Cable splice enclosure

• US 5,962,811 A
• Filed: 04/28/1995
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomas & Betts International Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Thomas & Betts Corporation (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Lowery, Gary, Ellis, Glen, Rodrigues, Julio F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau N.
• Application Number:
  US08/430,659
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 174/92, 174/93, 174/138 F, 174/77 R, 174/76, 439/709, 156/48, 156/49, 156/50
• US Class Current: 174/76
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 1/145 Moulds
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/003 Filling materials, e.g. solid or fluid insulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/10 protected by boxes, e.g. by distribution, connection or junction boxes

Abstract

An electrical splice enclosure for enclosing a splice of an electrical cable. The splice enclosure includes an enclosure housing. The housing is formed of a lower housing portion and a cover portion defining a bounded interior therein. The lower housing portion includes a bottom surface, an upwardly extending wall bounding the bottom surface and an open upper surface opposite the bottom surface. The lower housing portion further includes a cable entry opening through the wall for permitting entry of the cable into the lower housing portion. The cover portion is positionable over the open upper surface of the lower housing portion so as to enclose the cable splice within the enclosure housing. The cover portion and the wall each include an encapsulant fill opening for permitting the housing interior to be gravity filled with a curable encapsulant, with the housing being positioned in multiple different positions.

Claims

1. An electrical splice enclosure for enclosing a splice of an electrical cable comprising:

an enclosure housing including;

at least two encapsulant fill openings, said fill openings extending through separate non-coplanar, non-parallel surfaces of said enclosure for permitting said housing to be gravity filled with an encapsulant with said housing being positioned in one of at least two distinct housing filling positions; and

wherein said enclosure housing further includes;

a lower housing portion including a bottom surface, an upwardly extending wall bounding said bottom surface, an upper open surface opposite said bottom surface, said lower housing portion including a cable entry opening through said wall for permitting entry of said cable into said lower housing portion; and

a cover portion for enclosing said open upper surface of said lower housing portion and defining a bounded housing interior therewith;

said cover portion and said wall each including one of said at least two encapsulant fill openings for permitting said housing interior to be gravity filled with said encapsulant through either of said at least two openings.

2. An enclosure of claim 1 wherein said cover portion includes a generally planar surface positionable parallel to and spaced from said bottom surface of said lower housing portion and generally perpendicular to said wall and wherein one of said encapsulant fill openings extends through said planar cover portion surface.

3. An enclosure of claim 2 wherein said enclosure housing is generally an elongate rectangular member and wherein said wall includes an opposed pair of transverse end walls and an opposed pair of longitudinal side walls and wherein one of said end walls includes said encapsulant fill opening extending therethrough.

4. An enclosure of claim 3 wherein one of said at least two housing filling positions includes said planar cover surface being raised above said bottom surface.

5. An enclosure of claim 4 wherein the other of said at least two housing filling positions includes said one end wall being raised above the other said end wall.

6. An enclosure of claim 1 further including a pair of plugs, each of said plugs insertable into one of said encapsulant fill openings.

7. An enclosure of claim 6 wherein each of said encapsulant fill openings is generally circular, defined by an annular surface and wherein each of said plugs includes a plug portion frictionally engagable with said annular surfaces.

8. An enclosure of claim 6 wherein at least one of said plugs includes an elongate cylindrical body insertable into said housing through said fill opening for displacing said encapsulant upon the insertion thereinto to pressurize said enclosure and to place said encapsulant into engagement with said splice.

9. An enclosure of claim 7 wherein said plug portion includes a generally cylindrical body having a diameter less than the diameter of said circular encapsulant fill opening and a plurality of spaced apart annular fins extending outwardly from said cylindrical body, said annular fins being engagable with said annular surface for frictionally retaining said plug therein.

10. An enclosure of claim 9 wherein said spaced apart fins of said plug defining encapsulant accommodating regions therebetween.

11. An enclosure of claim 10 wherein said housing further includes cable sealing means for sealably closing said cable entry opening, said cable sealing means further including means for permitting passage of said cable through said sealing means.

12. An enclosure of claim 11 wherein said cable sealing means includes a closed cell foam structure positioned adjacent said cable entry opening.

13. An enclosure of claim 12 wherein said closed cell foam structure includes a pair of foam elements which are matable along abutting edges, each of said edges including aligned centrally located semi-circular removable slugs, each of said slugs being removable to create a circular passageway therethrough defining said means for permitting passage of said cable therethrough.

