The standard "IEC 60332-1-2 Tests on electrical and optical fibre cables under fire conditions - Part 1-2: Vertical flame propagation test for a single insulated wire or cable - Procedure for a 1 kW premixed flame" developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) describes a procedure for testing the resistance to vertical flame propagation of a single vertical electrical insulated conductor or cable or optical fibre cable under fire conditions. The description of the apparatus used in these tests is included in the IEC 60332-1-1 standard.
If necessary, the testing described in IEC 60332-1-2 can be performed simultaneously with the testing described in IEC 60332-1-3. Recommended requirements for performance are included in the annex of the standard (Annex A).
The IEC 60332-1-2 standard specifies the use of a 1 kW premixed flame and is for general use, but the procedure specified may not be suitable for testing small single insulated conductors or cables with a total cross-section of less than 0,5 mm2 because the conductor melts before the test is completed, or small optical fibre cables because the cable breaks before the test is completed. In these cases, the procedure described in the IEC 60332-2-2 standard is recommended.
Since the use of insulated conductors or cables that retard flame propagation and comply with the recommended requirements of this standard is not sufficient by itself to prevent the spread of fire under all installation conditions, it is recommended that special installation precautions be taken wherever the risk of fire propagation is high, for example in long vertical cable bundles. It should not be assumed that a group of cables will behave similarly simply because a sample of cables complies with the recommended performance requirements of this standard.
The test specimen shall be a piece of single insulated conductor or cable (600 plus/minus 25 mm) in length. The test specimen diameter shall be measured using the method given in IEC 60811-203. The measurement shall be made at each of three places at least 100 mm apart. The average of the three values obtained shall be rounded to obtain the overall diameter. If the calculation gives 5 or more to the second decimal place, the first digit shall be rounded to the next number. If the calculation gives 4 or less to the second decimal place, the first digit shall be retained. The overall diameter obtained shall be used for selecting the flame application time.
The test piece shall be fixed and fixed to two horizontal supports by means of a copper wire of suitable size, in a vertical position in the middle of the metal enclosure, as described in the IEC 60332-1-1 standard, so that the distance between the bottom of the upper support and the top of the lower support is 550 plus/minus 5 mm. Furthermore, the test piece shall be positioned so that the bottom of the specimen is approximately 50 mm from the bottom of the enclosure. The vertical axis of the test piece shall be arranged in the middle of the enclosure (i.e. 150 mm from each side and 225 mm from the back).
A burner as defined in IEC 60332-1-1 shall be ignited and the gas and air flow rates shall be adjusted to the specified values. The burner shall be positioned so that the tip of the blue cone strikes the surface of the test piece at a distance of 475 plus/minus 5 mm from the lower edge of the upper horizontal support, while the burner is at an angle of 45 plus/minus 2 degrees to the vertical axis of the test piece. The burner position shall be constant throughout the flame application period. In the case of flat cables, the flame impingement shall be in the middle of the flat side of the cable.
In the case of an electrically isolated conductor or cable, if the test piece moves significantly enough during the test to invalidate the result, the test piece shall be held level by attaching a load of approximately 550 N/mm5 of the conductor area to the underside of the specimen, such that the distance between the point where the load is attached and the lower edge of the upper support is 5 plus/minus 2 mm. In such cases the test piece shall not be fixed to the lower support.
At the end of the specified flame application time, the burner is removed and the burner flame is extinguished.
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