IEC 60331-1

®
Edition 2.0 2018-03

INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE

Tests for electric cables under fire conditions – circuit integrity –

iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
Part 1: Test method for fire with shock at a temperature of at least 830 °C for
(standards.iteh.ai)
cables of rated voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV and with an overall
diameter exceeding 20 mm
IEC 60331-1:2018
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/ffa2c2dd-6239-4799-b3a4-
Essais pour câbles électriques soumis au feu – intégrité des circuits –
1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
Partie 1: Méthode d'essai au feu avec chocs pour les câbles de tension assignée
au plus égale à 0,6/1,0 kV et de diamètre externe supérieur à 20 mm, à une
température d'au moins 830 °C
IEC 60331-1:2018-03(en-fr)
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 IEC 60331-1
®
Edition 2.0 2018-03

INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE

iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW

Tests for electric cables under fire conditions – circuit integrity –
Part 1: Test method for fire with shock at a temperature of at least 830 °C for
(standards.iteh.ai)
cables of rated voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV and with an overall
diameter exceeding 20 mm IEC 60331-1:2018
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/ffa2c2dd-6239-4799-b3a4-
Essais pour câbles électriques soumis au feu – intégrité des circuits –
1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
Partie 1: Méthode d'essai au feu avec chocs pour les câbles de tension assignée
au plus égale à 0,6/1,0 kV et de diamètre externe supérieur à 20 mm, à une
température d'au moins 830 °C

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION

COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE

ICS 29.060.20 ISBN 978-2-8322-6153-8

Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.
Attention! Veuillez vous assurer que vous avez obtenu cette publication via un distributeur agréé.

® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission

Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale
 –2– IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018

CONTENTS

CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ 2
FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................... 4
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 6
1 Scope .............................................................................................................................. 7
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................... 7
3 Terms and definitions ...................................................................................................... 8
4 Test environment ............................................................................................................. 8
5 Test apparatus ................................................................................................................ 8
5.1 Test equipment ....................................................................................................... 8
5.2 Test ladder and mounting ..................................................................................... 12
5.3 Source of heat ...................................................................................................... 13
5.3.1 Burner ........................................................................................................... 13
5.3.2 Flow meters and flow rates ............................................................................ 14
5.3.3 Verification .................................................................................................... 15
5.4 Shock producing device ........................................................................................ 15
5.5 Positioning of source of heat ................................................................................. 16
5.6 Continuity checking arrangements for electric power and control cables with
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rated voltage up to and including 600 V/1 000 V ................................................... 16
5.7 Fuses.................................................................................................................... 16
6
(standards.iteh.ai)
Test specimen (electric power and control cables with rated voltage up to and
including 600 V/1 000 V) ................................................................................................ 16
IEC 60331-1:2018
6.1 Test specimen preparation .................................................................................... 16
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6.2 Test specimen mounting1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
....................................................................................... 17
6.2.1 Single core cables with concentric metal layer and multicore cables .............. 17
6.2.2 Single core cables without concentric metal layer .......................................... 19
7 Test procedure (electric power and control cables with rated voltage up to and
including 600 V/1 000 V) ................................................................................................ 20
7.1 Test equipment and arrangement .......................................................................... 20
7.2 Electrical connections ........................................................................................... 20
7.3 Flame and shock application ................................................................................. 22
7.4 Electrification ........................................................................................................ 22
8 Performance requirements (electric power and control cables with rated voltage
up to and including 600/1 000 V) ................................................................................... 23
8.1 Flame application time .......................................................................................... 23
8.2 Acceptance criteria ............................................................................................... 23
9 Retest procedure ........................................................................................................... 23
10 Test report (electric power and control cables with rated voltage up to and
including 600 V/1 000 V) ................................................................................................ 23
11 Cable marking ............................................................................................................... 23
Annex A (normative) Verification procedure for the source of heat ....................................... 24
A.1 Measuring equipment ............................................................................................ 24
A.2 Procedure ............................................................................................................. 24
A.3 Evaluation ............................................................................................................. 25
A.4 Further verification ................................................................................................ 25
A.5 Verification report ................................................................................................. 25
IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018 –3–

