Cable Prepartion

Question 1

What is one of the most common causes of underground electrical system outages?

Answer 1

Failure of cable accessories (splices, terminations, and elbows)

Studies have shown that many of these failures are due to poor workmanship during cable preparation.

Question 2

What is the primary reason for cable accessory failures according to studies?

Answer 2

Poor workmanship during cable preparation

Most well-trained installers do not experience failures attributed to their workmanship.

Question 3

What type of training is essential for installing cable accessories?

Answer 3

Skilled workers trained in the theory and practice of installing medium and high voltage shielded cables and accessories.

Question 4

Fill in the blank: Insulation cuts are the _______ cause of cable accessory failures.

Answer 4

number one

Question 5

What is critical when making a tape splice?

Answer 5

A full, smooth taper from the conductor to the insulation’s outside diameter.

Question 6

What is the common practice for cutting cable layers during preparation?

Answer 6

Score about 2∕3 of the way through the layer to be removed.

Question 7

What are the six layers of cable that must be dealt with during preparation?

Answer 7

Jacket, metallic shield, semi-conducting insulation shield, insulation, conductor

Each layer must be carefully removed without damaging the underlying layers.

Question 8

What is one of the most important traditional hand tools for cable preparation?

Answer 8

Knife

A knife is essential for precision scoring, slitting, and cutting jobs.

Question 9

What type of knife blade is useful for precision work in cable preparation?

Answer 9

Hook blade and square tip blade.

Question 10

What is the purpose of a wood six-foot folding ruler in cable preparation?

Answer 10

Works well for marking cable cut-backs.

Question 11

True or False: A sharp knife is considered unsafe in cable preparation.

Answer 11

False

Question 12

What is the function of a tubing cutter in cable preparation?

Answer 12

Make clean square cuts on the cables outer jacket

Question 13

What do outside calipers measure during cable preparation?

Answer 13

Outside diameters of cables and taping thicknesses.

Question 14

What is the specialty tool called that functions like an oversized pencil sharpener?

Answer 14

Penciling Tool.

Question 15

What is a speed stripper used for?

Answer 15

Removing cable insulation.

Question 16

What must be done to the cable jacket during preparation?

Answer 16

Removed by scoring it at the cut-back dimension.

Question 17

What is a critical step in removing the semi-conducting insulation shield?

Answer 17

Proper removal to avoid air voids.

Question 18

What type of cable shields are commonly named after?

Answer 18

Their shield type (e.g., tape shield, wire shield).

Question 19

What is the consequence of damaging the underlying neutrals during jacket removal?

Answer 19

It will de-rate and compromise the circuit.

Question 20

What is the recommended method for removing insulation from cables?

Answer 20

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Question 21

Fill in the blank: The insulation pencil is essential for ensuring _______ during a tape splice.

Answer 21

no air voids

Question 22

What is the purpose of cleaning the cable insulation after removal?

Answer 22

To ensure it can perform its job without semi-conducting residue.

Question 23

What should be done if irregularities are found on the insulation?

Answer 23

Smooth them out using a non-conductive abrasive.

Question 24

What type of solvent should be used for cable cleaning?

Answer 24

Proper solvent designated for cable cleaning.

Question 25

True or False: It is acceptable to use lead pencils for marking on cables.

Answer 25

False

Question 26

What is the purpose of smoothing out irregularities found on the insulation?

Answer 26

To ensure proper cable preparation ## Footnote Irregularities can affect the performance and integrity of the cable.

Question 27

What type of solvent should be used for cable cleaning?

Answer 27

A proper solvent designated for cable cleaning ## Footnote Using the correct solvent is crucial to avoid damaging the insulation.

Question 28

What should be avoided when using solvent for cable cleaning?

Answer 28

Contact with insulation shield or strand shield semi-conducting layers ## Footnote Such contact can re-contaminate the cable insulation.

Question 29

What type of rag is recommended for cleaning the cable insulation?

Answer 29

A clean, lint-free, white rag ## Footnote White rags highlight removed residue and do not contaminate the solvent.

Question 30

What is a key indicator that insulation is clean when using a rag?

Answer 30

When the rag no longer shows color residue ## Footnote This confirms that the insulation has been properly cleaned.

Question 31

What type of solvent should not be used for cable cleaning?

Answer 31

A toxic and dangerous solvent ## Footnote Caution should also be exercised with flammable solvents.

Question 32

What can excessive use of solvent lead to?

Answer 32

Degradation of shielding layers ## Footnote Excessive solvent may flow under shielding layers.

