IEC EN 61479 Working Under Voltage - Flexible Conductor Caps (Line Hoses) Test of Insulating Material

EUROLAB, with its state-of-the-art accredited laboratories and expert team, provides precise and fast testing services within the scope of IEC EN 61479 testing. It can be applied to flexible insulating caps (line hoses) to protect workers from accidental contact with live or grounded electrical conductors and to avoid short circuits during live operation.

A conductor shield must be made of a flexible insulating material. This standard specifies specific requirements and tests for conductive shields made of elastomers, plastics, or a mixture of both.

Conductive shields must not have harmful irregularities, both on the inner surface and on the outer surface, which can be detected by a test and thorough inspection. Harmful irregularities are all irregularities that impair the smoothness and flatness of the surface and include, for example, pinholes, cracks, blisters, cuts, crusted conductive foreign matter, wrinkles, lines, tufts, voids (including air).

Conductive shields should be packed in such a way that they are not mechanically deformed during transportation. The outside of the packaging should be marked with the name, classification, category and size (diameter) of the manufacturer or supplier.

A simple visual inspection is required for serial routine testing. The marking should be verified with the following durability test for visual inspection and type tests. The permanence of the mark is checked by rubbing the mark for 15 seconds with a lint-free cloth dipped in soapy water, followed by 15 seconds with a lint-free cloth dipped in isopropanol. After that, the marking should remain legible.

For most mechanical tests it is impossible to take accurate samples directly from a conductor shield due to its cylindrical shape. Samples of the material to be tested are approximately 150 mm by 150 mm, so they are produced by molding and compression from the selected batch of material according to the sampling plan.

EUROLAB assists manufacturers with IEC EN 61479 test compliance. Our test experts, with their professional working mission and principles, provide you, our manufacturers and suppliers, the best service and controlled testing process in our laboratories. Thanks to these services, businesses receive more effective, high-performance and quality testing services and provide safe, fast and uninterrupted service to their customers.