Network Communications News (NCN) April 2016 | Page 19

cable management systems

F E AT U R E

It is important to establish the corrosive
properties of an environment to ensure
the right material and finish is chosen.

The steel deal
When it comes to the installation of steel cable management systems, there isn’t a ‘one finish
fits all’ approach that contractors or consultants can take. Therefore, it’s vitally important that the
system to be installed has received the correct treatment to operate effectively in its environment.
Nigel Leaver at Legrand discusses the available options.

O

ne of the first considerations
during specification must be
to determine the elements a
cable management system will
be exposed to. The location of
the installation and the position
of the cable management
system, whether internal or external, are
important as this will impact how robust
the system needs to be, especially
for marine environments, coastal
installations, or industrial settings where
there may be corrosive elements.

The majority of cable management
installations will be exposed to
atmospheric pollutants, as well as
moisture, thus a small amount of
chemical corrosion can be expected
in most environments. With the
maintenance of corrosion being almost
impossible, it’s vital that the selected
finish is capable of providing the cable
management system with lifetime
protection against corrosion within the
intended environment. Therefore, it
is important to establish the corrosive

properties of an environment to ensure
the right material and finish is chosen.
BS ENISO 14713 defines six corrosion
categories with a typical background
corrosion rate for zinc coated products.
These range from C1, which is defined as
a warm dry interior environment, through
to CX which is extreme industrial,
coastal and offshore exterior. The life
expectancy of a zinc coating varies
depending on the environment it is
utilised within, but is g [