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Chapter 4 Grounding Regulations

4.1 Concept of Grounding

4.1.1 General

Grounding is one of the key approaches to improving the electromagnetic

compatibility of the electronic equipment. Proper grounding can suppress not only the
negative effect of interference, but also the interference of the equipment to the
outside. Improper grounding sometimes will generate severe interference, making the
equipment work abnormally. For different types of equipment and same type of
equipment working in different environments, grounding requirements are different.

There are two meanings for "Ground" in electronic equipment. One is "System
Reference Ground" and another is the "Earth". The so-called "System Reference
Ground" is the reference conductor of the signal loop or the reference electric
potential of the zero voltage of the system power supply, i.e., "System ground". But
the "Earth" means the grounding device, composed of metal cases and cables of
electronic equipment, etc., is connected to the earth via grounding cables and
grounding poles (bars). Grounding discussed in this book refers to "connected to the
earth".

There are two purposes for grounding. One is for safety. According to the electric
application rules, the metal case of the electronic equipment must be connected to
the earth to avoid danger caused by the failure of insulation or the electric leakage.
Another is to suppress interference. For example, the connection of the system
ground of the electronic equipment to the earth can provide a stable reference
potential for the signal loop, and the connection of the shielding layer to the earth can
suppress the interference of the changing electric field.

4.1.2 Types and Methods of Grounding

Normally, many parts in an electronic equipment system need to be grounded. Most

of them should be separated into a number of independent grounding subsystems,
and then connected together to make an overall grounding. The following three

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grounding subsystems are the most popular ones, which are also called three types
of grounding busbars.
 Protection grounding cable
It is the grounding cable of the mental case of the equipment.
 System grounding cable
It is the grounding cable of the reference conductor of the signal loop or zero voltage
reference potential.
 Shielding-layer grounding cable
It is the grounding cable of the shielding layers of cable and transformer etc.

Each grounding subsystem has many types of grounding modes, which are described
respectively as follows:
 Protection grounding
There are two grounding modes for the protection grounding of electric equipment.
One is zero-line protection, which is mostly used in the three-phase four-line power
distribution system. Normally it coordinates with the protection circuit. When a phase
line contacts the case, there will be a large short circuit current flowing back to the
power supply via the protection ground. The protection circuit will react to this and cut
off the power. Another is protection ground, which is normally used in single-phase
electric equipment or electronic equipment of small capacity.
 System grounding
There are three types of system grounding modes in electronic equipment. The first is
float grounding mode, i.e., it is not grounded to the earth but floats freely, as shown in
Figure 4-1.

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Power cable

Electronic Electronic Electronic

circuitry circuitry circuitry

System grounding cable

Figure 4-1 Float grounding mode

The advantages of this mode are as follows. If the float grounding system has a large
resistance to the ground and a small distribution capacitance to the ground, the
interference current caused by the external common mode interference is small.
Generally, this mode is adopted in the case of a small control system or low speed
device. But for large electronic equipment, distribution capacitance to the ground
increases accordingly with the increase of working speed and the expansion of the
equipment. When the system reference potential is unstable due to interference,
displacement current will occur via the capacitance to ground, making the equipment
operate improperly. In addition, when static induction or lightning strike occurs, very
high potential difference is generated between the control loop and the mental case of
the equipment. This will possibly cause the poorly insulated part to have arc
discharge or be broken down. So, for large electronic equipment or complicated
systems, the second grounding mode (direct earthing mode) is generally used. The
third is capacitance grounding mode, i.e. the system is connected to the earth via a
capacitance. The grounding capacitance provides a path to the ground for the high
frequency interference component. It can suppress the effect of the distribution
capacitance, but it is still short-circuit for the low frequency. When a DC component or
low frequency potential difference exists between the system ground and the earth,
the capacitance grounding mode can be adopted. Therefore, the capacitance should
have better high frequency characteristics and voltage endurance (withstanding).
Generally, the capacitance is 2~10 nF.
 Shield-layer grounding

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Only when the shielding layer of twisted-pair cable or coaxial cable used for signal
transmission is grounded to the earth can the transmitted signal be protected from the
external interference. The shielding layer can only suppress static induction. Its
principle is shown in Figure 4-2.

