Cable Installation

Notes
Cable Installation
Notes
June 2006
800 668 4842
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Table of Contents
Cable Pulling ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Bending Radius .................................................................................................................................. 2
Pulling Tension ................................................................................................................................... 3
Friction ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Installation with Rollers ........................................................................................................................ 4
Installation without Rollers ................................................................................................................... 4
Pulling Tension Calculations ................................................................................................................. 4
Sidewall Bearing Pressure ................................................................................................................... 7
Cold Temperature Installations ............................................................................................................. 7
Minimum Pulling Temperature without Pre-heating Cable ......................................................................... 7
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Cable Installation Notes
The following information is supplied as a guide for ShawFlex cable installation. Important considerations in
any cable installation are ambient temperature, equipment used, conduit or tray fill, friction forces, mechanical
layout of a raceway and physical limitations of the cable. This document is not intended to be an all inclusive
reference. It simply highlights some pertinent aspects of cable installation and should be viewed as a comple-
ment to good working practices.
Cable Pulling
If a cable is bent in a radius which is too severe and/or pulled with a tension that exceeds maximum allowable
limits, the cable structure may be damaged. Experience in the field combined with data obtained in laboratory
tests, have been used to determine the minimum bending radii and maximum allowable pulling tensions and
sidewall bearing pressures for various cable designs.
Before commencing cable installation, it is recommended that checks be done to ensure that bends, pulling ten-
sions and sidewall bearing pressures will not exceed specified limits. It is important to note that different cable
constructions may demonstrate varying degrees of resistance to physical damage. Good raceway design and
careful installation practices are essential to ensure long, reliable cable performance.
The design limits indicated herein may be modified if experience and/or knowledge of a particular installation
warrant an alternate approach. It should also be noted that the sidewall bearing pressures and allowable bend-
ing radii indicated are not necessarily applicable to cable pulled around rollers or sheaves. These apparatus
tend to apply more severe point force to a cable, as opposed to the more evenly distributed forces experienced
by a cable installed, for example, in conduit.
Bending Radius
The following table outlines the minimum bending radii that are generally acceptable for low voltage power,
control and instrumentation cables if maximum allowable sidewall bearing pressures and pulling tensions are
not exceeded.
There are two bending radii involved when installing cable:
1. Pulling (during installation, while pulling with tension applied along the cable axis)
2. Training (following installation, with no tension along the cable axis)
Cable Type
Minimum Bend Radius
(multiples of cable OD)
Pulling Training
No Armour, No Shield 9 6
With Shield, No Armour 18 12
Interlocked Armour 18 12
Note: In all cases, the minimum bending radius specified refers to the inner surface of the cable and not to the
axis of the cable.
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Pulling Tension
The maximum allowable pulling tension that can be applied to a particular cable is determined by the physical
limitations of the cable, both tensile and crushing (sidewall bearing) strength, whether pulling eyes or cable grips
are used, and the design of the raceway, duct system, etc. When using steel wire basket grips, the maximum
recommended pulling tensions are typically limited by the tensile strength and frictional forces of the outer layers
of a cable as they interact with the cable core. This method of cable pulling is typically not as reliable or robust
as when pulling eyes are employed. Pulling eyes act directly on the cable core via the conductors, therefore
maximum allowable pulling tension is usually determined by the total cross-sectional area of all current-carrying
conductors within a given cable. It is recommended that shield drain wires in instrumentation cables not be used
for cable pulling.
Cable Grip
The maximum allowable pulling tension when incorporating a cable grip may be calculated as follows:
T = k
1
x t x (D t)
Where:
T = Maximum Allowable Pulling Tension (pounds)
k
1
= Constant; 3,140
t = Jacket Thickness (inches)
D = Cable Outside Diameter (inches)
Pulling Eye
Pulling eyes are recommended for heavy pulls and should be used in conjunction with a swivel joint. The maxi-
mum allowable pulling tension when incorporating a pulling can be calculated as follows:
T = k
2
x n x A
Where:
T = Maximum Allowable Pulling Tension (pounds)
k
2
= Constant; 0.008 (copper conductors only)
n = Number of Conductors Attached to Pulling Eye
A = Area of One Conductor (circular mils, cmil)
Friction
The coefficient of friction is a critical component of cable pulling calculations and must be selected with care. It
is dependent on the cable exterior covering, raceway or duct material, and type of pulling lubricant used. Typi-
cally, values between .25 and .50 are experienced for polymeric covered cables installed in a clean, smooth,
well lubricated raceway. If this value is unknown, a conservative value of f = .50 is usually sufficient for estima-
tion purposes. Typical coefficients of friction are tabulated below for various raceway materials interacting with
PVC cable jackets using water based pulling lubricants.
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Raceway Material
Coefficient of
Friction,
f (kinetic)
PVC 0.35
Polyethylene 0.25
Steel 0.50
Installed over Rollers 0.15
Note: Static coefficients of friction are generally higher than kinetic coefficients of friction. It is therefore prefer-
able to not stop a cable pull that is in progress, especially one that is approaching maximum allowable
design limits for pulling tension and sidewall bearing pressure.
Use only approved lubricants that are compatible with the cable outer covering. During pulling, qualified per-
sonnel should be located at sufficiently close intervals to monitor the movement of the cable during installation.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly from rest to a constant pulling speed in the range of 15 ft/min to 50 ft/min.
Installation with Rollers
The maximum required spacing of rollers along the cable route varies with cable weight, pulling tension, cable
construction, and the amount of clearance between the rollers and the tray bottom. Near the end of the pull,
where the tension is approaching the maximum value, the spacing can be greater on straight sections than at
the beginning of the pull, where the tension is at the minimum, as less cable sag is experienced. For relatively
flexible cable constructions, the following expression can be used as an approximation in determining roller
spacing.
S = (8 x H x T / W)
Where:

