Cable containing epoxy-modified encapsulation composition

• US 4,787,703 A
• Filed: 06/04/1987
• Issued: 11/29/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniroyal Chemical Company Inc (Lanxess AG)
• Original Assignee: Uniroyal Chemical Company Inc (Lanxess AG)
• Inventors: Tomko, Richard F., Sigworth, William D., Bae, Dong-Hak, Ranganathan, Revati
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John D.
• Application Number:
  US07/058,000
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.23, 350/96.20, 350/96.34, 523/173, 174/22 R, 174/23 R, 174/23 C, 174/110 SR, 174/110 SY, 174/110 B, 174/110 E, 174/76, 174/77 R, 525/65, 526/217
• US Class Current: 385/141
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 224/00 Copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a heterocyclic ring containing oxygen cyclic esters of polyfunctional acids C08F218/00; cyclic anhydrides of unsaturated acids C08F220/00, C08F222/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 255/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers of hydrocarbons as defined in group C08F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 279/02 on to polymers of conjugated dienes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/443 Protective covering

Abstract

Epoxy-grafted, low molecular weight amorphous polymer compositions are employed in pourable, liquid telecommunication cable encapsulation compositions. Also disclosed is a method for encapsulating telecommunication cables as well as cables encapsulated with such an epoxy-grafted liquid encapsulant.

Claims

1. A telecommunication cable segment having at least a portion thereof coated with a pourable liquid composition consisting essentially of:

(A) a liquid graft polymer having a Brookfield viscosity of less than about 1,000,000 centipoise at 25°

C., said graft polymer either possessing no melting transition peak or possessing a melting transition peak having a maximum value below 25°

C. as measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry;

said graft polymer being comprised of;

a polymeric backbone selected from the group consisting of polyalphaolefin, ethylene/alphaolefin, copolymer, ethylene/alphaolefin/non-conjugated polyene terpolymer, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, and alphaolefin/polyene copolymer;

said polymeric backbone having grafted thereto a sufficient amount of at least one compound selected from the formulae;

##STR6## wherein R" is a C₂ -C₁₆ hydrocarbon radical containing an ethylenically unsaturated bond or a C₃ -C₁₂ radical containing one or more carbonyl groups and an ethylenically unsaturated double bond;

,and

is hydrogen or C₁ -C₄ alkyl;

such that said graft polymer is rendered crosslinkable;

said graft polymer having a number average molecular weight of between about 500 and about 20,000; and

(B) a sufficient amount of a suitable curative to cure the composition.

2. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 1 wherein said graft polymer has a polymeric backbone selected from the group consisting of ethylene/alphaolefin copolymer, polyalphaolefin and ethylene/alphaolefin/nonconjugated polyene terpolymer.

3. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 2 wherein said graft polymer has a polymeric backbone selected from the group consisting of ethylene/propylene copolymer and ethylene/propylene/nonconjugated diene terpolymer.

4. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 3 wherein said graft polymer has a number average molecular weight of between about 750 and about 10,000.

5. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 4 wherein said graft polymer has a number average molecular weight of between about 1,000 and about 4,500.

6. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 3 wherein R" is a C₂ -C₁₂ hydrocarbon radical containing an ethylenically unsaturated bond or is an acrylate or methacrylate radical.

7. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 3 wherein said polymeric backbone has grafted thereto allyl glycidyl ether.

8. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 2 wherein said composition further comprises a diluent.

9. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 1 wherein said graft polymer has a Brookfield viscosity of less than about 500,000 centipoise at 25°

C.

10. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 1 wherein said cable segment is composed of fiber optic filaments.

11. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 10 wherein said segment is a splice.

12. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 10 wherein said segment is an end block segment.

13. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 1 wherein said segment is comprised of metallic wires.

14. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 13 wherein said segment is a splice.

15. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 13 wherein said segment is an end block segment.

16. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 13 wherein said segment is a pressure block segment between an air pressurized metallic cable and a hydrocarbon grease filled metallic cable.

17. The telecommunication cable segment of claim 1 wherein said composition further comprises a cure accelerator.