5
Aspecimen of approximately four to six feet in length shall be cut from thesample coil or reel. The specimen shall be tightly secured, at both ends, tothe work surface before the window is cut, to ensure that the conductors cannot untwist. A “window”, exposing the conductor assembly, shall be cut in thejacket, while leaving at least 12 inches (300 mm) of the jacket intact at bothends. The window shall be approximately 1/4 of the circumference in width andapproximately one inch (25 mm) longer than twice the maximum required laylength for the sample. e.g. for a 3-conductor, 18 AWG cord (which has a max.lay of 2-1/4 inches or 57 mm), the window is:
2 (2-1/4) + 1 = approx. 5-1/2 inches long, or
2 (57) + 25 = approx. 139 mm
