technical report, not a mandatory international standard, meaning its requirements are recommendations for good practice. Current Edition : The most recent version is IEC TR 61641:2014 (Edition 3.0). Relationship to Other Standards

While the more famous standard, (the successor to IEC 60439), deals with general construction and performance verification, IEC 61641 added a layer of extreme scenario testing. It addressed what happens when a catastrophic electrical arc flash occurs inside an enclosed panel.

The IEC 61641 PDF feature could include:

The primary focus is assessing an assembly's ability to limit risk of personal injury and equipment damage. Arcing Classes and Criteria

The IEC 61641 standard is widely available in PDF format from various sources, including:

The enclosure must remain connected to its earthing point. Technical Parameters

IEC 61641, titled "Application of metal-enclosed switchgear and controlgear for rated voltages above 1 kV and up to and including 52 kV — Guidelines for testing of switchgear for internal arc classification (IAC) — Verification by application of the power-frequency voltage withstand test," (note: exact title may vary by edition) is a technical standard providing guidelines and test procedures related to internal arcing faults in high-voltage metal-enclosed switchgear. Its core purpose is to help manufacturers, test houses, and end-users evaluate and verify the internal arc performance and classification (IAC) of switchgear assemblies to improve safety and limit damage and personnel hazard in the event of internal arcs.