——How Ceramic Silicon Rubber Reshaps a New Fire Prevention Ecology in the Cable Industry——

 

Driven by the global energy transition and digital wave, the safety and reliability of power transmission systems have been elevated to unprecedented heights. As the lifeline of energy flow, the fire resistance performance of cables is directly related to urban operation, industrial production, and even life and property safety. However, the failure of traditional fire-resistant materials in extreme environments has always been a "sword of Damocles" hanging over the industry. The emergence of Ceramic Silicone Rubber (CSR), with its disruptive property of "turning into porcelain when exposed to fire", not only breaks through the performance limits of traditional materials, but also redefines the technological boundaries of cable safety, opening up a silent but profound material revolution.

 

1、 The shackles of traditional security boundaries: the dilemma of fire-resistant materials

 

For a long time, the cable industry has relied on materials such as mica tape and flame-retardant PVC to achieve fire protection, but these materials perform "fragile" at high temperatures:

 

Carbonation and detachment: After exceeding 300 ℃, organic materials rapidly carbonize and lose their insulation properties, leading to a significant increase in the risk of short circuits;

 

Toxicity hazard: During combustion, a large amount of toxic gases such as hydrogen chloride and dioxins are released, exacerbating the secondary hazards of the fire;

 

Passive protection: It can only delay the spread of fire and cannot actively construct a barrier to protect the core conductor of the cable.

 

In a 2019 European subway tunnel fire accident, traditional flame-retardant cables failed at high temperatures, resulting in a power outage of up to 12 hours and direct economic losses exceeding 200 million euros. Such incidents expose the fatal weakness of traditional materials: the safety boundary is limited to "delaying" rather than "blocking".

 

2、 Ceramic silicone rubber: redefining safety logic

 

The birth of ceramicized silicone rubber completely rewrote the underlying logic of fire-resistant materials. This "smart material" is no different from ordinary silicone rubber at room temperature, soft and easy to process; Once exposed to an open flame, initiate the "ceramicization process" and undergo the following reactions at temperatures above 600 ℃:

 

Decomposition of silicone rubber matrix: release of silicon dioxide skeleton;

 

Ceramic precursor melting (such as borate, aluminum silicate);

 

Self assembling into ceramics: The molten material combines with silicon dioxide to form a dense and high-strength ceramic protective layer.

 

This process only takes 3-5 minutes, and the generated ceramic layer can withstand high temperatures above 1200 ℃, with an oxygen index of up to 45%, and a smoke density of less than 15 (traditional materials generally>80). Its core value lies in upgrading from "resisting flames" to "reconstructing barriers" and building an "inorganic armor" for cables in the fire scene.

 

Technological breakthrough points:

 

Temperature adaptive: By directing the distribution of nanoscale ceramic fillers, gradient ceramicization can be achieved under different temperature gradients;

 

Environmental compatibility: It maintains stable performance in harsh environments such as salt spray, humidity, and oil pollution, and is suitable for scenarios such as offshore wind power and chemical parks;

 

Lightweight design: The density is reduced by 30% compared to traditional fireproof coatings, which helps meet the weight reduction needs in fields such as aviation and aerospace.

 

3、 Cross border empowerment: infinite extension of security boundaries

 

The "ceramic gene" of ceramicized silicone rubber enables it to quickly penetrate multiple high safety demand fields and continuously expand its application boundaries:

 

1. New Energy Revolution: Guarding the 'Last Mile' of Green Energy

 

(1) Photovoltaic power station: A photovoltaic project in the Middle East desert successfully withstood the impact of sandstorms and a 50 ℃ day night temperature difference using CSR cables, resulting in a 40% reduction in operation and maintenance costs;

 

(2) Energy storage system: equipped with lithium electric thermal runaway protection, maintaining cable power for 2 hours in case of battery compartment fire, buying time for emergency firefighting;

 

(3) Offshore wind power: Through 3000 hours of salt spray testing, the leakage hazard caused by corrosion of submarine cable joint boxes has been solved.

 

2. Urban lifeline: Building a "safe foundation" for smart cities

 

(1) Rail Transit: After using CSR cables on a subway line in Shanghai, the toxicity of smoke in tunnel fire simulation tests was reduced by 90%, and it obtained LEED green certification;

 

(2) Data center: Huawei Cloud deployed CSR cables in a certain hub, which slowed down the temperature rise rate by 60% during a fire, avoiding server cluster chain downtime;

 

(3) Super high-rise buildings: replace traditional mineral insulated cables, increase construction efficiency by 50%, and meet GB 31247 B1 level flame retardant requirements.

 

3. Great Nation's Heavy Weapons: Breaking through Extreme Environmental Limits

 

(1) Aerospace: The COMAC C929 aircraft uses CSR wiring harness and has passed a 45 minute 1100 ℃ fire resistance test, reducing weight by 25%;

 

(2) Deep sea exploration: The cable of the 10000 meter unmanned underwater vehicle remains flexible in high voltage and low temperature environments, breaking the foreign technology blockade;

 

(3) Nuclear power plant: Radiation resistant CSR materials have been certified by IAEA and are used for reactor emergency shutdown systems.

 

4、 Future Boundaries: From Fireproof Materials to Intelligent Security Systems

 

The evolution of ceramicized silicone rubber has not stopped at "fire resistance". With the cross integration of materials science, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, their security boundaries are extending towards "active defense" and "functional integration":

 

1. Low temperature ceramicization technology

 

Developing a low-temperature formula that works at 400 ℃, responding in advance to early overheating of electrical equipment (such as partial discharge of transformers), and eliminating hidden dangers at the bud.

 

2. Self sensing smart cable

 

Embedding graphene conductive network and fiber optic sensors, CSR cables have real-time temperature and deformation monitoring functions, achieving a closed-loop system of "fire warning automatic isolation status reporting".

 

3. Green Material Revolution

 

Developing bio based silicone rubber (such as castor oil derivatives), combined with recycled ceramic fillers, to promote carbon reduction throughout the entire lifecycle. The EU has included such products in the priority procurement list of the Sustainable Product Eco Design Regulation.

 

4. Digital twin empowerment

 

Optimize the ceramicization kinetics model through fire simulation big data and customize material formulations for different scenarios. The "Digital Ceramic Laboratory" jointly established by a leading enterprise and Tsinghua University has shortened the research and development cycle by 70%.

 

5、 Conclusion: The Elimination and Rebirth of Boundaries

 

The story of ceramicized silicone rubber is a philosophy about "boundaries": it uses the power of materials to build an indestructible physical barrier between fire and electricity; With an innovative attitude, constantly breaking the traditional cognitive boundaries of cost, craftsmanship, and functionality.

 

When safety is no longer a passive defense, but an instinctive response of materials; When cables are no longer silent carriers, but intelligent nerves - this transformation that began with molecular structure will ultimately reshape the relationship between humans and energy. Perhaps the true security boundary lies in the key of "turning stones into ceramics" in the hands of material scientists, as well as their relentless pursuit of exploration.