Annex B (informative) Guidance on the choice of recommended test apparatus (burner

and venturi) ................................................................................................................... 26
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 27

Figure 1 – Schematic diagram of test configuration ............................................................... 10

Figure 2 – Plan view of fire test equipment ........................................................................... 11
Figure 3 – End elevation of fire test equipment (not to scale) ................................................ 12
Figure 4 – Typical rubber bush for supporting the test ladder ................................................ 13
Figure 5 – Burner face .......................................................................................................... 14
Figure 6 – Schematic diagram of an example of a burner control system ............................. 15
Figure 7 – Example of method of mounting a larger diameter test specimen for test
(with a bending radius between approximately 200 and 400 mm) .......................................... 17
Figure 8 – Detailed section of adjustable position of vertical ladder elements for
mounting a smaller diameter test specimen for test (with a maximum bending radius of
approximately 200 mm) ......................................................................................................... 18
Figure 9 – Example of method of mounting test specimen with a bending radius in
normal use larger than approximately 400 mm ...................................................................... 19
Figure 10 – Method of mounting test specimen of a single core cable without
concentric metal layer ........................................................................................................... 20
Figure 11 – Basic circuit diagram – Electric power and control cables with rated
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
voltage up to and including 600 V/1 000 V ............................................................................ 22
(standards.iteh.ai)
Figure A.1 – Temperature measuring arrangement ............................................................... 24

IEC 60331-1:2018
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1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
 –4– IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

____________

TESTS FOR ELECTRIC CABLES UNDER FIRE CONDITIONS –

CIRCUIT INTEGRITY –

Part 1: Test method for fire with shock at a temperature of at least

830 °C for cables of rated voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV
and with an overall diameter exceeding 20 mm

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
(standards.iteh.ai)
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
IEC 60331-1:2018
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4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

International Standard IEC 60331-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 20:
Electric cables.

This bilingual version (2018-11) corresponds to the monolingual English version, published in
2018-03.

This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2009. It constitutes a
technical revision.
IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018 –5–

The significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition are as follows:

– extension of the scope to include metallic data and telecom cables and optical fibre
cables, although details for the specific point of failure, continuity checking arrangement,
test sample, test procedure and test report relevant to metallic data and telecom cables
and optical fibre cables are not given by IEC 60331-1;
– improved description of the test environment;
– modified steel test ladder with two extra vertical elements to accommodate the modified
testing of single core cables without concentric metal layer and the testing of cables with a
bending radius in normal use larger than approximately 400 mm;
– mandatory use of mass flow meters/controllers as the means of controlling accurately the
input flow rates of fuel and air to the burner;
– improved description of the information to be included in the test report.

The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:

FDIS Report on voting

20/1781A/FDIS 20/1792/RVD

Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.

iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW

The French version of this document has not been voted upon.

This document has been drafted(standards.iteh.ai)

in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

IEC 60331-1:2018
It has the status of a group safety publication in accordance with IEC Guide 104.
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1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
A list of all parts of the IEC 60331 series, published under the title: Tests for electric cables
under fire conditions – Circuit integrity, can be found on the IEC website.

The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in
the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be

• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
 –6– IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018

INTRODUCTION

IEC 60331 consists of the following parts under the general title: Tests for electric cables
under fire conditions – Circuit integrity:

Part 1: Test method for fire with shock at a temperature of at least 830 ° C for cables of rated
voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV and with an overall diameter exceeding 20 mm

Part 2: Test method for fire with shock at a temperature of at least 830 ° C for cables of rated
voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV and with an overall diameter not exceeding 20 mm

Part 3: Test method for fire with shock at a temperature of at least 830 ° C for cables of rated
voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV tested in a metal enclosure

Part 11: Apparatus – Fire alone at a flame temperature of at least 750 °C

Part 21: Procedures and requirements – Cables of rated voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV

Part 23: Procedures and requirements – Electric data cables

Part 25: Procedures and requirements – Optical fibre cables

NOTE 1
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Parts 21, 23 and 25 relate to fire-only conditions at a flame temperature of at least 750 °C.