Shielding A
B C2 A

C1

EN C1 C3 UN C2

Figure 4-2 Shielding layer grounding

In Figure 4-2, A is the noise source. Its noise voltage and capacitance are U N and C3.
B is the inducted signal line. Its capacitance to the ground and to A are C1 and C2
respectively. EN is the noise induction potential. It can be expressed in the following
formula:

C2
EN = UN
C1 + C 2

The shorter the distance between A and B, the larger C2 is and the larger the noise
voltage EN is. Nevertheless, if the signal line B has a shielding layer and is grounded,
the induced noise potential is always zero. If the shielding layer is not grounded, the
signal line can still be affected by partial induction potential due to the distribution
capacitance existing between the shielding layer and the signal line.

In addition, the grounding of the shielding layer can suppress the signal line from
radiating noise to the outside, as shown in Figure 4-2. If the shielding layer of the
noise source A is grounded, its noise voltage to the earth is zero. Thus it can not
generate induction voltage to B.

Shielding layer made of non-magneto-conductive material, such as copper and

aluminum, can only suppress static induction noise. If magnetic induction noise
should be prevented, material with high magneto-conductivity (magneto-conductive
rate), such as iron, should be used for the shielding layer.

In case of either system grounding or shielding-layer grounding, one-point grounding

mode is used normally, i.e., earthing via a grounding pole. This is because of the

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existence of grounding resistance. When the current flows to the earth, potential of
the grounding pole and the earth around it will increase, causing the potential change
of the equipment ground. Therefore, potential difference always exists between two
separate grounding points far away from each other, as shown in Figure 4-3.

U1 U2
Signal line

Signal return line

O1 O2

G1 IN G2
UN

Figure 4-3 Potential difference between two grounding points

The system grounds of two units U 1 and U2 are connected to the earth at a nearby
place respectively. Potential difference UN exists at the grounding points G1 and G2,
thus generating interference current IN. Because of the effect of various factors,
potential around the grounding pole will change greatly. For example, the voltage can
be up to between 1 kV and 2 kV when there is a lightning strike, making the system
have a large interference current instantly, which thus affects the normal operation of
the system. In addition, the system ground or the shielding ground forms a closed
loop with the grounding cable and the earth. Interference current can be generated in
the loop under the effect of magnetic induction. So in the actual magnetic
environment, one-point grounding mode is generally adopted.

For high frequency signal or interference, the shielding layer also adopts the two-end
grounding or multi-point grounding mode normally. This is because, for high
frequency signal or high frequency interference, even a short grounding cable has
great impedance and causes a voltage drop at a high frequency. And because of the
effect of the distribution capacitance, it is indeed difficult to adopt "one-point
grounding". Therefore, either the two-end grounding or multi-point grounding mode is
adopted to reduce grounding impedance and eliminate distribution capacitance. For
example, when the length of the cable is 1/4 that of the signal wave, the signal will
generate standing wave on its shielding layer and become a noise transmission
antenna. In this case, the two-end grounding mode should be adopted to suppress
the noise transmission. Furthermore, the shielding layer of some sensitive high
frequency input cables should also adopt the two-end grounding mode so as to
reduce the area of the grounding loop.

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For the small-capacity BSC, the radiation one-point grounding mode should be
adopted, as shown in Figure 4-4. That is to connect various parts that need to be
grounded to the grounding pole via grounding cables. Thus interference due to
common impedance and closed loop of the grounding can be avoided.

U1 U2 U3

Figure 4-4 Radiation one-point grounding mode

When the system has many grounding cables, the trunk grounding mode can be
adopted. That is to use a conductor with a sufficient cross sectional area as the
grounding busbar and connect it directly to the grounding pole. The various parts that
need to be grounded can be connected to the busbar nearby, as shown in Figure 4-5.

U1 U2 U3

Figure 4-5 Trunk grounding mode

4.2 M900/M1800 BSC System Grounding

4.2.1 Grounding of Assembled Cabinets

I. General rules

 This regulation applies to the lightning protection and grounding design for the
BSC products made by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

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 The lightning protection and grounding design shall take into consideration the
personal and equipment safety, and normal operation of communications
equipment.
 The lightning protection and grounding design shall also comply with relevant
national specifications.
 In case there is difficulty in implementing some items of this regulation, a full
statement of the reasons shall be given in the design documents, and solutions
should be prepared and submitted to related authorities for approval.
 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is entitled to the power of interpretation regarding
this regulation.

