The flame retardant properties of silicone rubber cable are first reflected in its own characteristics of not being easily ignited when a fire occurs. Silicone rubber material itself has a high ignition point. When the ambient temperature rises or an open flame appears, it will not be ignited as quickly as ordinary cables. This ability to resist ignition buys time for the initial fire fighting and slows down the speed of the fire spreading through the cable line. Even if the flame briefly contacts the cable surface, the silicone rubber material can maintain structural stability for a certain period of time and will not melt or burn immediately, thereby reducing the risk of the fire being aggravated by the cable itself, and providing more favorable conditions for personnel evacuation and fire fighting.
When the flame continues to act, the flame retardant properties of silicone rubber cable will prevent the flame from spreading inward by forming a protective layer. Under high temperature, silicone rubber will undergo certain chemical changes, and a dense carbonized layer will gradually form on the surface. Although this carbonized layer does not burn itself, it can act as a barrier to isolate the internal conductor from the external flame, preventing the flame from further eroding the insulation and conductive parts inside the cable. This self-protection mechanism allows the cable to maintain structural integrity for a period of time even in flames, avoiding exposure of internal conductors to cause short circuits or other secondary accidents, and reducing the additional dangers caused by circuit failures in fires.
The flame retardant properties are also reflected in the small amount of smoke generated when silicone rubber cable burns. Ordinary cables often release a large amount of dense black smoke when burning. These smoke not only block the line of sight, affect the evacuation of personnel and the development of rescue work, but also contain a variety of toxic components, causing harm to the human body. The flame retardant design of silicone rubber cable focuses on reducing smoke generation. Even when forced to burn, the amount of smoke generated is relatively small, and the content of toxic substances in the smoke is low. This feature greatly improves the environment at the fire scene, reduces the risk of poisoning due to inhalation of toxic smoke, and also allows rescuers to more clearly judge the situation at the scene and improve rescue efficiency.
In a fire, the flame retardant properties of silicone rubber cable help maintain the short-term smoothness of the circuit. Many important fire-fighting facilities and emergency lighting systems rely on cables for power supply. When a fire occurs, if the cables are quickly damaged by burning, these key systems will fail, exacerbating safety hazards. The flame retardant properties of silicone rubber cable enable it to maintain a certain degree of conductivity in the early stage of a fire, ensuring that emergency lighting, fire pumps and other equipment can still work normally in a short period of time. Although this short-term power maintenance cannot change the overall situation of the fire, it can provide necessary lighting for personnel evacuation and buy time for fire-fighting facilities to play a role, thereby reducing the chaos and danger caused by power outages.
The flame retardant properties of silicone rubber cable can also reduce the generation of molten dripping. When ordinary cables are burning, the melted plastic or rubber will fall in the form of dripping. These high-temperature drippings may ignite the surrounding combustibles and expand the scope of the fire. The flame retardant design of silicone rubber cable suppresses this dripping phenomenon. Even if it softens to a certain extent under the action of high temperature, it will not produce a large amount of dripping. This feature avoids secondary fires caused by cable burning and prevents the fire from spreading to other areas along the dripping, especially in places where people are densely populated or flammable items are stored. It can effectively control the spread of the fire and reduce the overall loss caused by the fire.
After the fire is extinguished, the flame-retardant silicone rubber cable can also reduce subsequent safety hazards. After burning, ordinary cables often become fragile, with the insulation layer completely destroyed and the conductor exposed, which is very likely to cause dangers such as leakage. However, due to the flame retardant properties of silicone rubber cable, the structure of the remaining part after burning is relatively stable, and the carbonized layer can still play an insulating role to a certain extent. This reduces the risk of workers touching the cables when handling the site after the fire is extinguished, and also reduces the occurrence of secondary accidents such as circuit short circuits and leakage caused by cable damage, providing a safer environment for post-fire site cleanup and reconstruction.
In addition, the flame retardant properties of silicone rubber cable and the surrounding environment can form a more comprehensive fire protection system. In some places with high fire protection requirements, the flame retardant properties of the cable will cooperate with the fire protection structure of the wall and floor to prevent the spread of the fire. The characteristics of silicone rubber cable that are not easy to burn and have little smoke can form a synergistic effect with the fire separation facilities of the building, reducing the possibility of flames and smoke spreading through the holes through the cable. This systematic fire protection effect improves the fire protection capacity of the entire building, reduces the safety risks caused by fire as a whole, and protects the safety of people and property.
