08/06/13 7:45 PM

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chapter 1
The IEE
Regulations
chapter 2
Installation
Requirements
and
Characteristics
chapter 3
Installation
Control
and Protection
chapter 4
Cables,
Conduits
and Trunking
chapter 5
Earthing
chapter 6
Circuits
chapter 7
Special
Installations
chapter 8
Testing
and
Inspection
chapter 9
Data cabling
and Networks
Contents
Cables, conduits and trunking
4.1 - Cable insulation materials 4.4 - Cable supports, joints and terminations
4.2 - Cables 4.5 - Cable enclosures
4.3 - Cable choice 4.6 - Conductor and cable identification
------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3.1 - Cable types 4.3.8 - Protection by semi-enclosed (rewirable) fuses
4.3.2 - Current carrying capacity of conductors 4.3.9 - Cable rating calculation
4.3.3 - Methods of cable installation 4.3.10 - Special formulas - grouping factor calculation
4.3.4 - Ambient temperature correction factors 4.3.11 - Cable volt drop
4.3.5 - Cable grouping correction factors 4.3.12 - Harmonic currents and neutral conductors
4.3.6 - Thermal insulation correction factors 4.3.13 - Low smoke-emitting cables
4.3.7 - When a number of correction
--------- factors applies
4.3.14 - The effects of animals, insects and plants
4.3.3 - Methods of cable installation
We have seen that the rating of a cable depends on its ability to lose the heat produced in it by the
current it carries and this depends to some extent on the way the cable is installed. A cable clipped to a
surface will more easily be able to dissipate heat than a similar cable which is installed with others in a
conduit,
[Table 4A] of [Appendix 4] lists twenty standard methods of installation, each of them taken into account
in the rating tables of the same Appendix. For example, two 2.5 mm! single core p.v.c. insulated non-
armoured cables drawn into a steel conduit (installation method 3) have a current rating of 24 A {Table
4.6}. A 2.5 mm! twin p.v.c. insulated and sheathed cable, which contains exactly the same conductors,
has a current rating of 27 A {Table 4.7} when clipped directly to anon-metallic surface. Cables sheathed
in p.v.c. must not be subjected to direct sunlight, because the ultra-violet component will leach out the
plasticiser, causing the sheath to harden and crack. Cables must not be run in the same enclosure (e.g.
trunking, pipe or ducting) as non-electrical services such as water, gas, air, etc. unless it has been
established that the electrical system can suffer no harm as a result. If electrical and other services have
metal sheaths and are touching, they must be bonded. Cables must not be run in positions where they
may suffer or cause damage or interference with other systems. They should not, for example, be run
alongside hot pipes or share a space with a hearing induction loop.
Special precautions may need to be taken where cables or equipment are subject to ionising radiation.
Where a wiring system penetrates a load bearing part of a building construction it must he ensured that
the penetration will not adversely affect the integrity of the construction.
The build-up of dust on cables can act as thermal insulation. In some circumstances the dust may be
flammable or even explosive. Design cable runs to minimise dust accumulation: run cables on vertically
mounted cable ladders rather than horizontal cable trays. When cables are run together, each sets up a
magnetic field with a strength depending on the current carried. This field surrounds other cables, so that
there is the situation of current-carrying conductors situated in a magnetic field. This will result in a force
on the conductor, which is usually negligible under normal conditions but which can become very high
indeed when heavy currents flow under fault conditions. All cables and conductors must be properly fixed
or supported to prevent damage to them under these conditions.


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to the 16th Edition IEE Regulations
08/06/13 7:45 PM
Page 2 of 2 http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/4.3.3.htm
Extracted from The Electricians Guide Fifth Edition
by John Whitfield
Published by EPA Press Click Here to order your Copy
Click here for list of abbreviations