Telecommunications Grounding and

Bonding Generic
Chandrashekar
Technical Manager (India & SW Asia)

9/10/2014

Purpose and scope of TIA-607-B

TIA-607-B grounding is normative
and applies to entire building, not
just data center

Scopenow
includes
groundingof
ITE

TIA-607-B, Generic
Telecommunications
Bonding and
Grounding (Earthing)
for Customer
Premises, is now
approved!

ScopeofTIA607B

What is TIA-607-B?
Scope:Specifiesrequirementsfora
generictelecommunicationsbonding
andgroundinginfrastructure,andits
interconnectiontoothersystems,for
locationswheretelecommunications
equipmentwillbeorareinstalled
MajorrevisionofJSTD607A:
IncludesG&Boftelecommunications
spaces(distributorsandcomputer
rooms)
Continuedharmonizationefforts(as
practicable)onterminologyand
practiceswithinternationalstandards

Distributors
Computer
Rooms

TGB
TMGB

TBB

Equipment in Cabinets and Racks

TIA-607-B:

Ratherthanrelying
ontheacpowercord
groundwire,itis
desirablethat
equipmentbe
groundedinaverifiable
mannerasdescribedin
thisStandard.
Figure7Exampleofthreemethodstobond
equipmentandrackstoground

Telecommunications Bonding Backbone (TBB)

PurposeofTBBistoreduce
potentialdifferencesbetween
interconnected
telecommunicationssystemson
differentfloors
OriginatesatTMGBandextends
throughoutbuildingusing
telecompathways
ConnectsTGBsthatexistineach
distributor

TIA-607-B TBB sizing

Conductor sizing isnt only about electrical issues

Standards call for a minimum #6

AWG for mechanical strength

Size matters!

Source: Picture from Internet

Supplemental bonding grid construction per TIA-607-B

#6AWGroundwireor2
widecopperstripsbonded
atintersections
Minimumgriddensityis3
m(10ft)centers
Minimum1/0bondto
TGB/TMGB
Examplesupplementalbondinggrid

Example SBG construction

Make aisle grounds
convenient to racks
and cabinets
Cross aisle grounds
every 10 feet
Use #6 AWG wire
Use pedestal
grounding clamps at
conductor
intersections
Bond to AC power
ground through a
local TGB

TEBC to rack connector TIA-607-B

Only 2-hole mechanical is allowed for this
application. Concerns:
(1) Vibration test was done at one amplitude and
frequency, which is different from what data
installations experience
(2) No consideration for temperature fluctuation
(3) No consideration for stress relaxation

Mesh-BN: a collection of components (As per CENELEC documents, includes

TIA-942s Data Center Grounding Infrastructure as the Supplemental
Bonding Network and IEEE Std 1100 calls the MCBN), per TIA-607-B
Buildingsteel

Conduits

Cabling
pathways
(notshown)

Information
technology
equipment(ITE)

Racksand
cabinets
Supplemental
bondinggrid
(SBG)
Rackbonding
conductor
(RBC)

12

Preventing loose busbar connections

BICSI-607 stainless steel TGB hardware

stack-up (requires locking washer, and
stainless or SiBr hardware)
(Parts HDW1/4-KT, HDW3/8-KT)

Two-hole
compression
lugs required
on TGB &
TMGB
(Type LCC-W)

13

BICSI Telecommunications Distributions Methods Manual

(12th) on the TGB andTMGB
The same
considerations as are
found in TIA-607-B

14

ANSI/NECA/BICSI-607-2011 busbars
Panduit
recommendation
on busbar hole
patterns: pick a
pattern and stick
with it. Its
confusing to have
multiple hole
patterns later.
Recommend using
the BICSI/TIA hole
pattern, as it is well
defined and known
in industry.

What else needs to be bonded?