NOTE 2 Parts 11, 21, 23 and 25 are no longer subject to maintenance. IEC 60331 Parts 1 and 2 are the
recommended test procedures. (standards.iteh.ai)
Since its first edition (1970), IEC 60331 IEC has60331-1:2018
been extended and has introduced a range of test
apparatus in order https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/ffa2c2dd-6239-4799-b3a4-
that a test may be carried out on large and small power, control, data and
optical fibre cables. 1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
Successful tests carried out in accordance with this standard will enable an identification to be
marked on the product.
IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018 –7–

TESTS FOR ELECTRIC CABLES UNDER FIRE CONDITIONS –

CIRCUIT INTEGRITY –

Part 1: Test method for fire with shock at a temperature of at least

830 °C for cables of rated voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV
and with an overall diameter exceeding 20 mm

1 Scope

This part of IEC 60331 specifies the test method for cables which are required to maintain
circuit integrity when subject to fire and mechanical shock under specified conditions.

This document is applicable to cables of rated voltage not exceeding 600 V/1 000 V, including
those of rated voltage below 80 V, metallic data and telecom cables and optical fibre cables.

It is intended for use when testing cables of greater than 20 mm overall diameter.

Cables of smaller diameter are intended to be tested using the apparatus, procedure and
requirements of IEC 60331-2.
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This document includes details for the specific point of failure, continuity checking
(standards.iteh.ai)
arrangement, test sample, test procedure and test report relevant to electric power and
control cables with rated voltage up to and including 600 V/1 000 V. Details for the specific
point of failure, continuity checking arrangement, test sample, test procedure and test report
IEC 60331-1:2018
relevant to metallic data and telecom cables and optical fibre cables are not given by
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IEC 60331-1. 1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
Although the scope is restricted to cables with rated voltage up to and including 0,6/1,0 kV,
the procedure can be used, with the agreement of the manufacturer and the purchaser, for
cables with rated voltage up to and including 1,8/3 (3,3) kV, provided that suitable fuses are
used.

Annex A provides the method of verification of the burner and control system used for the
test.

Requirements are stated for an identification that may optionally be marked on the cable to
signify compliance with this document.

CAUTION – The test given in this standard may involve the use of dangerous voltages
and temperatures. Suitable precautions should be taken against the risk of shock,
burning, fire and explosion that may be involved, and against any noxious fumes that
may be produced.

2 Normative references

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their
content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition
cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including
any amendments) applies.

IEC 60584-1, Thermocouples – Part 1: EMF specifications and tolerances

 –8– IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018

IEC 60269-3, Low-voltage fuses – Part 3: Supplementary requirements for fuses for use by
unskilled persons (fuses mainly for household and similar applications) – Examples of
standardized systems of fuses A to F

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:

• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/

• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp

3.1
circuit integrity
ability of an electric cable to continue to operate in a designated manner whilst subjected to a
specified flame source for a specified period of time under specified conditions

3.2
draught-free environment
space in which the results of tests are not significantly affected by the local air speed

4 iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW

Test environment
(standards.iteh.ai)
The test shall be carried out in a draught-free environment within a suitable chamber, of
minimum volume 20 m 3 , with facilities for disposing of any noxious gases resulting from the
IEC 60331-1:2018
burning. Sufficient ventilation shall be available to sustain the flame for the duration of the
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test. Air inlets and the exhaust chimney should be located in such a way that the burner flame
1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
remains stable during the verification procedure and test. If necessary, the burner shall be
shielded from any draughts by the use of draught shields. Windows may be installed in the
walls of the chamber in order to observe the behaviour of the cable during the test. Fume
exhaust should be achieved by means of natural draught through a chimney located at least
1 m from the burner. A damper may be used for adjustment of ventilation conditions.

NOTE Experience has shown a chamber similar to the "3 m cube" specified in IEC 61034-1 to be suitable.

The chamber and test apparatus shall be at a temperature of between 10 °C and 40 °C at the
start of each test.

