Important information about Ex cable gland IP ratings
Author : Dr. Geof Mood, CCG Cable Terminations Ltd
16 November 2020
It is very common for purchasers of Ex cable glands to specify an ingress protection rating of, for instance, IP66 without really understanding the level of protection that this gives the installation or whether it is good enough. The following article explains what the IP ratings mean and what to do when it is difficult to get the level of protection needed by conventional means.
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IP ratings in general
Although ingress protection ratings are defined in a number of standards, for the purposes of this article we shall refer only to IEC 60529 (degrees of protection provided by enclosures). This standard defines ingress protection with up to 4 digits, but usually only two are used. The first digit defines the ingress of solids and the second the ingress of water (note, the test is done using water, other liquids may give a different result).
FIRST DIGIT
|
|
0
| No protection against solid objects
|
1
| Protection against large foreign bodies (>50mm dia.)
|
2
| Protection against medium foreign bodies (>12.5mm dia.)
|
3
| Protection against small foreign bodies (>2.5mm dia.)
|
4
| Protection against foreign grains (>1mm)
|
5
| Protection against dust deposits inside
|
6
| Protection against dust penetration
|
Click here to read the article in full in Hazardex November.
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