Abstract: Cable short-circuit faults are prevalent technical challenges in power systems. A high-temperature environment generated during short-circuiting may induce thermal aging of cable insulation materials and can even lead to electrical fires in severe cases. Currently, research on cable short-circuit issues faces numerous challenges regarding experimental operations and data acquisition. Due to high safety risks and substantial energy consumption associated with short-circuit tests, obtaining the temperature variation characteristics of cable structures under short-circuit conditions is extremely difficult. Consequently, research on short-circuit temperature variations lacks systematic theoretical data. To address these issues and identify an alternative to short-circuit tests, a simulation calculation model for cable short-circuit temperatures based on the numerical calculation of short-circuit current was constructed. Using this model, temperature variations of conductor cores in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated power cables were investigated during short-circuit faults ranging from 1 s to 7 s. Additionally, a short-circuit test platform was established to measure core temperatures under corresponding operating conditions. A comparison between simulation results and test data reveals that the deviation was kept within 1%, thereby verifying the constructed model's accuracy. Furthermore, the model was employed to analyze overall temperature variation trends of XLPE insulated power cables under short-circuit fault conditions, demonstrating the model's flexibility. Based on these results, the proposed simulation model serves as a feasible alternative to short-circuit tests, providing solid theoretical support for in-depth analysis of cable short-circuit faults.