Cable break
A cable break in a cable occurs when the metal or glass fiber conductor is partially or completely severed due to physical stress and the electrical or optical connection is interrupted. The cable must subsequently be replaced or repaired. Causes include excessive mechanical loads or wear.
A break in the suspension or pulling rope of a cable car is also known as a broken cable.
Occurrence of a cable break
Cable breaks often occur at the points where high mechanical stresses or impermissibly strong bends occur, since this is where the highest mechanical stress is usually found. In cases with a sufficiently high current load, heat generated at the break point, if the electrical conductor is not completely broken, for example along the neutral fiber , can lead to a cable fire .
Cables used in energy supply chains with increased flexibility, so-called drag chain cables, also show cable breaks at the end of their service life due to wear, although this often only affects a few wires of the stranded wire, but overall the electrical values are adversely affected by an increase in the resistance value . Therefore, these lines must then be replaced.
Cable breakage can also occur during the production of the cable if an operating error or technical defect occurs during the production of a cable during extrusion or stranding , in which the strand or wire is stretched too much or cut through looping. These points are marked accordingly and, depending on the application, the line is cut or repaired there, usually by welding or soldering at the damaged area.
literature
- Jens Uetrecht, Horst Frey, Georg Walz: The great electrical do-it-yourself book: Successful self-repair of household electrical systems, large and small electrical appliances. 1st edition. Franzis, 2003, ISBN 978-3-7723-5200-3 .