IEEEstudieshaveindicatedthatthepointofdiminishingfinancial
returnswithrespecttolightningstrikesis2meters(6feet)
Bondanythingthatcouldbecomechargedthatapersoncould
bumpwhileworkingonarack/cabinetforsafety
Therefore,bondanyconductivepathwithinsixfeetofyour
racks/cabinets

Bond cable tray and ladder rack sections

Split bolts use tin plated if

outdoors (SBC & SBCT,
respectively)
#6 AWG conductor,
green w/yellow jacket

OR

Specify systems that

automatically bond to
reduce chances of error

Wyr-Grid and GRIDRUNNER

hardware automatically bonds
sections, eliminating the need for
jumper wires

17

Remote zone enclosures and TIA-607-B

TIA607B
DistributorsneedTGB/TMGB
ReferencesTIA568C.0fordefinition
TIA568C.0,4.4Distributors
Distributorsprovidealocationforadministration,reconfiguration,connectionof
equipment,andfortesting.Distributorscanbeconfiguredasinterconnectionsorcross
connections
Figure3ofthesamedocumentshowsdistributorsstartingatActiveequipment
MyconclusionIfithasactiveequipment,thenitneedsgrounding
Sizingtheconductor
ATBB,perTIA607B,originatesattheTMGB.ItbondsTGBstotheTMGB(5.2.4)
ATEBCconnectsrackstotheTMGB/TGB(7.1)
TGBislocatedascloseaspracticabletothepanelboard
TheTEBCshallbeacontinuouscopperconductorthatissizednotlessthanaNo.6
AWGorasthelargestsizeequipmentgroundingconductorinheacbranchpower
circuit(s)servingtheracks/cabinetlineup.

Panduit grounding research

Panduitresearchoverthelasttwoyearshasfoundthepresenceofphaseimbalanceon
thetelecommunicationsgroundingsysteminthesteadystate
Frequenciesarepowerlineandthefirstcoupleofharmonics
Observations:
High building
steel currents
UPSs are at end
of line-up creating
power imbalance
in the ground
conductor
No noticed
network
degradation on the
part of network
operators

Episodic/transient research

CRAC
Panel

Rackbondingconductor

AHSystemsBCP512Probe
(highbandwidth)

TektronixTPS2024

7MHztransientmeasuredonACEGatCRAH,butnotdetectableatclosestrack
Conclusionsofar:meshbondingandseparatecircuitsfromtheACpanelareeffective
meansofmitigatingissueswithtransients
Flatbraidshavenotbeenshowntoofferatangiblebenefitforthisapplication

19

20

Grounding rules of thumb for optimum surge suppression

OptimumperformanceofsurgeprotectorsisachievedatfiveOhmsorbelow.Several
manufacturersofelectronicequipmentalsorequirefivetotenOhms asamaximum
resistancefortheirgeartoworkcorrectly.
DitekTechnicalWhitePaper:Grounding101

21

TIA-607-B-1 - External Grounding

*TR42.16votedtoadoptasnormativeonJune6,2012
Twocategoriesoffacility:
1. Minimumrequirements:maintain25 throughoutyear,recommendsatleasttwo
electrodes
2. Enhancedrequirementsforcriticalfacilities:designedtohave10 orless(and
preferably5 orless)

Publicsafetyfacilities
Militaryinstallations
Datacenters
Webhostingfacilities
Centraloffices

Wheretelecommunicationsequipmentisdistributedthroughoutastructureand
maybeinterconnectedbymetalliclinks,theminimallyrequiredgroundingsystem
maynotbeadequate.Facilitieswithadvancedrequirementsordistributed
equipmentwillbenefitfromtheadditionofabuildingperimetergroundloop.

22

Design specifications, per TIA-607-B-1

Commissionasoilresistivitystudy
Themostcommonmethodofmeasuringaveragesoilresistivityisthefourpointmethod
Requireaseriesofreadingsindifferentlocationstogetabetterideaofthesoilconditions

Requiremeasurementsofthegroundsystemresistanceasverificationofthedesign
3polefallofpotentialmethod(ifroomisavailable,andthegroundisnotconnectedtothe
powersystem)
Clamponmeter

23

TIA-607-B-1 potential equalization design highlights

Summary