Armoured Cable
Steel wire armoured cable for direct buried and mechanically exposed runs
Product Overview
Armour is specified where the cable is physically at risk - buried where an excavator may find it, routed across an industrial floor, or run where vehicles pass. The steel wire layer takes the mechanical damage and gives the installation an earthed metallic path, at the cost of extra weight and a larger minimum bending radius.
Key Benefits
- Steel wire armour protects against mechanical damage and excavation strike
- Provides an earthed metallic path along the run
- Suitable for direct burial without additional ducting in many arrangements
- Supplied with the terminations and glands the armour requires
Problems It Solves
- Buried cable damaged by excavation
- Mechanical damage on exposed industrial routes
- Cable installed in ducting that adds cost and derating
Application Scenarios
- Direct buried feeder runs
- Cable routed across industrial floors and yards
- Runs where vehicle traffic or excavation is a risk
- Plant distribution where mechanical protection is specified
Who It Is For
- Industrial electrical contractors
- Project buyers on plant and substation works
- EPC contractors
- Utilities running buried distribution feeders
Technical Features
- Steel wire armour layer over the insulated cores
- Earthed metallic path along the run
- Suitable for direct burial
- Requires appropriate glands and terminations
Specifications
| Product Family | Cable & Wire |
|---|---|
| Construction | Steel wire armoured |
| Application | Direct buried and mechanically exposed runs |
| Conductor and Insulation | Confirmed against your specification at quotation |
| Supply | Drum lengths planned against the run schedule |
Materials
- Copper or aluminium conductor
- Insulation to specification
- Steel wire armour
- Outer sheath
Manufacturing Process
- Conductor stranding
- Insulation extrusion
- Armouring
- Sheathing
- Electrical test and drum winding
Customisation Options
- Conductor material insulation type and size specified per project
- Drum lengths planned against the run schedule
- Supplied with cable accessories for the terminations
Compared With Other Options
| Unarmoured cable in ducting | Ducting protects too, and adds excavation cost and a derating. Armour puts the protection on the cable itself. |
|---|---|
| XLPE cable | The insulation choice and the armour decision are separate - an armoured cable can be XLPE or PVC insulated. |
Use Guide
- Respect the minimum bending radius - armour makes it larger than an unarmoured equivalent
- Use glands that terminate the armour correctly so the earth path is continuous
- Bed and backfill buried runs to the specification for the route
- Record the buried route accurately for future excavation work
Related Products
XLPE Cable
Cross linked polyethylene insulated power cable with published current ratings
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RVV PVC Insulated Flexible Round Multi-Core Cable
Stranded flexible PVC sheathed cable for equipment and panel connections
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Cable Accessory Set
Complete silicone accessory set for a cable termination
View details →Armoured Cable Questions
Does armour replace an earth conductor
The armour gives a metallic path that is earthed at the terminations. Whether it serves as the protective conductor for the installation is a design decision under your local regulations.
Can armoured cable be direct buried
That is its common use. Bedding and backfill still have to follow the specification for the route.
What terminations are needed
Glands that terminate the armour properly, plus the sealing accessories for the position. Both go on the same line list as the cable.
Get a Price on Armoured Cable
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