One of the electrical standards that defines how a fire test on power cables should be performed is IEC 60332-3. This standard describes the test cables to be mounted on a vertical ladder in a special box and burner that is be placed near the cabinet floor. Test time is 60 minutes (40 minutes active fire). For the rating F4 allows the cables have a damage up to 2.5 m from the bottom edge of the burner. Test result can therefore vary between 0 to 2.5 m and we can ensure that there is a great differences in the market between the various fire protection coatings. An information that on rarely finds is that different products fire resistance property can be unstable over time-temperature range. Technically, this can be described as a temperature index of original limiting oxygen index value [ISO 4589-2]. Which in practice means that an initial limited oxygen index can deteriorate during longer fire. Combustibility of such cable coatings (commonly Acrylic and PVA-based) tends to increase with time of fire exposing.

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Fig. The mirror test shows that untreated cables are engulfed in flames while cables treated with Flamastic KBS COATING ™ are protected from the fierce fire attack (8 pcs targeted gas burner on the two vertical ladders)

KBS CABLE PROTECTION™ is a concept that combines several aspects of being a combined electrical and fire protection products. The system is based on coating the cable installation with Flamastic KBS COATING ™. This coating has an oxygen index value of the maximum possible 100% and it possesses a number of other important features to be suitable to treat electrical cables. The system will provides about 10 times better fire resistance than the F4-requirement in IEC 60332-3. Cables treated show only fire damage of 0,2 to 0,75 m. This is a performance which prevents the fire spread along cables and cable-protected routes. Not least important is that the oxygen index value is a solid stable over a longer period (in high fire temperatures). The coating does not exhibit any combustion but instead sintering rather slowly in a thermodynamic process that consumes energy. KBS CABLE PROTECTION™ thus provides longer protection and in all ambient environment is this coating preventing flame propagation.