Cable sealing apparatus

• US 4,701,574 A
• Filed: 05/02/1985
• Issued: 10/20/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: Raychem Limited (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Chan, Paul S., Hunter, Thomas, Story, Martha F., Shimirak, Gerlad L., Swinmurn, Christopher J., Halstead, W. G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NIMMO, MORRIS
• Application Number:
  US06/730,697
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 174/91, 174/92, 174/93, 174/77 R, 174/41
• US Class Current: 174/93
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/013 Sealing means for cable inlets inlets for cables filled with, or surrounded by, gas or oil H02G15/32
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/113 Boxes split longitudinally in main cable direction

Abstract

A cable end seal and a closure which includes the cable end seal provides a barrier for a junction against water, the junction being in a cable. First and second end seals are disposed adjacent opposite sides of the junction and palced in compression around the cable, the end seals having an outer convoluted surface which mate with a variable length convoluted tubing bridging member so as to form an environmental closure for the junction.

Claims

1. A cable sealing apparatus, comprising:

a first end seal, the first end seal comprising;

a layer of precured gel, the gel being cured prior to contacting a cable to be sealed, the gel being elastic, comformable, having a cone penetration between 80 and 350 (10^-1 mm), an ultimate elongation in excess of 50%, the layer of gel including means formed therein for passage of the cable to be sealed therethrough between inner and outer opposite faces of the gel, the cable to be sealed being held in contact with the gel formed means;

a convoluted member forming an outer circumferential surface of the gel, the convoluted member having a series of ridges and valleys extending circumferentially therearound;

a first member disposed adjacent to and in contact with an outer face of the gel and having means formed therein to facilitate passage of the cable to be sealed therethrough;

a second member disposed adjacent to and in contact with an inner face of the gel and having means formed therein to facilitate passage of the cable to be sealed therethrough; and

gel formed means comprising a plurality of longitudinal slits extending through the gel, a width of at least one of the slits being greater than a diameter of the cable to be sealed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the gel being disposed in a flexible matrix.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the flexible matrix comprising a material having a plurality of open interstices having an average volume of less than 0.01 inches³, the gel including a plurality of interconnected segments which lie within the interstices of the matrix.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, the matrix and the gel being such that when the gel and the matrix are stretched, the matrix reaches its ultimate elongation before the gel reaches its ultimate elongation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the first member being a thin layer of plastic.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the first member being a layer of foam.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the slits intersecting one another.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, the first end seal further comprising means for securing the convoluted member and precured gel around a cable.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, the first end seal being a slit elongated disc.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the first end seal comprising first and second half-cylinders.

11. The apparatus of claim 3, the gel passage formed means including means for allowing passage of at least first and second cables between the inner and outer opposite faces of the gel.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, the first end seal including means for connecting portions of the disc in a hinged manner to allow opening and closing thereof, and further including means for closing the disc portions.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a second end seal, the second end seal comprising:

a second layer of precured gel, the second gel being cured prior to contacting the cable to be sealed, the second gel being elastic, conformable, having a cone penetration between 80 and 350 (10^-1 mm), and an ultimate elongation in excess of 50%, the second layer of gel including means formed therein for passage of a second cable therethrough between inner and outer opposite faces thereof; and

a second convoluted member disposed around the second gel, the second convoluted member having a series of ridges and valleys extending circumferentially therearound.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprsiing a first bridging member having a convoluted inner surface at opposite ends thereof engageable with the first and second convoluted members of the first and second end seals, respectively.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, the bridging member being slit longitudinally.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, the bridging member having an entire outer and inner surface thereof convoluted and having an inside diameter at the opposite ends thereof which is substantially equal to an outside diameter of the first and second end seals, respectively.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, the first and second end seals and the bridging member forming a closure for a junction in a cable, the first and second end seals being dispsed around the cable adjacent opposite sides of the junction with the bridging member being disposed around the junction and around at least part of each of the first and second end seals.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a second bridging member disposed around the first bridging member, the second bridging member being convoluted at opposite ends thereof.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, the gel having a cone penetration between 100 and 270 (10^-1 mm) and an ultimate elongation of at least 100%.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, the gel having a cone penetration between 200 and 270 (10^-1 mm).

21. The closure of claim 20, the gel having a cone penetration between 240 and 270 (10^-1 mm).

22. The closure of claim 20, the gel comprising a non-silicone, liquid rubber with little to no unsaturation which has been crosslinked, the gel comprising a liquid butyl rubber.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for mounting a termination adjacent a junction surrounded by the closure.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, the termination mounting means including means for mounting the termination inside the bridging member after installation.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, the termination mounting means including means for mounting the termination outside the bridging member after installation.

26. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for forming a cone-like shaped member adjacent at least one of the end seals.

27. A splice cable closure, comprising:

first and second ends seals, each end seal comprising a convoluted disc having convolutions on an outer cylindrical surface thereof and having a layer of gel on an inside surface thereof shaped so as to form an axial bore therethrough; and

a bridging member having a continuous convoluted inner surface at opposite ends thereof adapted for engagement with an outer surface of the first and second end seals, the end seals being disposed on a cable opposite a cable splice, the bridging member being disposed around the splice.

28. The closure of claim 27, the bridging member being split longitudinally.

29. The closure of claim 28, one of the end seals being a split, elongated disc.

30. The closure of claim 28, one of the ends seals comprising first and second half-cylinders.

31. The closure of claim 27, the bridging member having an entire outer and inner surface thereof convoluted and having an inside diameter at the opposite ends thereof which is substantially equal to an outside diameter of the first and second end seals, respectively.

32. The closure of claim 31, the bridging member having a tube-like shape.

33. The closure of claim 27, the first and second end seals and bridging member forming a closure for a junction in an electric cable, the first and second end seals being disposed around the cable adjacent opposite sides of the junction with the bridging member being disposed around the junction and around at least part of each of the first and second end seals.

34. The closure of claim 33, further comprising a second bridging member disposed around the first bridging member, the second bridging member being convoluted at opposite ends thereof.

35. The closure of claim 33, further comprising means for urging the gel of the first and second end seals into contact with the cable at the opposite sides of the junction.

36. The closure of claim 33, the gel having a cone penetration between 100 and 350 (10^-1 mm) and an ultimate elongation of at least 200%.

37. The closure of claim 36, the gel comprising a non-silicon, liquid rubber with little to no unsaturation which has been crosslinked, the gel comprising a liquid butyl rubber.

38. The closure of claim 27, further comprising means for mounting a termination adjacent a junction surrounded by the closure.

39. The closure of claim 38, the termination mounting means including means for mounting the termination inside the bridging member after installation.

40. The closure of claim 38, ther termination mounting means including means for mounting the termination outside of the bridging member after installation thereof.

41. The closure of claim 27, further comprising means for forming a cone-like shape adjacent at least one of the end seals.

42. The closure of claim 27, further comprising means for protecting an exposed surface of the gel of at least one of the end seals from the environment.