I-Line Product Features

I-Line feeder and plug-in busway both utilize sandwich-type construction to provide superior voltage drop characteristics, even at low power factors.

Steel housing sides and aluminum tops and bottoms have been carefully designed to reduce component weight and minimize the hysteresis and eddy current losses that are common in all-steel housings.

Plug-in busway ratings that utilize two or three bus bars per phase have a phase paralleling feature at the joint assembly of each straight length. This helps equalize bus bar loading when plugs are mounted on one side only.

The plug-in housing has notches along the top rail for easy alignment and installation of plug-in units.

Within the same ampere rating, all I-Line II busway lengths and fittings are fully compatible between feeder and plug-in styles using standard universal tie channels (housing “splice plates”) supplied with each component.

Ventilated busway depends on free air movement through a perforated housing to cool the bus bars. Unless mounted in its preferred position (for maximum bus bar cooling), ventilated busway must be

de-rated. Ventilated housing also permits dirt accumulation and offers limited protection of bus bars due to the open ventilation slots.

I-Line busway has a modern “totally enclosed housing” design requiring no de-rating regardless of mounting position. Because the housing has no ventilation holes, the entry of dirt and possibility of accidental contact with bus bars is greatly reduced.

Compact Design

I-Line II busway is compact. The small size means it can be used in locations where feeder circuits would not otherwise be possible. Efficient use of light-weight raw materials is an additional factor in I-Line busway’s compact design.

I-Line busway users get a tough, durable, and uniform polyester powder coat paint finish, making their busway installations functional and attractive for years to come.

UL 857 Standard for Busways requires busway systems to be designed not to exceed a total operating temperature of 203°F (95°C). The polyester film and epoxy insulation systems used in the high quality design of I Line II busway provides improved thermal and electrical characteristics over the UL requirements.

Bus bars for I-Line and I-Line II busway are plated to ensure low surface-to-surface contact resistance and to minimize surface corrosion. Aluminum bus bars are electroplated with a coat of tin after preparation with the ALSTAN 80 process. Copper bus bars are plated with a layer of silver that is flashed onto the surface of the bus bars.

Visi-Tite Bolt

I-Line busway incorporates the “one bolt” joint principle. This joint design uses a high-strength

(Grade 5) Visi-Tite bolt to provide a clamping force of over 4000 pounds. The force is distributed over the contact area by a pair of large diameter, spring steel, cupped conical washers. On higher ampere ratings (2000 A or above) two or three joint bolts are used—one for each set of bus bars. Our “one bolt” principle replaces older designs that required up to 32 nuts, bolts, and washers for each set of bus bars. The Visi-Tite torque indicating joint bolt is standard on all busway joints. Insulated and at ground potential, the bolt and nut are both captive to reduce installation time.

Fast, accurate torquing is a snap with Visi-Tite double-headed bolts. There’s no need for a torque wrench. Use any long-handled wrench to tighten the outer bolt head until it twists off and releases a red plastic warning disc. Any disc remaining during inspection indicates an improperly torqued joint. For maintenance of the joint or when busway is relocated, the VisiTite bolt should be tightened to 70 lb-ft +/- 10 lb-ft (94.92 N•m +/- 13.56 N•m) with a torque wrench.

I-Line II busway offers an improved single-bolt joint package that can be removed and replaced with an isolation joint pak to electrically isolate busway sections for load shifting and maintenance. It can also be relocated to the opposite end of a length to take care of last minute job changes. The EZ Joint Pak Connector Assembly is shipped pre-assembled with each I-Line II busway length or fitting, providing minimum job site installation labor. The Visi-Tite bolt is a standard feature on all assemblies.

I-Line II busway installs quicker than other forms of low voltage power distribution. Also, the labor cost required to install I-Line II busway is often much lower. This results in an overall reduction in total installation cost.

Reduction in Installation Cost

I-Line II busway uses one set of universal tie channels for all ampere ratings of busway—both feeder and plug-in. This helps speed up busway installation.

Continuous air spaces inside I-Line II busway housing are closed off with special barriers to help prevent the spread of smoke and gases in the event of a fire in the area of the busway installation. This standard internal barrier allows busway to extend through walls or floors without creating open space for a “chimney effect” fire path.

I-Line busway from 225–600 A requires installation of a special internal barrier for wall or floor penetrations.

I-Line busway housing construction gives high short circuit ratings. For a description of these ratings, see Short Circuit Ratings.

I-Line busway voltage drop is low because of its extremely low reactance. This efficient design allows power to be delivered in an installation with the highest efficiency possible. This makes I-Line busway ideal for efficient power distribution in commercial or industrial facilities.

Outdoor feeder busway is furnished with a housing construction employing a special gasketed design to prevent the entry of rain. Unique engineering and design features allow field installation in any mounting position while still maintaining outdoor integrity. This product symmetry provides for proper installation in all instances. The Visi-Tite bolt is also standard on outdoor busway.

Outdoor busway is normally installed as an IP65 application. To install as an
IP66 application, see the I-Line II Outdoor Feeder Busway instruction bulletin
no. 45123-922-01.

I-Line II busway fittings are designed for use with feeder and plug-in busway straight lengths as well as for continuations of service entrance busway runs. The compact universal fittings allow maximum layout flexibility without the need for special built-to-order combination fittings.

All I-Line busway products are manufactured in a Schneider Electric facility that has been registered by Underwriters Laboratories to ISO9001: 2015.

I-Line II Busway Cross Section

I-Line II busway (800–5000 A) is built with an innovative Integral Ground Bus (IGB) system, proven by many years of use on original I-Line busway installations.

In simple terms, IGB utilizes two 1/16-inch thick ground bus bars to form the housing top and bottom. This provides an integral 50% capacity ground path. Equally important, the two ground bus bars completely encircle the phase conductors and provide a very effective high level ground path for ground faults. Copper integral ground is available as an option.

We believe a properly designed ground should be included on all distribution systems. I-Line II busway includes IGB as a standard feature on every rating from 800–5000 A. Integral ground bus is available as an option on 225–600 A busways.

We offer many products and services to fulfill the need for complete and reliable grounding throughout your electrical system. Consult your local Schneider Electric representative for assistance in this very important aspect of proper electrical design.