CAN hybrid cable including power supply for rail vehicles

The CAN hybrid cable by Hradil Spezialkabel (Germany) can transmit both, high-speed data as well as electric power in a single cable along the interior and exterior of trains. The cable complies with the Hazard Levels HL1 through to 3 in accordance with the fire protection standards EN 45545 as well as EN 50264-3-2.

The CAN cable is suitable for trains and has been designed for indoor and outdoor applications on rail-bound vehicles. It is no longer necessary to have separate cables for power and signal transmission as it combines both capabilities in a single cable. Furthermore, the cable has been designed for indoor as well as for demanding outdoor tasks. One single cable is sufficient to provide the cabling for an entire train, even across couplings. The company offers a range of versions of this cable. It can be shipped within a minimum of time following order approval.

The company explained that their CAN hybrid cables have been designed for rugged outdoor use, withstand long-term temperature exposure in the range from -50 °C to +90 °C, and are resistant against oil and fuels in accordance with the EN 60811-504 and EN 60811-404 standards. Ozone resistance in accordance with EN 50306-4 is provided. In the case of fixed cabling it permits a bending radius of six times the external diameter. Special compounds are used to produce the high-endurance cable, said the company. Aramide fibre braiding provides for tensile strength of the jacket and the inside of the cable.

Fire-protection for rail vehicle

The cable meets fire protection requirements for interior as well as exterior applications on trains in accordance with Hazard Levels HL1 through to 3 of DIN EN 45545-2 and EN 50264-3-2. Among others the cables have been tested for vertical flame spread of vertically-mounted bunched wires or cables (EN 60332-1-2 and EN 60332-3-24), smoke density (EN 61034-2), toxicity of combustion gases (EN 50305), absence of halogen (EN 50267-2-1; EN 60684-2) as well as combustion gas corrosivity (EN 50267-2-2). Due to the low fire load of the cable in accordance with DIN 51900 and low oxygen index (LOI) in accordance with ISO 4589-2 as well as ASTM D 2863, the fire risk is reduced to a minimum, added the company.

Useful to know: CAN

In it’s official press release, the company gave basic knowledge regarding CAN in general: CAN is a real-time capable serial bus system that has been designed for the serial transmission of data. Originally developed by Bosch in the year 1983 for automotive engineering applications its purpose was to minimize the need for wiring harnesses aboard motor vehicles. Over the last years, CAN has become the serial bus system of choice for automation and manufacturing equipment. In keeping with the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO 11898-2 High-Speed Medium Access Unit from 2003) twisted-pair cables with a wave impedance of 95 Ω to 140 Ω are recommended as a network medium.

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