Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-09-10 Origin: Site
In the hidden arteries of our modern world lying a vast network of electrical cables are the silent workhorses of civilization. But they are not perfect, the critical vulnerability they have is their connections. Especially splices, terminations, and junctions. As where is the heat shrink accessories come in. After being heated, these polymer sleeves contract to form a environmentally sealed and electrically insulated barrier.
The process of choosing the right accessory is dictated by the cable itself, the voltage rating is the one of the most important factors.
The "pressure” of pushing electrical current is voltage. However, a cable rated for 12V in a car is completely different with a cable rated for carrying 35,000V to a neighborhood substation. Therefore, it’s nessesiry for heat shrink accessory maintain safety to match or exceed the cable's voltage rating.
The science of dielectric strength is all about dielectric strength, which is a material's capacity to resist an electric field without breaking down or letting electricity pass through it. A heat shrink tube is an insulator whose wall thickness and material composition can provide a specific dielectric strength.
Low voltage (e.g., 0 - 1000V) standards thin-wall heat shrink tubing is sufficient. What primary jobs they having are mechanical protection, environmental sealing, and basic electrical insulation.
Medium/High voltage (e.g., 1kV - 35kV and above) is where selection becomes critical. Accessories for these applications are complex, multi-layered components.
The key differentiator of stress control is electricity will not just want to go through insulation at high voltages but wants to concentrate on sharp edges. It creates the areas of intense which can lead to corona discharge and eventual insulation failure called "electrical stress". What’s more, high voltage heat shrink terminations feature a stress control layer that gradually reduces the electrical field from the conductor's high voltage to the shield's ground potential. In addtion, these tubes have a much greater wall thickness to provide the necessary dielectric barrier against high voltages.
Selection application: In fact, using a low-voltage sleeve on a high-voltage cable is an extreme safety hazard. So, the choose of accessory's voltage rating must meet or exceed the system's operating voltage.
