FAQ

1. What is Fire Resistance?
In a fire, the electrical systems must be able to keep functioning for a suitable length of time.This is particularly important for safety equipments used in emergency ventilation, emergency lighting, and alarm systems, together with the power supply to transport facilities and elevators. Fire resistance means that the cable or the cable system where the cable is installed is capable to continue to operate even in case of fire for a specific period of time from 30 to 180 minutes. Circuit integrity (Insulation integrity)refers to tests for the cables only. This is denoted by FE180 in some European countries such as Germany and Belgium. Functional integrity refers to tests on cables and systems (ladders, cable tray, clamps etc). It is denoted by E30, E60, E90 indicating the cable resistance for 30, 60 and 90 minutes according to a specific test and different installation systems.
The functional integrity and the circuit integrity are not related in any way as regards their content. The former is a system test and the circuit (insulation) integrity is an individual cable test. The integrated system test for functional integrity is regarded as a technical benchmark in the cable industry.