Question 33

What is the recommended abrasive cloth type for cleaning cable insulation?

Answer 33

Electrical grade abrasive cloth ## Footnote Aluminum oxide abrasive, 120 grit, is commonly recommended.

Question 34

What method should be used for abrading cable insulation?

Answer 34

The shoe shine method ## Footnote This method helps maintain the cable's radial shape.

Question 35

Which materials should be avoided for abrading cable insulation?

Answer 35

Sandpaper or emery cloth ## Footnote These materials may leave conductive particles embedded.

Question 36

What is the consequence of damaging conductor strands during insulation removal?

Answer 36

Reduced cable's current-carrying capability ## Footnote This can result in a weak link in the circuit and accessory failure.

Question 37

What should a Qualified Electrical Worker do if a cable preparation job must be stopped?

Answer 37

Apply a layer of protection over the exposed cable ## Footnote This can include vinyl electrical tape or a plastic bag.

Question 38

Why is cable preparation critical for splice, termination, or elbow installations?

Answer 38

Most field failures are caused by poor workmanship in cable preparation ## Footnote Skilled workers understand the theory and practice of working with cables.

Question 39

What is a sign of a well-trained Qualified Electrical Worker?

Answer 39

They do not have problems with their work causing failures ## Footnote They possess the skills and quality tools needed for the job.

Question 40

Before training a cable into position, the cable end should be thoroughly inspected and it is also important that the cable be ? .

Answer 40

Free of contamination and moisture

Question 41

After reading the written instructions and studying the drawing, the workman should write the ? on the drawing.

Answer 41

Dimensions for the specific cable and voltage

Question 42

The most common cable jackets are rubber or thermoplastic and ? .

Answer 42

Metallic

Question 43

For cleaning a cable jacket, a cable cleaning solvent is recommended.

Answer 43

False

Question 44

Two methods that can be used for penciling the cable insulation include using a sharp knife and non-conductive abrasive cloth, and using a ? .

Answer 44

Mechanical penciling tool

Question 45

The number one problem found when removing the semi-conductor from the insulation of the cable is ? .

Answer 45

ring cuts too deep into the insulation

Question 46

The ? is the outermost layer that is stepped during cable preparation.

Answer 46

Jacket

Question 47

The two knife blades that are recommended for cable preparation are the hook blade and the ? blade; both provide good control for precision scoring, slitting, and cutting.

Answer 47

Square tip

Question 48

A wood folding ruler and a(n) ? caliper are two measuring tools that should be included in a cable splicing toolbox.

Answer 48

Outside

Question 49

When cutting off the end of a large diameter cable (e.g. a 15-kilovolt, 3-conductor, 500 kcmil, interlocked armor cable), a ? would be a good traditional hand tool choice for making the cut square.

Answer 49

Hacksaw

Question 50

A craftsman would include a roll of cotton chalk line with his or her cable preparation tools because it works well for cutting through polyethylene insulations, cuts fast, and will not damage the underlying conductor.

Answer 50

True

Question 51

The layer of a cable that a stripping tool, such as the speed stripper, is designed to remove is the ? .

Answer 51

Insulation

Question 52

Scoring tools are primarily used for removing the semi-conducting layer of cable.

Answer 52

True

Question 53

When preparing a concentric neutral cable, care must be taken to not damage or break off any of the neutral strands, because damage to the individual neutral strands will ? .

Answer 53

De-rate and compromise the circuit

Question 54

A common field practice to protect the metallic shielding and semi-conducting layer of a three-conductor armored cable from being damaged by the cut-back edge of armor is to leave a(n) ? .

Answer 54

short length of the cable’s filler material extending beyond the armor cutback

Question 55

A ? is sometimes specified for ring-cutting the semi-conducting insulation shield instead of ring-scoring it with a knife or scoring tool.

Answer 55

Round file

Question 56

Before starting the installation of a splice, termination, or elbow, the prepared cable (semi-conducting shields and insulation) should be washed down with a cable cleaning solvent.

Answer 56

False

Question 57

The abrasive cloth used when preparing cable insulation is to be of ? grit

Answer 57

120

Question 58

The abrasive cloth to use when preparing cable insulation must be ? .

Answer 58

Electrical grade

Question 59

The abrasive cloth used when preparing cable insulation must be made of abrasive aluminum oxide.

Answer 59

True

Question 60

A cable’s strand shielding layer is not stepped like the other layers of the cable. It is removed during the insulation removal step because the strand shield and insulation layers are bonded together and are removed as a single piece.

Answer 60

True