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2022 13:57 Shielded cable - Wikipedia

Shielded cable
A shielded cable or screened cable is an electrical cable
that has a common conductive layer around its conductors for
electromagnetic shielding.[1] This shield is usually covered by
an outermost layer of the cable. Common types of cable
shielding can most broadly be categorized as foil type
(hereunder: metallised film), contraspiralling wire strands
(braided or unbraided) or both.[2] A longitudinal wire may be
necessary with dielectric spiral foils to short out each turn.[1]

The shield acts as a Faraday cage – a surface that reflects

electromagnetic radiation. This reduces both the interference Four-conductor shielded cable with
from outside noise onto the signals and the signals from metal foil shield and drain wire.
radiating out and potentially disturbing other devices (see
electromagnetic compatibility). To be effective against electric
fields (see also capacitive coupling), the shield must be
grounded.[3] The shield should be electrically continuous to
maximize effectiveness, including any cable splices. For high
frequency signals (above a few megahertz), this extends to
connectors and enclosures, also circumferentially: The cable
shielding needs to be circumferentially connected to the
enclosure, if any, through the connector or cable gland.[1][4][5]

Some types of shielded cable use the shield as the return path Coaxial cable.
for the signal. As contrasting examples, coaxial cable does,
whereas twinax cable does not.

High voltage power cables with solid insulation are shielded to protect the cable
insulation, people and equipment.

Contents Electronic
symbol for a
Types shielded wire
Signal cables
Applications
Power cables
See also
References

Types
There are many types of cable shields available commercially, and usage depends on the
application.

Combination shields

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Foil Shields
Metallic Braid Shields
Spiral Shields
Serve Shields
Tape Shields
Screen Shields

Signal cables
The best way to wire shielded cables for screening is to ground the shield at both ends of the
cable.[6] Traditionally there existed a rule of thumb to ground only the source end of the shield to
avoid ground loops. Best practice is to ground at both ends, but there is a possibility of ground
loops. In airplanes, special cable is used with both an outer shield to protect against lightning and
an inner shield grounded at one end to eliminate hum from the 400 Hz power system.[7]

Applications

The use of shielded cables in security systems provides some protection from power frequency and
radio frequency interference, reducing the number of false alarms being generated. The best
practice is to keep data or signal cables physically separated by at least 3 inches (75mm) from
'heavy' power circuits which are in parallel.

Analog signal cable used in professional audio applications is usually shielded twisted pair cable
terminated in XLR connectors. The twisted pair carries the signal in a balanced audio
configuration. The audio multicore cable laid from the stage to the mixing console is also shielded.

Consumers use screened copper wire with one central conductor in an unbalanced configuration.

Power cables
Medium and high-voltage power cables, in circuits over 2000 volts, usually have a shield layer of
copper or aluminium tape or conducting polymer. If an unshielded insulated cable is in contact
with earth or a grounded object, the electrostatic field around the conductor will be concentrated
at the contact point, resulting in corona discharge, and eventual destruction of the insulation.
Leakage current and capacitive current through the insulation presents a danger of electrical
shock. The grounded shield equalizes electrical stress around the conductor, diverts any leakage
current to ground. Stress relief cones should be applied at the shield ends, especially for cables
operating at more than 2 kV to earth.

Shields on power cables may be connected to earth ground at each shield end and at splices for
redundancy to prevent shock even though induced current will flow in the shield. This current will
produce losses and heating and will reduce the maximum current rating of the circuit. Tests show
that having a bare grounding conductor adjacent to the insulated wires will conduct the fault
current to earth more quickly. On high-current circuits the shields might be connected only at one
end. On very long high-voltage circuits, the shield may be broken into several sections since a long
shield run may rise to dangerous voltages during a circuit fault. There is a risk of shock hazard
from having only one end of the shield grounded. The maximum recommended shield potential
rise is 25 volts. IEEE 422 and 525 lists the cable lengths that would limit shield potential to 25
volts for a single point ground application.[8][9][10]

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Size Conductor One Cable per Duct (ft) Three Cables per Duct (ft)

1/0 AWG 1250 4500

2/0 AWG 1110 3970

4/0 AWG 865 3000

250 kcmil 815 2730

350 kcmil 710 2260

400 kcmil 655 2100

500 kcmil 580 1870

750 kcmil 510 1500

1000 kcmil 450 -

2000 kcmil 340 -

See also
Electromagnetic shielding
Speaker wire
Door loop, a method for mechanically protecting electric cabling to a door

References
1. "EMC techniques in electronic design Part 2 - Cables and Connectors" (https://www.emcstand
ards.co.uk/files/part_2_text_and_graphics_21_may_09.pdf) (PDF). May 2009. Retrieved
2022-04-18. "For good shielding performance, the electrical bonding between a cable’s shield
and the shields of its connectors or glands and any shielded enclosures should have no gaps
in it either. This means that there should be a seamless low-impedance electrical connection
all around the perimeter or circumference of the electrical joint. This is often referred to as 360°
shield bonding (even when the connector or gland isn’t circular), and it applies between a
cable shield and connector shield, the shields of two mating connectors and between the
shield of a connector and the metal chassis or structure it is mounted on."
2. "Popular Shielding Types" (https://www.iewc.com/resources/technical-guide/popular-shielding-t
ypes). 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
3. "Shield Grounding" (https://www.dataforth.com/shield-grounding.aspx). Retrieved 2019-02-28.
4. "Introduction to electromagnetic compatibility" (https://www.analog.com/media/ru/training-semi
nars/tutorials/mt-095.pdf) (PDF). Analog Devices. May 2009. Retrieved 2022-04-18. "In
summary, for protection against low-frequency (<1 MHz) electric-field interference, grounding
the shield at one end is acceptable. For high-frequency interference (>1 MHz), the preferred
method is grounding the shield at both ends, using 360° circumferential bonds between the
shield and the connector, and maintaining metal-to-metal continuity between the connectors
and the enclosure."
5. "Effectiveness of Shield Termination Techniques Tested with TEM Cell and Bulk Current
Injection" (https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20090033805/downloads/20090033805.pdf)
(PDF). NASA. 2009. Retrieved 2022-04-18. "Although it has long been known that pigtail
shield connections underperform 360° termination methods, our experiments indicated that
pigtails were typically worse by more than 35 dB for frequencies above a few MHz."
6. "Bonding Cable Shields at Both Ends to Avoid Noise" (http://www.compliance-club.com/archiv
e/old_archive/020514.htm).
7. "Aero 10 - Loop Resistance Tester" (http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_1
0/loop_textonly.html). 090528 boeing.com
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8. Thomas P. Arnold; C. David Mercier (1997). Southwire Company Power Cable Manual (2 ed.).
Carrollton, GA 30119: Southwire Company.
9. IEEE 422: IEEE Guide for the Design and Installation of Cable Systems in Power Generating
Stations
10. IEEE 525: IEEE Guide for the Design and Installation of Cable Systems in Substations

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