Division 2 NEMA Brakes | Class 1 & Class 2

Class 1, Division 2 NEMA Brakes & Class 2, Division 2 NEMA Brakes

Use Cases for Division 2 Disc Brakes

Industrial fires and explosions occurring in chemical plants, mills, flour silos, and other facilities that store, or have high levels of, flammable solid dust particles and liquids result from faulty equipment failing to mitigate high external surface temperatures. Stearns’ line of hazard-proof Division 2 motor brakes proactively eliminate the risk of employee safety and increased factory overhead costs.

What does Division 2 mean?

The National Electrical Code (NEC) defines Division 2 locations as the category of environment with conditions where ignitable concentrations of hazards are in closed containers or closed systems that are prone to accidental rupture, disintegration or malfunction.

Division 2 Class Types

Division 2 NEMA-certified brakes can be further broken down into classes, which define the type of explosive or ignitable substance which are present in the atmosphere.

Class 1 locations are locations that may contain flammable gases or vapors and explosive or ignitable concentrations.
NEMA Class 1, Division 2 disc brakes are designed to mitigate explosions fueled by hydrogen or acetylene.

Division 2 Group Types

Class 1 gases and vapors are further categorized into groups. Groups are defined as the explosive characteristics of the air mixtures of gases, vapors or dusts. Materials are placed in groups based on their ignition temperatures, maximum explosive pressure, and other specific properties.

Group A - used in Division 2 locations: including acetylene, which is a form of compressed oxygen used to produce plastics, chemicals, and lighting. Acetylene is also used for welding and heat treating needed to create large machines and industrial structures manufactured in the fabrication industry.
Group B - used in Division 2 locations: including hydrogen leveraged as fuel for manufacturers involved in petroleum refining and fertilizer production.
Group C - used in Division 1 locations
Group D - used in Division 1 locations

Class 2 locations are locations with high volumes of combustible dust, but ultimately qualify as less hazardous than Class 1. A NEMA Class 2, Division 1 disc brakes are designed with enclosures that restrict the entry of ignitable dusts or exit of sparks or hot gases which may cause the ignition of dust suspended in the air through limited exterior surface temperature. Class 2 dust is categorized into three groups. There are three different class 2 groups that are all composed of different airborne dusts. Dust properties considered include thermal and electrical conductivity.

Group E - used in Division 1 locations
Group F - used in Division 1 & Division 2 locations: including carbon black, coal, coal dusts as seen in the mining industry and rubber-producing environments in the automotive space.
Group G - used in Division 1 & Division 2 locations: including flour, starch, grain dust emissions produced by farming and other agricultural practices.

Locate a Stearns Division 2 Brake by Industry:

Products Similar to Division 2 NEMA Brakes

For Hazards that Show Up More Frequently Under Normal Operating Conditions

Stearns’ Division 1 NEMA motor brakes are designed to support safe industrial motor control in environments with a wide variety of flammable gases, liquids, and solid particles making them well-suited for the following industries: automotive, construction, packaged goods, and transportation.

For the Mining Sector

Stearns’ industrial mining brake systems are built to exert large magnitudes of clamping force needed for starting and stopping rotating drive equipment such as conveyor belt systems, mine hoists, and more. All industrial mining motor brakes are Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)-Certified and are in compliance with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s (NEMA) standards.

Division 2 Brakes for Hazardous Locations

SAB 56,800 Series

SAB 87,800 Series