Fixing Your Factory

Military cable assemblies are set up and used in rugged, dangerous environments. Taking adequate precautions during setup and use is of paramount importance to ensuring the safety of personnel on the ground. If you're wondering how to ensure adequate safety with your military cable assembly usage, you should keep the following six factors in mind:

1. Relief of strain

Because of the physical demands that military cable is placed under on a constant basis, it's ideal for the design of military cable to be capable of providing strain relief. Strain relief is especially important at terminal points along the cable where cable connects to equipment pieces and power supplies. 

2. Flexibility needs

Various military cable applications require meeting certain flexural specifications. Cable may need to be constantly stretched or contracted in the environment and application that it is used in. In cases where extreme flexibility is needed, stranded core cables or coiled cord cables may be ideal at meeting the demands of the task at hand.

3. Physical demands

Military equipment can experience frequent shocks and intense vibration. Military grade cables should maintain their condition despite rough physical demands including powerful twisting and stretching. 

4. Temperature extremes

Military cables must withstand harsh temperatures due to the environments that they're used in. In a combat situation, cables can be exposed to intense heat due to enemy fire, climate extremes, equipment overheating, friction, and a variety of other situations. 

Many military cable applications require materials that can withstand intense heat. Depending on the climate equipment is used in, cables also may need to feature material capabilities to withstand extreme low temperatures. 

5. Conductive material

Of course, military cable still needs to provide conduction while standing up to all the rigors of the environment. One of the most common materials used in military cables to provide conduction is copper. Either copper alloy or plating can be designed to stand up to the rugged environment while offering adequate conduction for military grade applications. 

An important choice that needs to be made when choosing conductor material is whether stranded or solid conduction is best for the situation. The choice between these two types of conduction material involves considering the conduction needs of the equipment being used and the environmental demands in play. 

6. Jacketing and insulation requirements

Military grade cable design typically adheres to various jacketing and insulation requirements depending on the application for which cables are used. Before military cable is ordered, it's important that the operating conditions of the cable are described in detail to ensure that the finished cable will be properly insulated and jacketed to handle situations like high pressure environments, moisture exposure, and more.