DESTRUCTION OF CABLE INSULATION BY RODENTS AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
Abstract
Very few quantitative records of cable damage by agents have been published, hence, it is difficult to ascertain the extent attributable to rodents and other biological agents. Such damage is probably of relatively minor economic consequence but it can result in the disruption of a military communication at a critical time. Though bare insulated cable is very susceptible to damage by insects and rodents, cable protected by 5-mil steel tape or by 10-mil copper tape is relatively immune to animal attack. Numerous attempts are being made to replace the metal tapes by lighter weight polymeric sheaths to which insect and rodent repellent chemicals have been added. The rodent resistance of the chemically treated sheaths is usually somewhat limited because gnawing rodents possess two paits of lips, an adaptation which enables them to gnaw into material without getting any of the material into their mouths. Nevertheless, statistical analysis discloses that chemical barriers do afford some protection against rodents, and the barriers retard or prevent attack by insects and microorganisms. A well rounded research program on the protection of electrical cables from biological attack was recently initiated at the U. S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Participating laboratories are the U. S. Army Natick Laboratory, Natick, Massachusetts and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Laboratory, Denver, Colorado. Research on the development of termite-proof plastics for general use, including the sheathing of electric cables, is underway at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC and at the Forest Insect Laboratory.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0820728
Entities
People
- Harold P. Vind
Organizations
- Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center