Next generation cable jackets

Power cable jackets are an element of cable design and construction that have received little attention in the past and are often an afterthought. This paper reviews a cable jacket´s inherent function, some of the materials being used and trends that influence material choices. Due to the impact that newly emerging environmental and safety parameters are now having on cable design, an interactive formulation database system has been developed to ensure efficient utilization of R&D resources. Using this approach, it is now possible to design a compound around a customer or industry specification in a much more predictable and cost-effective manner than previously possible. These more demanding performance parameters may mean that to take advantage of new materials and designs, previously established norms for property value levels will change and the thinking behind the specifications that control them must change also.