or raised access floors. These paths offer a path of low resistance to fire propagation, facilitating its rapid spread from one floor to another or from one room to another. When cables pass through...

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Phenomenology of cable fires

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Fire reaction of cables

Bibliography

(1) - NUREG/CR-6384 - Literature Review of Environmental Qualification of Safety-Related Electric Cables - (NUREG/CR-6384) https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/contract/cr6384/index.html

Standards and norms

Insulated conductors and cables for installations – Tests to classify conductors and cables with regard to their fire behavior. - NF C32-070 - 2001
Tests on electric and optical fibre cables under fire conditions – Part 1-1: test for vertical flame propagation for a single insulated wire or cable – Apparatus. - IEC/EN 60332-1-1 - 2015
Tests on electric and optical fibre cables under fire conditions – Part...

Regulations

Order of July 21, 1994 modified, concerning classification and conformity attestation of the fire behavior of electrical conductors and cables, and approval of testing laboratories.

Order of October 15, 2014 amending the order of July 21, 1994 classifying and certifying the fire behavior of electrical conductors and cables, and approving testing laboratories, and setting the transitional terms for...