CCG Facilities Integration, A Morrison Hershfield Company

Innovating Mission Critical Systems

News Article

Application of Splices in Critical Feeders

12.29.2009

Michael Mosman, PE is the Vice-President and CTO of CCG Facilities Integration, an engineering/architecture, program management and technology consulting firm specializing in the mission-critical industry. Mr. Mosman has worked for over 30 years in the electrical engineering field with the majority of this experience being in data center facilities.

Mr. Mosman has published a whitepaper explaining the risks, benefits, and processes of applying splices to critical feeders. Splicing can be risky for facility managers, however necessary at times. The most common reason an owner would want to use cable and wire splicing would be when facility renovations require the extension of an existing feeder to a new panel or switchboard. In this case, the cost of replacing a feeder is far greater then splicing new wire to existing.

The whitepaper introduces four factors that can affect the integrity of the connector/wire contact:

  • Oxidation – must break down any of the film that has been formed due to the air exposure on metal.
  • Creep – when the wire is terminated, ‘cold flow’ over time will reduce the contact pressure between the wire and connector, requiring more contact area with less contact force to limit creep.
  • Corrosion – moisture will corrode metals when it is present and will degrade the contact surface and increase impedance across the junction.
  • Temperature – high temperatures and thermal cycling have negative affects on the conductivity of wire metals.

To maintain the integrity of the splice, it is necessary to take appropriate quality control measures into account. In the whitepaper, Mr. Mosman goes into further detail about the following issues that need to be addressed; type of connector, proper tooling, type of conductor, length of splice, preparation of wire, splicing compound, compression process, insulation, enclosure, and documentation.

This paper goes into further detail on how to lower the risk of future failures, as well as increase potential longevity. To obtain the entire whitepaper, please email Insight Request. 

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