Explaining the parts of a cable gland: how do they work?

Cable glands play an essential role in helping businesses to protect their high-value electrical instrumentation, power supplies and connections against accidental damage. A high-quality cable gland can help to secure a cable connector against water and dust ingress, environmental damage or being knocked loose upon impact.

A cable gland provides a robust fastening and protection system through a relatively simple construction, with the various parts of a cable gland coming together to firmly seal cables and keep your essential systems running at all times, even when they are exposed to the elements.

Here, we will explain the different parts of a cable gland, and how they are fitted together to deliver a highly robust cable armour system that offers first-class environmental protection and strain relief.

What are the different parts of a cable gland?

There are many types of cable glands, and each type of sealing and termination device will be made up of slightly different components, depending on the manufacturer, specification and protection level. However, there are certain core elements that form the basis of how most cable glands function.

Normal cable glands consist of the following parts:

• A central enclosure or gland body, which is the core component through which cables and wires can pass
• A sealing nut to help protect the cable connector against the elements, preventing the ingress of dust, dirt, water, moisture and other damaging contaminants
• An internal claw or cone component to grip the cable and provide strain relief for the connection
• Secure locking nuts and washers that screw into the cable gland threads to provide firm fastening and secure armour clamping

Through a combination of robust internal and external retention sealing rings and fastening nuts, an airtight or watertight sealing mechanism is created by the cable gland, which protects the equipment, prevents cables from being twisted or accidentally dislodged, and delivers essential strain relief.

How do split cable glands and other specialist cable glands work?

There are also a number of other potential parts configurations for cable glands, depending on the needs of the application. Among the most popular types of cable glands beyond the typical configuration are split cable glands, which are specifically designed for routing pre-terminated cables; unlike typical devices, these cable glands consist of two separate gland halves and a split sealing grommet, which can be attached around the cable using a hexagonal locknut.

The two gland halves utilised by split cable glands allow pre-terminated cables to be protected without needing to remove the plugs, while still delivering the high level of ingress protection and physical shielding that users require.

Additionally, there are a number of other specialised cable glands that utilise specific materials to offer particular characteristics that may be required by industrial users. This includes cable glands made using plastics such as PVC and PTFE, which offer greater chemical resistance, or insulating rubber-sheathed cable glands and pressure-resistant nylon models.

In order to ensure that you have the best cable gland for your application, you must make sure that the characteristics and sealing technique used by your chosen cable gland will offer the right level of protection for your electrical power systems, and that the components are sized correctly for the electrical cable you will be using. By investing in the right cable glands for your needs, you will be able to ensure that your electrical connection is properly secured under all circumstances.

Find out more

If you want to know more about Cable Glands or need guidance with selecting a suitable solution for your application, Northern Connectors is here to help.

You can explore the Glands & Cable Protection section of our website, call us on 01744 815001, or complete our online contact form and we will be in touch at the nearest opportunity.