14. An enclosure of claim 13 wherein each of said slugs is frangibly attached to each of said elements.

15. An enclosure of claim 14 wherein each of said slugs includes first and second slug portions, said first slug portion being frangibly attached to said element and said second slug portion being frangibly attached to the first slug portion for removal of said second slug portion alone or for removal of both said first slug portion and said second slug portion.

16. An enclosure of claim 14 wherein said abutting edges of each foam element include abutting longitudinal edge portions positioned on each side of said removable slug, said edge portions outwardly diverging away from said slug.

17. A method of encapsulating an electrical cable splice comprising the steps of:

enclosing said cable splice in a splice enclosure, said splice enclosure including at least two encapsulant introduction openings, said openings extending through separate non-coplanar, non-parallel surfaces of said enclosure;

positioning said enclosure such that one of said surfaces is positioned at a generally raised elevation;

introducing a curable encapsulating compound into said enclosure through said opening located in said one of said surfaces;

filling said enclosure with said compound; and

plugging said opening located in said one of said surfaces after said enclosure is filled; and

wherein said enclosing step includes;

providing an elongate lower housing having a bottom wall, upstanding longitudinal side and end walls bounding said bottom wall and defining an open upper surface; and

providing a cover for covering said open upper surface, said cover and said lower housing defining said splice enclosure.

18. A method of claim 17 wherein one of said encapsulant introduction openings extends through one of said end walls and the other of said encapsulant introduction openings extends through said cover.

19. A method of claim 18 wherein said positioning step includes:

positioning said enclosure such that said one end wall is said raised surface.

20. A method of claim 18 wherein said positioning step includes:

positioning said enclosure such that said cover is said raised surface.

21. In an encapsulated cable splice enclosure including an enclosure housing having a cable entry opening and an encapsulant fill opening for introduction of encapsulant thereinto, a sealing device for sealing said cable entry opening comprising:

a pair of sealing elements, each captively retained in said enclosure adjacent said cable entry opening;

said pair of sealing elements including mutually abutting longitudinal edges defining a central cable passage location therebetween for permitting passage of a cable therethrough;

each of said mutually abutting edges including a pair of elongate lateral edge extents, each of said edge extents extending from said central location, said abutting edge extents of said pair of sealing elements diverging from said central location to thereby define a raised engagement location adjacent said central location for providing a seal about said cable.

22. A sealing device of claim 21 wherein each of said mutually abutting edges of said pair of sealing elements includes a semi-circular recess at said central location, said semi-circular recess of said edges being aligned to define a generally circular cable passage opening therebetween.

23. A sealing device of claim 21 wherein each of said mutually abutting edges of said pair includes a frangibly removable slug at said central location, said frangibly removable slug of said edges being aligned so that said removal of said slugs creates a cable passage opening therebetween.

24. A sealing device of claim 23 wherein each of said slugs of each of said sealing elements includes a first slug portion frangibly attached to said element and a second slug portion frangibly attached to said first slug portion.

25. A sealing device of claim 24 wherein said second slug portion is frangibly removable from said first slug portion with a removal force less than the removal force necessary to frangibly remove said first slug portion from said element.

26. A sealing device of claim 24 wherein said first slug portion is generally semi-annular in shape and said second slug portion is generally semi-circular in shape and concentric with said first slug portion.

27. A sealing device of claim 25 wherein said first slug portion is frangibly attached to said element by a plurality of first interconnecting webs and wherein said second slug portion is frangibly attached to said first slug portion by a plurality of second interconnecting webs.

28. A sealing device of claim 27 wherein the number of said first interconnecting webs exceeds the number of said second interconnecting webs.

29. An enclosure for an electrical cable splice comprising:

an enclosure housing for containing said splice, said enclosure having an opening therethrough;

an encapsulant contained within said housing for encapsulating said splice;

a plug positionable within said opening for closing said opening, said plug including an elongate plug body insertable into said housing so as to displace said encapsulant and pressurize said enclosure;

said plug further including an upper plug extent at one end of said plug body for closing said opening; and

wherein said plug body includes a plurality of outwardly directed, longitudinally spaced fins, said fins being deformable for frictionally engaging an enclosure wall about said opening and defining encapsulant accommodating regions therebetween for securing the plug within the opening upon hardening of the encapsulant.