II. General principle

 The grounding cable, as thick and short as possible, shall be made of copper
conducting wire so as to minimize high-frequency impedance.
 The grounding terminal should be secured with bolts to ensure good contact.
 To reduce mutual interference, the grounding cables shall not be in parallel to or
wound up with signal cables.
 The BSC system shall adopts joint grounding, the grounding cables of the
cabinets of the same module shall be securely jointed to form an equipotential
body.

III. Grounding of the BSC Equipment

1) Grounding interconnection in the cabinet

 To ensure equal potential between the work grounding cables (GND) and
protection grounding cables (PGND) etc. in the cabinet, the grounding cables
shall be combined into one on the top of the cabinet (which was already
completed prior to delivery).
 Grounding of rack body. The rack and PGND shall be connected via a short
conducting wire prior to delivery. The cable shall be no less than 6 mm 2 in cross
sectional area. One end of the short conducting wire is secured onto the PGND
terminal with bolts, and the other end to the rack body with bolts.
2) Grounding interconnection between cabinets
 Grounding interconnection between adjacent racks
During installation, the racks in the same row shall be securely connected via bolts
and washers.
 Grounding interconnection between cabinets on the cabinet top
To ensure equal earth potential for all the cabinets of the same module, the GNDs of
the cabinets of the same module shall be interconnected via copper wires on the top

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of cabinets. The interconnecting cables shall be 25 mm 2 in cross sectional area and
1400 mm in length, as shown in Figure 4-6.
 Busbar interconnection between cabinets
The grounding cables of various cabinets of the same module shall be interconnected
via a busbar short wire no less than 2 mm 2 in cross sectional area and 200 mm in
length. The two ends of the short wire are connected respectively to the GNDs of the
busbars of adjacent cabinets, as shown in Figure 4-6.
 Grounding interconnection when combining assembled and welded cabinets
When assembled cabinets and welded cabinets coexist in the same module and are
placed side by side, the +5 V GND of the power distribution box of the welded cabinet
shall be connected to the GND of the power distribution box of the assembled cabinet
with a short conducting wire.
 Cabinet grounding
From each cabinet one GND wire and one PGND wire shall be led out and connected
respectively to the GND and the PGND copper bars of the DC distribution cabinet (or
power distribution box).

The GND copper bar of the DC distribution cabinet (or power distribution box) shall be
connected to the GND terminal of the DC distribution panel via the black plastic
insulated copper core GND busbar. The PGND copper bar of the DC distribution
cabinet (or power distribution box) shall be connected to the PGND terminal of the
equipment room via two-color (yellow & green) plastic insulated copper core PGND
busbar.

The grounding cable of the cabinet shall be no less than 25 mm 2 in cross sectional
area. The cross sectional area of the grounding busbar shall be calculated based on
engineering design, but the cross sectional area of the grounding busbar of the DC
distribution cabinet shall be no less than 240 mm 2 and that of the power distribution
box shall be no less than 90 mm2.

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(1)

-48V1
-48V2

-48V1
-48V2

-48V1
-48V2
PGND

PGND

PGND
GND

GND

GND
-48V1

-48V2
(2)
GND (4) (4) (4)

PGND

(3)

(1) DC high resistance cabinet or power distribution box (2) To DC distribution panel
(3) Protection grounding bar of the equipment room (4) Assembled cabinet

Figure 4-6 Grounding of assembled cabinets

3) Grounding of signal cables

The shielding layer of the HW cables or DT8K cables in shielded cable shall be
grounded at both ends.
4) Grounding of BAM
The power supply to the embedded industrial-computer BAM shall be led directly in
from the –48 V and GND of the BSC busbar, so as to share GND with the BSC.

Standalone server BAM, which operates on 220 V power supply, shall share the GND
with the BSC via an inverter.
5) Grounding of alarm box
The power supply to the alarm box shall be led in directly from the –48 V and GND of
the BSC busbar to share GND with the BSC.

For the DC power supply of GM12 alarm box, the alarm box can support 110 V/220 V
power and at the lower right corner of it there is a 3-Phase socket. To connect to the
DC power supply, only a matching 3-Phase socket is needed for the connection and
the ground of the 3-Phase socket is adopted for its grounding.
6) Grounding of terminal equipment and their connection cables
For the terminal equipment connecting the BSC, their AC power supply PGND shall
be connected to the shell of the BSC. In other words, the PE end of the connector

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card shall be disconnected from the AC neutral line and then connected to the
grounding cable from the BSC GND.

