Blackburn FBD12 FLEXIBLE BRAID 76.8KCMIL,12 INLONG

The FBD12 is a flat, flexible tin-plated copper braid jumper with a two-hole pad on each end, sized at 76.8 kcmil and 12 inches long. It bonds two pieces of equipment that need electrical continuity but move relative to each other or need to be separated for service, such as switchgear doors, transformer cases, busbar sections, rail or generator frames. The braid construction flexes without breaking the bond path the way a solid conductor would.

It carries UL E3060 and CSA LR29625, so it is acceptable on both US and Canadian jobs where a listed bonding jumper is called for on the drawing or by the inspector.

The 12 inch figure is the cable length of the braid itself. Lay it out against the gap you need to bridge and allow for the mounting pads at each end plus the slack the joint needs to move, so plan on a shorter effective span than a straight 12 inches.

A braid is the right call anywhere the two bonded parts move, vibrate, or get unbolted routinely. Flat braid flexes in one plane with very little force and takes repeated movement without work-hardening, which is what eventually cracks a solid or stranded cable jumper at the lug. Where nothing moves, a cable and lugs is fine. On a hinged switchgear door, a vibrating motor or genset frame, or a busbar expansion joint, use the braid. The FBD12 is prefabricated with the pads already attached, so there is no crimping or cable prep on site.

No hardware is included. The FBD12 ships as a single braid, sold each, with two-hole pads at the ends. You supply the bolts, nuts, flat and belleville washers to suit the pad hole size and the tap or through-holes in your equipment, and use a plated or stainless set with an antioxidant compound where the braid meets an aluminum surface.

Order Blackburn FBD12. That is the manufacturer part number, and it covers the 76.8 kcmil flat braid at 12 inches with a two-hole pad on each end, sold one per unit. The FBD prefix runs in other lengths, so the trailing 12 is the length in inches, which is worth checking if you are matching an existing installed jumper.

The conductor is tin-plated copper, and the tin is there to slow oxidation on the braid strands and the contact faces so the joint resistance stays low over time. That makes it suitable for damp indoor and enclosed outdoor equipment, and it is the plating you want when the mating surface is aluminum or plated steel rather than bare copper. It is not a substitute for a gasketed enclosure in direct weather.

Country of origin on the FBD12 is listed as United States and Canada. Institutional and government buyers working to a domestic-content clause should note that origin can vary between those two plants, so verify the origin marking on the units you receive against the specific clause in your contract.