Construction Of Shielded And Other Cables

A cable is an assembly of two or more wires that are twisted, braided or bonded together to transmit electric current. Cables are used in household, as well as commercial settings. The main function of cables is to transmit electricity to various electrical appliances. The three major components of Cables are –

1. Conductors
2. Insulation
3. Protective jacket

To serve their purpose, there are several kinds of wires and cables available in markets that are used in numerous electronic goods. They are –

• Industrial cable
• Shielded cable
• Fiber optical cable
• Electrical power cable

All these Cables play a very important role in the connectivity or transmission of electricity. They provide maximum safety and performance. There are Shielded cables that have numerous applications in various fields such as –

• Power
• Oil
• Fertilizers
• Telecommunications
• Steel
• Railways
• Medical

Different Types Of Cables:
In all the above mentioned fields, different types of Cables are used that vary in their construction. The most extensively used cables are –

• Rubber cables
• Fiber optical cables
• Instrumentation cables
• Submersible cables
• Control cables
• PVC cables
• XLPE cables
• Coaxial cables
• LAN/structural cables
• Electrical power cable
• Telecommunication cables

All these different types of wires are constructed differently according to their usages in different fields. Mainly there are four distinguished types of cable construction-

1. Unshielded Twisted Pair(UTP):
In Unshielded Twisted Pair, the two bonded wires are covered in polyurethane cladding. The transmission of signals is done with electromagnetic propagation by changing the voltages on the cable. Unshielded twisted pair cables are found in network of Ethernet, telephone systems, etc.

2. Shielded Cables:
To get rid of the problem that occurs during electromagnetic transmissions from networking cables, Shielded Cables are used. Electrical interference and noise are prevented with the help of the shield as it has a metal shield covering the insulated braided pair. Shielded Instrumentation Cables are used in microphones, speakers, etc. These are relatively expensive.

3. Stranded Cables:
These cables are the most extensively used twisted pair copper cables. The insulator used in Stranded Cables is bonded copper strands. They are not suitable for carrying signals over long distances. Stranded Cables are less expensive and highly flexible.

4. Solid Cables:
Solid Cables are single large wires in each insulating run. These wires are suitable for transmission of data over long distances with lesser loss of signals. Solid Cables are used in networking in buildings.

All these types of Cables serve the purpose of transmitting signals or electric current in domestic and commercial units. Because of the difference in their construction, all the cables have their distinctive usages.