Flexible conduit speeds cable installation
Canadian Plastics
Cabling system supplier Arnco Corporation and Teknor Apex used a specially formulated grade of Fireguard LSZH compound to develop Fiber-Guard LSZH conduit, a product that contains no halogens either i...
Cabling system supplier Arnco Corporation and Teknor Apex used a specially formulated grade of Fireguard LSZH compound to develop Fiber-Guard LSZH conduit, a product that contains no halogens either in the base polymer or in the flame retardant additives. The first application of the new conduit is in a five-mile-long project beneath the city of Chicago.
The project involved running cable through the stations and tunnels leading into the city on one route of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) railway system. CTA requirements call for use of low-smoke/zero halogen coiled conduit in order to increase the visibility of exit areas in the event of a fire and to reduce the toxic effects and corrosion caused by acid gases emitted as combustion byproducts.
“Unlike metal conduit, which is shaped in standard 10-ft. long sections and must be assembled on-site, semi-flexible plastic conduit comes in continuous coils that can be fed through the city substructure with minimal disruption of surrounding components,” said Robert Washburn, Arnco’s vice-president of R&D. “In addition, continuous conduit permits use of new fiber optic cable blowing techniques, which are precluded by the enormous number of joints required in any sizable installation of metal conduit.”
Teknor Apex and Arnco Corporation have jointly applied for a patent on Fiber-Guard LSZH conduit.
Teknor Apex 401-725-8000