DEFINITIONS

(F)

Facility
Physical entity (for example, a hospital, factory, machinery, etc.) that is built,
constructed, installed or established to perform some particular function or to serve or
facilitate some particular end.

Fairground
An area where one or more stands, amusement devices or booths are erected for leisure
use.

Fastener
An attachment device used to secure the conductor to the structure.

Fault
Contact of a live part with exposed or extraneous conductive parts caused by accident
or failure of insulation.

Fault current
A current resulting from an insulation failure or the bridging of insulation.

Fault protection
Protection against electric shock under single-fault conditions. For low-voltage
installations, systems and equipment, fault protection generally corresponds to
protection against indirect contact, mainly with regard to failure of basic insulation.

Final circuit (branch circuit)

A circuit connected directly to current using equipment or to socket-outlets.

Fixed equipment
Equipment fastened to a support or otherwise secured in a specific location.

Fixed wiring or cable

Wiring or cable mounted on a fixed support so that its position does not change.

Flame protection
Self-closing gauge hatches, vapour seals, pressure-vacuum breather valves, flame
arresters, or other reasonably effective means to minimize the possibility of flame
entering the vapour space of a tank.

Flammable air-vapour mixtures

Flammable vapours mixed with air in proportions that will cause the mixture to burn
rapidly when ignited. The combustion range for ordinary petroleum products, such as
gasoline, is from about 11 / 2 to 7 1 / 2 percent of vapour by volume, the remainder being
air.

Flammable element
Any element capable of being easily ignited.

Flammable Vapours
The vapours given off from a flammable or combustible liquid at or above its flash
point.

SBC 401 2007 21/12

 DEFINITIONS

Flameproof enclosure “d” (of hazardous location)

Type of protection, in which, the parts which can ignite an explosive atmosphere are
placed in an enclosure which can withstand the pressure developed during an internal
explosion of an explosive mixture and which prevents the transmission of the
explosion to the explosive atmosphere surrounding the enclosure.

Flasher
Device for automatically switching one or more output circuits on and off
continuously. The sequence of switching of the various output circuits may be suitably
arranged to provide the impression of movement and other animated effects.

Flash duration
Time for which the lightning current flows at the point of strike.

Flash point
The minimum temperature at which a liquid gives off vapour in sufficient
concentration to form an ignitable mixture with air that is near the surface of the liquid
within the vessel, as specified by appropriate test procedure and apparatus.

Flexible cable
A cable whose structure and materials make it suitable to be flexible while in service.

Flexible cord
A flexible cord in which the cross-sectional area of each conductor dose not exceed 4
mm2 .

Flexible wiring system

A wiring system designed to provide mechanical flexibility in use without degradation
of the electrical components.

Functional earthing
Connection to earth necessary for proper functioning of electrical equipment.

Functional extra low-voltage (FELV)

An extra low-voltage system in which not all of the protective measures required for
SELV or PELV have been applied.

Functional switching
An operation intended to switch “on” or “off” or vary the supply of electrical energy to
all or part of an installation for normal operating purposes.

Fuse
A device designed to break a circuit on the occurrence of an overcurrent, by means of
the thermal melting of itself or of its components.

(G)

Galvanic isolation
Arrangement within an item of intrinsically safe apparatus such that a signal is
transferred from the apparatus input to the apparatus output without any direct
electrical connection between the two.
NOTE Galvanic isolation frequently utilizes either magnetic (transformer or relay) or opto-
coupled elements.
SBC 401 2007 21/13