Armoured/Unarmoured Cable Overview

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Armoured cable has an extra layer of protection to keep it from being cut or abraded. The Armor layer of coax cable is a foil wrap that is ribbed like corrugated metal to allow for flexibility, around the inside and outside of that wrap is a flooding compound to keep moisture from penetrating the cable and causing an impairment. The internal structure of 4 core armoured cable consists of many layers to prevent the cable from damage. The outer jacket provides protection against rodent, abrasion and twist, which is usually made of plastic. And the armoring materials are mainly come from kevlar, steel, and aluminum foils, aiming to protect the armored cable from being stretched during installation.

Structure

Many people may think that armoured cable just has metal protection. To be precise, the armouring material doesn’t have to be metal, it can be fiber yarn, glass yarn, polyethylene etc. The only thing that makes armoured cable different from unarmoured cable is that the former has an additional outer protective layer for optical cable. The 4 core armoured cable tends to be more expensive than unarmoured cable, while the armoured cable with steel strip and aluminium is much cheaper than armoured fiber cable with Kevlar, which is usually used for special occasions.

Application

Armoured cable is installed in locations exposed to mechanical damage, such as on the outsides of walls, as an alternative to conduit. Armoured cable usually has a small metal ribbon to ensure electrical continuity of the safety ground. (You must run a separate ground wire in flexible conduit too; you can’t depend on the continuity of the conduit.) In HT & LT distribution, 4 core armoured cable is preferred. Inside walls and in other protected locations, less expensive unarmoured electrical cable can be installed instead. Unarmoured cable is mainly used for control systems.

Conclusion

There are a couple of reasons that armoured cable should be used. Armoured cable can be regarded as a kind of strengthened cable, which is harder and stronger than standard optical cable.