Prysmian Group: BU Multimedia Solutions presents UCFIBRE universal central tube cables for tunnels and tunnel galleries

With the new cable types R01 and R02, the company is expanding its portfolio of fire-resistant cables with universally applicable and at the same time cost-effective fibre optic cables. They are suitable for building cabling as well as for demanding, particularly harsh environments. The high-quality cables are optimized for a wide range of applications with extended safety requirements in crowded areas of large buildings or places which cannot be evacuated easily, similar to tunnel operations, ensuring a highly available cable infrastructure.

Fireproof and rodent-proof

Both cables have a halogen-free and flame-retardant FireRes® protective sheath (LSHF-FR) for high resistance. Despite of its cost-efficient designs, both cables meet high requirements of the CPR fire protection classes: the R01 cable is certified according to CPR class Cca s1a d1 a1, the R02 cable according to B2ca s1a d1 a1.

One of the important cable properties for use in abovementioned applications is to maintain a limited continuation of service in the event of fire, so that rescue teams are better supported during evacuation. After extensive testing according to IEC 60331-25, it is clear: Draka cables R01 and R02 maintain data transmission in the event of fire for up to 120 minutes with an attenuation of 0.76 dB. Both cables also passed the tests of insulation behavior according to EN 50200 - for use in emergency circuits with unprotected installation - with significant margin. Even under additional mechanical stress, these cables continue to function for two hours with an attenuation value of 1.68 dB.

The gel-filled, waterproof fibre optic central tube cables are very robust and resistant to mechanical effects and environmental influences. The corrugated steel tape armouring makes R01 and R02 rodent-proof and thus ideally suited for uncontrolled indoor and outdoor installations as in tunnels and galleries. The cable types R01 and R02 are now available with up to 24 fibres. With 3000 N performance, they offer a very high tensile strength.

"The R01 and R02 fibre optic cables are the perfect addition to our UCFIBRE product family," says Gerard Pera, Global Fibre Product Manager at MMS. "As a 'light variant' to our fire-resistant UCFIBRE cables, the two new cable types are perfect for universal use in high demands. We are sure that these types of fibre cables are in demand and will meet our customers' needs."