IV. Connection between BSC equipment and other equipment

 Connection between the BSC and transmission equipment

The shielding layer of the cable connecting the BSC and transmission equipment
shall be grounded at both ends (the transmitting end shall be securely grounded while
the receiving end can be disconnected).

V. Earth resistance value

The office where the BSC is located shall adopt joint grounding, with the earth
resistance value less than 1 .

4.2.2 Grounding of Welded Cabinets

I. General principle

 The grounding cable, as coarse and short as possible, shall be made of copper
conducting wire so as to minimize high-frequency impedance.
 The grounding terminal should be secured with bolts to ensure good contact.
 To reduce mutual interference, the grounding cables shall not be in parallel or
wound up with signal cables.
 The BSC system shall adopt joint grounding, and the grounding cables of the
cabinets of the same module shall be securely jointed together to form an
equipotential body.

II. Grounding of BSC equipment

1) Grounding interconnection in the cabinet

 To ensure the equal potential between digital grounding cables (+5 VGND), work
grounding cables (GND) and protection grounding cables (PGND) in the cabinet,
the three kinds of grounding cables should be combined into one at the top of the
cabinet.
 Connection between GND and +5 VGND
Before delivery, GND and +5 VGND were already interconnected in the power
distribution box at the top of the cabinet.
 Connection between PGND and GND
Before delivery, PGND and GND were already connected with a short conducting
wire whose core is 6 mm2 in cross sectional area and 150 mm in length.

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 Grounding of rack body
Upon factory delivery, the rack was already connected with PGND by a short
conducting wire whose cross section area is no less than 6 mm 2. One end of the short
conducting wire shall be securely connected to the PGND grounding terminal, while
the other end to onto the rack with bolts.
2) Grounding interconnection between cabinets
 Interconnection between adjacent racks
During on-site installation, the racks in the same row shall be securely connected with
bolts and washers.
 Grounding interconnection between cabinets
To ensure equal earth potential for all the cabinets of the same module, the GNDs of
the cabinets of the module shall be interconnected using copper wires on the top of
cabinets. The connectors shall be 10 mm 2 in cross sectional area and 1400 mm in
length, as shown in Figure 4-7.
 Cabinet grounding
From each cabinet one grounding cable is connected to the GND wiring terminal of
the DC distribution cabinet or power distribution box, and then connected to the
grounding copper bar of the equipment room. The grounding cable of the cabinet
shall be no less than 25 mm 2 in cross sectional area. The cross sectional area of the
grounding busbar shall be calculated based on engineering design, but that of the
grounding busbar of the DC distribution cabinet shall be no less than 240 mm 2 and
that of the power distribution box shall be no less than 90 mm 2.

(1)
GND

GND

GND
PGND

PGND

PGND
+5V GND

-48V1
-48V2

+5V GND

-48V1
-48V2

+5V GND

-48V1
-48V2

-48V2

-48V1
(2)
(4) (4) (4)
GND

PGND

(3)

(1) DC high resistance distribution cabinet or power distribution box (2) To DC distribution panel
(3) Protection grounding bar of the equipment room (4) Welded cabinet

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Figure 4-7 Grounding of welded cabinets

3) Grounding of signal cables

 DT8K grounding
The cabinet where the trunk frame providing DT8K clock phase-locked sources is
located shall be placed as closely as possible and in parallel with the cabinet where
the clock frame and main control frame of the phase lock are located. The grounding
cables of the two cabinets shall be interconnected.
 The shielding layer of the HW cables or DT8K cables in form of shielded cable
shall be grounded at both ends.
4) Grounding of BAM
The power supply to the embedded industrial-computer BAM shall be led in directly
from the –48 V terminal and GND of the BSC busbar so as to share the GND with the
BSC.
5) Grounding of the alarm box
The power supply of the alarm box (when using –48 V power) should be led in directly
from the –48 V terminal and GND terminals so as to share the GND with the BSC.
6) Grounding of terminal equipment and their connection cables
 For the terminal equipment connecting the BSC, their AC power supply PGND
shall be connected with the shell of the BSC. In other words, the PE end of the
connector card shall be disconnected from the AC neutral line and connected to
the grounding cable from the BSC GND.
 Shielded cable should be adopted for the connection between LCD console and
BSC. The two ends of the shielded layer should be linked to the work grounding
cable of the console and the PGND of the BSC.

