FLEXICON says it has supplied
Telstra with ‘cockatoo-proof’ flexible conduit for protecting cables in the Australian outback from attacks by the wildlife.
Cockatoos in the south east Australian outback were chewing through the standard conduit used to run wires between telephone booths and the solar panels supplying power to them.
The damage to the conduit and the power cables within could lead to a loss of service in the remote areas. This could be critical if an emergency arose. The location of the equipment also meant increased maintenance time and costs.
To test the resistance of its conduits to cockatoos, Flexicon exposed fifteen different products to the birds. At the end of the test, its FPAS and FPAH conduits remained undamaged.
According to the company, cockatoo resistance was endowed not by the strength or robustness of the product. Rather, both undamaged conduits are too slippery for the birds to get a grip on them.
The conduit provider also incorporated other design factors into the products to deal with the Australian climate. Both FPAS and FPAH are flame retardant nylon conduits which can withstand temperatures up to 120 degrees Celsius. They can also reduce the risk of bush fires starting from electrical faults.
The conduits are also resistant to abrasion, have high impact strength, and resistant to UV.
