MATERIALS | WIRE AND CABLE
solution” that provides compliance with key North American cable fire standards while providing good mechanical properties and surface aesthetics.
Evolving requirements Cable manufacturers today work to some of the most rigorous standards, according to compound- er Teknor Apex, and these standards continue to evolve with a focus on ensuring the highest levels of public safety. The National Electric Code (NEC) in the US and CPR in the EU are two of the most prominent examples. New applications frequently bring new and
Figure 1: Cone calorimeter smoke density data for TPU containing ADK STAB FP-2600U compared with alternative fire retardant system Source: Adeka Corp
Right: Lubrizol Engineered Polymers
developed its Estane ZHF TPU for HFFR cable applications
degradative by-products. In terms of flame retardance, OMS chemistry is said to improve charring, delay the time of ignition, reduce HRR (heat release rate) values, generate less smoke, and increase LOI by up to 5 points. Evonik’s Accurel XP organic porous carrier technology for EVA, HDPE, and LLDPE simplifies the use of liquid additives in solid masterbatches for the cable industry. This helps ease dosing into the extruder, simplifying the production process and logistics while maintaining high additive performance and efficiency. The same chemistry can also be used with PA6 and PA12 polymers, such as those used in cable applica- tions for tunnels. Among the latest developments is the Accurel DS portfolio, which the company says uses silane, trialkyl, and trially functionality to improve crosslinking efficiency in peroxide and irradiation cross linking wire and cable applications. Earlier this year, Lubrizol Engineered Polymers introduced a non-halogenated, flame retardant TPU for wire and cable applications. The company says Estane ZHF 90AM9 NAT 01 TPU is a UV-stabi- lised grade that offers UL94 V-0 performance and delivers a UL 105°C temperature rating. It also passes the UL 1581 Sec 1061 cable flame test with a proven use case down to 8m diameter. Lubrizol describes the new grade as a “one-stop
28 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2022
more stringent requirements, the company says, citing data centres and electric vehicles as exam- ples. “The number and size of data centres continues to grow rapidly to support growth in data heavy applications like YouTube, Netflix, Instagram and TikTok. Cables used in data centres to support these applications have to be designed to support high conductor/fibre count while still being flame retardant,” says a company spokesper- son. “As cable conductor/fibre density increases the jacket material must offer greater levels of flame retardancy to overcome the flammable material in the core.” Charging cables for electric vehicles are another
example, placing demands on materials to provide high levels of insulation and to operate reliability in challenging outdoor environments where they may be exposed to low temperatures, impact and abrasion. PVC retains a strong position in the North Ameri- can cable materials market and Teknor Apex offerings in this sector include its Apex and Flexalloy flexible grades, as well as the Fireguard series of low smoke compounds. The latter are said to offer the high levels of flame retardance required for plenum cable applications with a more favourable cost profile compared to alternatives such as fluoro- polymers. Teknor Apex also says it can
NG I offer cost-optimised blended PVC
solutions, such as PVC/TPU or TPU/ nitrile rubber combinations. It says these can
offer many of the performance benefits of TPUs at a lower cost. Last year, the company also introduced four new additions to its Halguard low smoke halogen-free (LS HFFR) polyolefin compound range. The
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