What this 3VA1 breaker is and what the ratings mean for your panel
The Siemens 3VA1196-5GF42-0AA0-ZD00 is a 4-pole IEC frame 160 molded-case circuit breaker with a 55 kA breaking capacity at 415 V (class M). That Icu rating means it can safely interrupt a fault current up to 55 kA at that voltage without welding contacts or rupturing the case — critical for high-fault panels where the upstream transformer can deliver that kind of energy. The thermal-magnetic trip unit is a TM240 with a fixed In of 16 A, overload adjustable from 11 A to 16 A (Ir), and instantaneous short-circuit pickup set at 10 to 20 times In (Ii). That adjustability lets you coordinate with downstream loads: set Ir at the low end for a 11 A motor feeder, or at the high end for a 16 A resistive load bank. The N-conductor protection is set to 100%, meaning the neutral pole trips at the same current as the phase poles — standard for 4-wire systems where neutral overcurrent is a concern.
Panel integration and deployment context
The 3VA1 frame 160 mounts on a DIN rail or can be screw-fixed to a backplate in a standard IP40 or higher enclosure. At 4-pole, it occupies roughly 140 mm of DIN width — plan your gland plate and busbar takeoff accordingly. The TM240 thermal-magnetic trip is non-electronic, so no auxiliary power supply is needed for the trip unit itself; the breaker is self-powered from the line side. For selectivity studies, the Ii range of 10–20 x In (160–320 A instantaneous pickup) gives you headroom to coordinate with downstream 16 A or 20 A branch breakers, provided the fault current at the panel does not exceed 55 kA.