Tetley's brewery, Leeds (10th May 2010) 008

A cable gland (more often known in the U.S. as a cord grip, cable strain relief, cable connector or cable fitting) is a device designed to attach and secure the end of an

electrical cable An electrical cable is an assembly of one or more wires running side by side or bundled, which is used to carry electric current. One or more electrical cables and their corresponding connectors may be formed into a ''cable assembly'', which ...

to the equipment. A cable gland provides strain-relief and connects by a means suitable for the type and description of cable for which it is designed—including provision for making electrical connection to the armour or braid and lead or aluminium sheath of the cable, if any. Cable glands may also be used for sealing cables passing through bulkheads or gland plates. Cable glands are mostly used for cables with diameters between 1 mm and 75 mm. Cable glands are commonly defined as mechanical cable entry devices. They are used throughout a number of industries in conjunction with cable and wiring used in electrical instrumentation and automation systems. Cable glands may be used on all types of electrical power, control, instrumentation, data and telecommunications cables. They are used as a sealing and termination device to ensure that the characteristics of the enclosure which the cable enters can be maintained adequately. Cable glands are made of various plastics, and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

for industrial usage. Glands intended to resist dripping water or

water pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

will include

synthetic rubber A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About 32-million metric tons of rubbers are produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubbe ...

or other types of

elastomer An elastomer is a polymer with viscoelasticity (i.e. both viscosity and elasticity) and with weak intermolecular forces, generally low Young's modulus and high failure strain compared with other materials. The term, a portmanteau of ''elastic p ...

seals. Certain types of cable glands may also serve to prevent entry of flammable gas into equipment enclosures, for electrical equipment in hazardous areas. Although cable glands are often called "connectors", a technical distinction can be made in the terminology, which differentiates them from quick-disconnect, conducting

electrical connector Components of an electrical circuit are electrically connected if an electric current can run between them through an electrical conductor. An electrical connector is an electromechanical device used to create an electrical connection between ...

s. For routing pre-terminated cables (cables with connectors), split cable glands can be used. These cable glands consist of three parts (two gland halves and a split sealing grommet) which are screwed with a hexagonal locknut (like normal cable glands). Thus, pre-assembled cables can be routed without removing the plugs. Split cable glands can reach an

ingress protection The IP code or ingress protection code indicates how well a device is protected against water and dust. It defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) under the international standard IEC 60529 which classifies and p ...

of up to IP66/IP68 and NEMA 4X. Alternatively, split cable entry systems can be used (normally consisting of a hard frame and several sealing grommets) to route a large number of pre-terminated cables through one wall cut-out. There are at least three types of thread standards used: *

Panzergewinde The Stahlpanzerrohrgewinde (, "steel conduit thread") standard for screw threads, more often called by the shortened Panzergewinde (), was a technical standard created in Germany and subsequently used in Switzerland, Austria, and other neighbori ...

(PG standard) *

Metric thread The ISO metric screw thread is the most commonly used type of general-purpose screw thread worldwide. They were one of the first international standards agreed when the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was set up in 1947. Th ...

National Pipe Thread American National Standard Pipe Thread standards, often called national pipe thread standards for short, are United States national technical standards for screw threads used on threaded pipes and Piping and plumbing fitting, pipe fittings. They in ...

(inch system)

References

{{Reflist :

British Standard British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and which is formally designated as the national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The BSI Group produces British Standards under the a ...

BS 6121 :

European Standard European Standards (abbreviated EN, from the German name ("European Norm")) are technical standards which have been ratified by one of the three European standards organizations: European Committee for Standardization (CEN), European Committee for ...

EN 50262 : VDE 0619:2005-05

External links

IAEI Magazine: Getting Familiar with Some New Terms

types of cable gland
Gland, cable

See also

References

External links