Earth network

Earthing⁽¹⁾ an installation is vital for the safety of people and property. Furthermore it plays an active role in EMC.
⁽¹⁾ Also referred to as "grounding"

DEFINITION

The earth network is made up of all the metallic components of a building that are interconnected. These include beams, conduits, cable trays, the metal frames or devices. All such elements must be connected up to ensure the earth network is equipotential.

BENEFITS OF AN EQUIPOTENTIAL EARTHING NETWORK

The equipotential earth network works like a system of conduits evacuating any fault currents and the parasite currents to the earth. This provides a means of:
- Protecting people and property
- Obtaining a satisfactory EMC performance level

CABLOFIL^® INTEGRATED IN THE EARTH NEWORK

In order to benefit from the greatest advantages in terms of safety and EMC, metallic cable trays must be connected to the earth network every 15m. Where trays are shorter than 15m, the ends of each metal cable tray must be connected to earth. Any electrical circuit thus formed by the cable tray must be closed to help remove any fault or noise currents which may arise. Role of the protective conductor: The protective conductor provides a simple and effective means of connecting the cable tray to earth.

DEDICATED ACCESSORIES

First and foremost, the installer must establish the cross section for the protective conductor. CABLOFIL offers a wide range of dedicated accessories:

	Grifequip: Simple and cost-effective earthing connector made of tin-plated aluminium. Use for protective conductors with a cross section of between 6 and 35mm²			Grifequip 2: Easy to install and fitted with a double fastener for protective conductors with a cross section between 6 and 35 mm²
	Bimetal terminal: Bimetal connector for safe earthing over a long period. Used for protective conductors with a cross section of 16, 35 and 50 mm²			Terminal support + bimetal terminal: For earthing in accordance with the most demanding specifications