Cable management arm airflow impedance study

A heavily loaded cable management arm at the rear of a server system can have the visual appearance of presenting a significant obstruction to airflow. Tests were carried out to evaluate the level of airflow impedance presented by a fully cabled arm in a relatively low profile server system. This investigation reveals that airflow pressure drop due to the presence of the cable management arm is less than 2% of the overall system impedance at typical operating conditions. This level of impedance would cause a nearly imperceptible temperature rise within the system.