AS 3865—1991

(Incorporating Amendment No. 1)

Australian Standard®
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Calculation of the effects of short-

circuit currents
 This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee EL/7, Power Switchgear. It was
approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 11 October 1990 and published
on 10 June 1991.

The following interests are represented on Committee EL/7:

Australian-British Chamber of Commerce

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Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association

Confederation of Australian Industry

Electricity Supply Association of Australia

Institution of Engineers, Australia

Railways of Australia Committee

Testing authorities

Workcover Authority, New South Wales

Review of Australian Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Australian Standards are subject to
periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important
therefore that Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any amendments thereto.
Full details of all Australian Standards and related publications will be found in the Standards Australia Catalogue
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Suggestions for improvements to Australian Standards, addressed to the head office of Standards Australia, are
welcomed. Notification of any inaccuracy or ambiguity found in an Australian Standard should be made without
delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action taken.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 89091.

 AS 3865—1991
(Incorporating Amendment No. 1)

Australian Standard®
This is a free 6 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Calculation of the effects of short-

circuit currents

First published as AS 3865—1991.

Reissued incorporating Amendment No. 1 (July 2003).

PUBLISHED BY STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

(STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA)
1 THE CRESCENT, HOMEBUSH, NSW 2140
ISBN 0 7262 6629 9
 AS 3865—1991 2

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee on power switchgear, for
the calculation of the effects of short-circuit currents in both high and low voltage
equipment, busbar systems and assemblies.

This Standard incorporates Amendment No. 1 (July 2003). The changes required by the
Amendment are indicated in the text by a marginal bar and amendment number against the
clause, note, table, figure or part thereof affected.

It is based on IEC 865 (1986), Calculation of the effects of short-circuit currents, and on
IEC document 73(Secretariat)30, Revision of IEC Publication 865 (1986). Acknowledgment
is made of the assistance received from these sources.

This Standard is set out in a different format from that of IEC 865, with Sections 1 and 4
added.
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This Standard is not technically equivalent to IEC 865, as Section 3 has been substantially
amended to cover the thermal effects of short-circuit currents on the basis of the joule
integral (I2t).

It is intended to be used in conjunction with AS 3851, The calculation of short-circuit

currents in three-phase a.c. systems.

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 3 AS 3865—1991

CONTENTS

Page

SECTION 1 SCOPE AND GENERAL

1.1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 NOTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5 PROCEDURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.6 MODES OF FAILURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.7 SHORT-CIRCUIT CURRENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

SECTION 2 ELECTROMAGNETIC EFFECT ON RIGID AND

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FLEXIBLE CONDUCTORS
2.1 GENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 MECHANICAL FORCES DUE TO SHORT-CIRCUIT CURRENTS . . 7
2.3 CALCULATION OF STRESSES IN RIGID CONDUCTORS AND
FORCES ON SUPPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 CALCULATION OF EFFECTS ON FLEXIBLE CONDUCTORS OF
CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.5 STRUCTURE LOADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

SECTION 3 THERMAL EFFECT ON CONDUCTORS AND ELECTRICAL

EQUIPMENT
3.1 GENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.2 CALCULATION OF TEMPERATURE RISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

SECTION 4 COMPARISON WITH TESTS AT RATINGS OTHER THAN

THOSE REQUIRED
4.1 GENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.2 PEAK CURRENT TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.3 R.M.S. CURRENT TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.4 THE I2t JOULE INTEGRAL TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.5 ACCEPTABILITY OF TEST RESULTS AT OTHER RATINGS . . . . . 31
4.6 CASCADED CURRENT LIMITING DEVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

APPENDICES
A WORKED EXAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
B EQUATIONS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . 38
C NOTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
 AS 3865—1991 4

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Australian Standard
Calculation of the effects of short-circuit currents

SECTION 1 SCOPE AND GENERAL

1.1 SCOPE This Standard specifies standardized procedures for the determination of the effects of
short-circuit currents on a.c. electrical equipment by either—

(a) separate calculations for the electromagnetic and thermal effects, when test results are not available; or

(b) when test results are available for other than the required system conditions, by interpolation.
NOTE: These standardized procedures are adjusted for practical requirements and contain simplifications with a margin of safety.
Testing at the required rating, more precise detailed methods of calculation, or both, may be used.
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1.2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this Standard:

AS
3008 Electrical installations—Selection of cables
3008.1 Part 1: Cables for alternating voltages up to and including 0.6/1 kV
3851 The calculation of short-circuit currents in three-phase a.c. systems
IEC
949 Calculation of thermally permissible short-circuit currents, taking into account non-adiabatic heating
effects.

1.3 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard the definitions given in AS 3851 and those below
apply:
1.3.1 Main conductor—conductor or the composite arrangement of a number of conductors which carries
the total current in one phase.
1.3.2 Sub-conductor—a conductor which carries a portion of the total current in one phase and is part of
the main conductor.
1.3.3 Support—an insulating device between a main conductor and the earthed structure or between main
conductors.
NOTE: Under the action of electromagnetic forces between conductors, in the given position, the support may be exposed to bending,
tension, and compression.
1.3.4 Fixed support—support which does not permit angular movement of the conductor at the supported
point.
1.3.5 Simple support—support which permits angular movement of the conductor.
1.3.6 Connecting piece—any additional mass within a span which does not belong to the uniform conductor
material. This includes, among other things, spacers, stiffening elements, bar overlappings and branchings.
1.3.7 Spacer—mechanical element between rigid or flexible conductors which, at the point of installation,
prevents the movement of sub-conductors towards each other.
1.3.8 Stiffening element—spacer intended to prevent any movement between rigid sub-conductors at its point
of installation.
1.3.9 Fixing device—part by means of which conductors are directly or indirectly fixed. This includes fixing
clamps, support insulators and substructures.
1.3.10 Short-circuit tensile force (Ft)—maximum tensile force reached in a flexible conductor during a
short-circuit.
1.3.11 Drop force (Ff)—maximum value of the tensile force in a flexible conductor which occurs when a
span drops down after an out-swing.
1.3.12 Short-circuit duration (Tk1)—duration of the first short-circuit current flow.

COPYRIGHT
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AS 3865-1991, Calculation of the effects of

short-circuit currents
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