Advantages
The metal sheath and solid filling of MI cable makes it mechanically robust and resistant to impact; an MI cable may be struck repeatedly with a hammer and still provide adequate insulation resistance for a circuit. Copper sheathing is waterproof and resistant to ultraviolet light and many corrosive elements. MI cable is approved by electrical codes for use in areas with hazardous concentrations of flammable gas in air; an MI cable will not allow propagation of an explosion inside the copper tube, and the cable is unlikely to initiate an explosion even during circuit fault conditions. Metal sheathing will not contribute fuel or hazardous combustion products to a fire, and cannot propagate a fire along a cable tray or within a building. The cable is inherently fire-rated without additional coatings, and will survive designated fire tests representative of actual fire conditions longer than the enclosing structure.
When used within a tenanted area, carrying electricity supplied and billed to the landlord, for example for a communal extract system or antenna booster, it provides a supply cable that cannot easily be 'tapped' into to obtain free energy.
Although made from solid copper elements, the finished cable assembly is still pliable due to the malleability of copper. The cable can be bent to follow shapes of buildings or bent around obstacles, allowing for a neat appearance when exposed.
Since the inorganic insulation does not degrade with (moderate) heating, the finished cable assembly can be allowed to rise to higher temperatures than plastic-insulated cables; the limits to temperature rise may be only due to possible contact of the sheath with people or structures. This may also allow a smaller cross-section cable to be used in particular applications.
Due to oxidation, the copper cladding darkens with age and MICC is therefore often used in historic buildings such as castles where it blends in with stonework. However, where MICC cables with a bare copper sheath are installed in damp locations, particularly where lime mortar has been used, the water and lime combine to create an electrolytic action with the bare copper. Smilarly, electrolytic action may also be caused by installing bare-sheath MICC cables on new oak. The reaction causes the copper to be eaten away, making a hole in the side of the cable and letting in water, causing a short-circuit between live, neutral and earth. The appearance of green verdigris on the bare copper sheath may be a sign this has occurred.
Read more about this topic: Mineral-insulated Copper-clad Cable
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