The same ventilation and shielding conditions shall be used in the chamber during both the
verification and cable test procedures.

5 Test apparatus

5.1 Test equipment

The test equipment shall consist of the following:

a) a test ladder, on to which the test specimen is mounted, comprising a steel framework
fastened to a rigid support as described in 5.2;
b) a source of heat comprising a horizontally mounted ribbon burner as described in 5.3;
c) a shock-producing device as described in 5.4;
d) a test wall equipped with thermocouples for verification of the source of heat as described
in Annex A;
IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018 –9–

e) a continuity checking arrangement as described in 5.6;

f) fuses as described in 5.7.

A general arrangement of the test equipment is shown in Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3.

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(standards.iteh.ai)
IEC 60331-1:2018
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1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
 – 10 – IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018

Dimensions in millimetres

1 200 ±100

≈ 400

≈ 400

1 2

≈ 400

3 P
P

600 ±50
6

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6
STANDARD PREVIEW
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5 IEC 60331-1:2018
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1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
P
3 P

7
IEC

Key
1 shock producing device 5 fixed vertical elements of test ladder
2 steel test ladder 6 adjustable vertical elements of test ladder
3 rubber bush 7 rigid support framework
4 ribbon gas burner P plane of adjustment

Figure 1 – Schematic diagram of test configuration

IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018 – 11 –

Dimensions in millimetres

1 200 ±100
1

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5
(standards.iteh.ai)
IEC 60331-1:2018
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2 3
IEC

Key
1 entry for air 4 horizontal steel test ladder
2 rubber bush 5 entry for propane gas
3 rigid support framework

Figure 2 – Plan view of fire test equipment

 – 12 – IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018

Dimensions in millimetres

25,0 ±0,1

+5
1 60° 0

200 ±5

400 ±5
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW 600 ±5
(standards.iteh.ai)
600 ±50

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3 1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
V ±2

H ±2
IEC

Key
1 shock producing device H horizontal distance from burner face to the centre of the test specimen
2 steel test ladder V vertical distance from centre line of burner to the centre of the test
specimen
3 gas burner
4 centre line of burner face

Figure 3 – End elevation of fire test equipment (not to scale)

5.2 Test ladder and mounting

The test ladder shall consist of a steel framework as shown in Figure 1. The four central
vertical elements of the ladder shall be adjustable in order to accommodate different sizes of
cable under test. The test ladder shall be (1 200 ± 100) mm long and (600 ± 50) mm high, and
the total mass of the test ladder shall be (24 ± 1) kg. Ballast, if required, shall be placed on
the steel supports.

NOTE 1 Angle iron approximately 45 mm wide and 6 mm thick, with suitable slots cut to allow for fixing of the
bolts or saddles, has been found to be a suitable material for construction of the ladder.
IEC 60331-1:2018 © IEC 2018 – 13 –

Each horizontal element shall have a mounting hole not more than 200 mm from each end,
the exact position and diameter being determined by the particular supporting bush and
supporting framework used. The test ladder shall be fastened to a rigid support by four
bonded rubber bushes of hardness 50–60 Shore A fitted between the horizontal steel
elements of the ladder and the support framework, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 so as to
allow movement under impact.

NOTE 2 A typical rubber bush, which has been found to be suitable, is shown in Figure 4.

Dimensions in millimetres

20-30

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(standards.iteh.ai)
IEC 60331-1:2018
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1da3312d4c40/iec-60331-1-2018
30-40
IEC

Figure 4 – Typical rubber bush for supporting the test ladder

5.3 Source of heat

5.3.1 Burner

The source of heat shall be a ribbon type propane gas burner with a nominal burner face
length of 500 mm (outer distance between outer holes) with a venturi mixer. The nominal
burner face width shall be 10 mm. The face of the burner shall have three staggered rows of
drilled holes, nominally 1,32 mm in diameter and drilled at centres 3,2 mm from one another,
as shown in Figure 5.

A centre-feed burner is recommended.

A row of small holes milled on each side of the burner plate, to serve as pilot holes for
keeping the flame burning, is permitted.

Guidance on the choice of a recommended burner system is given in Annex B.