III. Connection between BSC equipment and other equipment

 Connection between the BSC and transmission equipment

The shielding layer of the cable connecting the BSC and transmission equipment
shall be grounded at both ends (the transmitting end shall be securely grounded while
the receiving end can be disconnected).

4.2.3 Earth Resistance Value

The office where the BSC is located shall adopt joint grounding, with the earth
resistance value no bigger than 1 .

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4.3 Guide to Modification of Network Equipment Grounding

The guide is suitable for the installed equipment which is not in conformity with the
grounding rules and required to be modified. For the sake of safety, the grounding
modification of the equipment is required to be performed at nights under power-off
conditions when there is less traffic.

Procedures:
1) Backup data.
2) Cut off the power of the power board in each frame in regular sequence.
3) Turn off the air switches on the upper front of the rack one by one.
4) Turn off the power switch of the cabinet via the power distribution cabinet (or
distribution box).
5) Screw off the nut on the PGND connector post and push the lug at one end of
the short connecting cable 04020211 into the PGND connector post.
6) Screw off the nut on the GND connector post and connect the lug at the other
end of the short connecting cable 04020211 to the GND connector post.
Meanwhile, connect the lug on one end of another connecting cable 04025710 to
this post too and connect the other end of it to the GND connector post of the
neighboring cabinet.
7) Requirements for the installation of lugs: if it is required to connect two or more
cables to the same connector post, the lugs can not be overlapped. Cross
installation or back-to-back installation mode should be adopted. If they should
be overlapped, the lugs must be curved for 45 0 or 900, and with the larger one
beneath the smaller one and then tighten them, as shown in Figure 4-8 (a),
Figure 4-8 (b) and Figure 4-8 (c).
8) After all cable connections are completed, measure with a multimeter to see if
there is any short circuit between –48 V terminal and GND prior to power-on
again.
9) Turn on the power switch from the power distribution cabinet (or distribution box).
10) Turn on the air switches on the upper front of the rack one by one.
11) Turn on the power supply boards in various frames in sequence.
12) Observe if every frame works normally.
Proceed with the modification of the next rack.

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Flat washer

Nut

Spring washer

Back-to-back installation

Figure 4-8 (a) Installation of connectors

Flat washer

Nut

Spring washer

Bending 45 or 90 degrees

(b) Installation of connectors

Flat washer

Nut

Spring washer
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(c) Installation of connectors

4.4 Grounding Preparations

 The fundamental requirement for grounding is that the grounding resistance
should be as small as possible. During the engineering design process, the
grounding body is generally made of tin-plated material and has sufficient length,
width and thickness (e.g. 50 mm50 mm5 mm angle steel, 2.5 m in length) to
meet the grounding requirements of the M900/M1800 BSC.

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 Factors that affect the grounding resistance are resistance of the grounding bar,
connecting cables, contact resistance between the grounding post and the soil,
and the soil type. The soil type has the greatest influence on grounding
resistance. For areas in poor soil conditions, some chemical agents (resistance
reduction agent, such as acrylamide resistance reduction agent) can be applied
around the grounding bar so as to meet the grounding requirements of the
M900/M1800 BSC. Temperature is another factor, which affects the grounding
resistance. When the temperature is below 0 0C, the grounding resistance
changes a lot. For BSC installed in a cold area, grounding bars should be buried
deep in the earth and chemical agents should be used. In addition, humidity of
soil also has an influence on grounding resistance.
 The connecting cables from the grounding bars to the grounding bolts on the
BSC equipment should adopt copper core cables with the cross section area no
less than 50 mm2 and the distance between them as short as possible. When the
distance is over 50 m, the diameter of the copper core cable should be increased
accordingly. Both ends of the connecting cable should be tin-plated or soaked
with tin. And the coating material, varnish and paint around the fixing point (or
area) should be cleaned off to ensure good contact between the two metal
surfaces. All grounding parts should have anticorrosion protection. The
grounding bolts must be tightened mechanically so as to ensure a low resistance
connection.

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