S = distance between rollers (feet)
H = height of top of roller above tray surface (feet)
T = tension (pounds)
W = weight per foot of cables (pounds per foot)
Installation Without Rollers
Cables with interlocked armor must not be installed on ladder trays without rollers.
For smooth unarmored cables (e.g. Type TC) a coefficient of friction of 0.25 is suggested. If more than one layer
of cable is installed in the tray, and cable is dragged over other installed cables, a coefficient of 0.5 will yield
reasonably accurate results.
Pulling Tension Calculations
The final pulling tension for a particular installation may be determined by summing the contribution of each
section of a cable route. Where the run contains a bend (or several bends) a reduction in pulling tension can
be achieved if the cable is fed into the raceway at the end closest to the bend(s). The calculations to be used for
each of these sections are described below.
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Straight Pull


T
2
= T
1
+ W f L
Where:
T
2
= Tension at the end of the section (pounds)
T
1
= Tension at the beginning of the section (pounds)
f = Coefficient of friction
W = Weight of the cable (pounds per foot)
L = Length of the straight section (feet)
Horizontal Bend

T
2
= T
1
e
(f )
Where:
T
2
= Tension at the end of the section (pounds)
T
1
= Tension at the beginning of the section (pounds)
f = Coefficient of friction
= Angle of Bend (radians)
Note: to convert degrees to radians multiply by 0.01745
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Upward Pull

T2 = T1 + W L (sin + f cos)
Where:
T
2
= Tension at the end of the section (pounds)
T
1
= Tension at the beginning of the section (pounds)
f = Coefficient of friction
W = Weight of the cable (pounds per foot)
L = Length of the straight section (feet)
= Angle of Slope (radians)
Downward Pull


T
2
= T
1
- W L (sin - f cos)
Where:
T
2
= Tension at the end of the section (pounds)
T
1
= Tension at the beginning of the section (pounds)
f = Coefficient of friction
W = Weight of the cable (pounds per foot)
L = Length of the straight section (feet)
= Angle of Slope (radians)
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Sidewall Bearing Pressure
Sidewall bearing pressure is the compressive force that is applied to a cable as it is pulled around a bend. A
simplified version of the formula for calculating this value is shown below. It excludes the influence of the weight
of the cable, itself. This assumption doesnt usually add any appreciable error to the calculation.
SWBP = T
2
/R
Where:
SWBP = Sidewall Bearing Pressure (pounds per foot)
T
2
= Tension at the end of the section (pounds)
R = Radius of the bend (feet)
A conservative upper limit for SWBP covering most multi-conductor low voltage cable constructions is 200 lb/
ft.
Cold Temperature Installations
The low temperature marking on cables should not be taken as the minimum cable installation temperature. The
actual rigors of cable installation may surpass the test performance parameters associated with laboratory test
conditions. CSA addresses this in the following disclaimer: CSA C22.2 #239 APPENDIX D
Low Temperature Handling D1.
The term Do Not Handle Below -40C found in many CSA standards is being removed because of its ambigu-
ity and the implication that cables can be handled at -40C without precaution. The -40C marking indicates that
the cables have passed a cold bend and/or cold impact test under carefully controlled laboratory conditions.
These conditions may or may not reflect actual field conditions. It is therefore recommended that all cables be
warmed to at least -10C before installation.
Minimum Pulling Temperature without Pre-heating Cable
ShawFlex rates some cables constructions suitable for installation at -25C without pre-heating of the cable
(please confirm! Standard cable types may be installed only down to -10C.). If it is absolutely necessary to
install below this temperature, it is required that the cables be stored in a building heated to room temperature
for 48 hours immediately prior to the cable pull. The cables will then be easier to install and less prone to dam-
age.
During cold weather installation, cable should be pulled more slowly and trained in place the same day it is
removed from storage. Do not impact, drop, kink or bend the cable sharply in cold temperatures. Most cable
failures are due to mechanical damage during installation.
Edmonton
Cleveland
Montreal
Toronto
25 Bethridge Road
Toronto, ON M9W 1M7
Canada
Phone: +1.800 668 4842
Fax: +1.416 743 2565
eMail: [email protected]
Web: www.shawflex.com
Calgary