Steel Wire Armored Cable

Steel wire Armour cable is a hard wearing SWA cable made up of a black PVC sheath, XLPE insulation, copper conductors and steel wire armouring. This type of cable is designed for mains electricity in various applications, including laying underground, power networks, incoming mains to homes amongst a host of other uses externally and internally.

Steel wire armored cables are required to have an armor layer when they need to withstand significant mechanical forces. The most common types of armored cables are: steel tape armored cables and steel wire armored cables. Steel wire armored cables are further divided into thick steel wire armored cables (commonly used for submarine cables and power cables with larger outer diameters) and thin steel wire armored cables (commonly used for exploration cables, mining cables, and control cables).

Common Models:

YJV32 Copper core XLPE insulated PVC sheathed thin steel wire armored power cable

YJV42 Copper core XLPE insulated PVC sheathed thick steel wire armored power cable

YJLV32 Aluminum core XLPE insulated PVC sheathed thin steel wire armored power cable

YJLV42 Aluminum core XLPE insulated PVC sheathed thick steel wire armored power cable

KVV32 Copper core PVC insulated PVC sheathed thin steel wire armored control cable

Production Range: Common structures: 3+1, 4+1, 3+2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 cores, 2-37 cores for control cables Cross-sections (mm²): 1, 1.5, 2.5, 4, 6, 10, 16, 25, 35, 50, 70, 95, 120, 150, 185, 240, 300

In the domestic cable market, steel tape armored cables occupy a larger share; while in foreign cable markets, steel wire armored cables are more widely used. The most commonly used steel wire armored cables are steel wire armored power cables and steel wire armored control cables. When producing steel wire armored cables, relevant national and international standards (or related technical specifications) should be strictly followed to ensure that the armored cables have good structural stability and performance during use. Steel wire armored cables mainly comply with the following 2 product standards and 2 related standards:

GB/T 12706-2008 'Power cables with extruded insulation and their accessories for rated voltages from 1kV up to 35kV' (or IEC60502) and GB/T 9330-2008 'Plastic insulated control cables';

GB/T 2952-2008 'Cable outer coverings' and GB/T 3082-2008 'Hot-dip galvanized or hot-dip zinc-5% aluminum-rare earth alloy coated low carbon steel wire for cable armoring'

I. Steel Wire Armored Cable Standard Requirements and Understanding of GB/T12706-2008 'Power cables with extruded insulation and their accessories for rated voltages from 1kV up to 35kV' (or IEC60502) as the standard for steel wire armored power cables, this standard requires for steel wire armoring (taking GB/T12706.1-2008 as an example):

Material: Steel wires should be galvanized steel wires. Non-magnetic materials should be used for single-core cable armoring in AC circuits, non-magnetic metal wires generally include stainless steel wire, aluminum alloy wire, etc. (GB/T12706.1-2008, section 12.2).

Steel Wire Diameter Requirements: Nominal steel wire diameters: 0.8 mm, 1.25 mm, 1.6 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.15 mm (GB/T12706.1-2008, section 12.4); Minimum steel wire diameter should not be less than 95% of the nominal diameter (GB/T12706.1-2008, section 16.7.3).

Armoring Requirements: Steel wire armoring should be tight, with minimal gaps between adjacent steel wires (standard GB/T12706.1-2008, section 12.6).

GB/T9330-2008 'Plastic insulated control cables' is the standard for steel wire armored control cables, which references GB/T2952.1-2008 standard and indirectly references GB/T 3082-2008 standard, with requirements for steel wire armoring:

Material: Steel wires should be galvanized steel wires (GB/T9330.1-2008, section 6.6.2).

Steel Wire Diameter Requirements: Nominal steel wire diameters: 0.8 mm, 1.25 mm, 1.6 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm (GB/T9330.1-2008, section 6.6.2); Steel wire diameter tolerances should comply with GB/T 3082-2008 (GB/T9330.1-2008, section 6.6).

Armoring Requirements: Steel wire armoring consists of a single layer of left-hand or double layer of steel wires with the inner layer right-hand and outer layer left-hand wrapped around the inner sheath, and the sum of gaps between steel wires should not exceed the diameter of one steel wire (GB/T9330.1-2008, section 6.6.1).

II. Quality Requirements for Armoring Steel Wire Control cable steel wire armoring quality should comply with GB/T 3082-2008 'Hot-dip galvanized or hot-dip zinc-5% aluminum-rare earth alloy coated low carbon steel wire for cable armoring'; Low voltage power cable steel wire armoring quality can reference GB/T 3082-2008 requirements, but assessment according to this standard is not mandatory.

Armoring Steel Wire Coating Categories are divided into two types: One type is zinc coating; another type is zinc-5% aluminum-rare earth alloy coating. Steel wires commonly used in daily production are mostly of the zinc coating type.

Steel wire coating grades are divided into two groups by coating weight: Group I and Group II. The standard stipulates that armoring steel wires should preferably use the following nominal sizes: 0.8 mm, 1.25 mm, 1.6 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.15 mm, 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, 6.0 mm. From the standard regulations, we can see that the allowable range of diameter deviation for armoring steel wire is relatively large, and the wire diameter does not include non-metallic anti-corrosion layers on the steel wire. Depending on the manufacturer's process control level, both parties can negotiate to allow the use of steel wires with diameters larger than those specified. Tensile tests, torsion tests, and winding tests performed on steel wires, coating weight tests, and other tests should comply with GB/T 3082-2008 requirements. For joint technical requirements, the standard emphasizes: 'Steel wire delivery coils should consist of a single wire.'