Can A Circuit Breaker Be Used Instead Of A Cable Clamp?

Although the circuit breaker provides instantaneous protection, damage to the cable occurs within the first quarter cycle of a fault. During this time, the circuit breaker cannot open to interrupt the fault and the cable management system is still damaged. A typical circuit breaker interrupts the fault circuit after three cycles. While this may protect the equipment, the cable may have been damaged in a short period of time and may even need to be replaced depending on the magnitude of the short circuit current.

Replacing the cable is costly, both in terms of the cost of the cable itself and the labor time and downtime of removing and reinstalling the cable management system.

The latest standard to Cable Clamp, IEC 61914, specifies standard methods for testing and certifying cable clamps to prove that they can withstand one or more short circuits: 6.4.4 Resistance to electromechanical repulsion, withstand one short circuit, 6.4.5 Resistance to electromechanical repulsion, withstand more than one short circuit.