Flame Retardant Cables and Fire Integrity in reference to Cables - what is the difference?
Flame Retardant refers to a cable’s ability to restrict the propagation of flames in the event of a fire. This is especially important where cables pass from one area to another within a building in order to slow down any spreading of the fire. This is tested by setting fire to a cable in a verticle chamber and measuring the extent to which the flame moves up the cable. There are different categories of loading (A, B or C) depending on the intended use of the cable. The purchaser can select the category appropriate to the required application.
Fire Integrity refers to the amount of times a cable can be exposed to a flame and continue to function. Typical applications of these types of cables are for use in fire alarms, and circuit systems.
