Cable with a filling compound and method for the manufacture thereof

• US 5,698,615 A
• Filed: 05/09/1996
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CCS Technology Inc. (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Polle, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): SANDERS, KRIELLION ANTIONETTE
• Application Number:
  US08/647,055
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 523/173, 174/24, 385/100, 385/102, 385/105, 385/109, 428/36.4, 428/523
• US Class Current: 523/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4401 Optical cables glass fibres with a protective coating G02B6/02395
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44384 the means comprising water blocking or hydrophobic materials G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/321 the material being a powder
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 3/20 liquids, e.g. oils silicone oils H01B3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/288 using hygroscopic material or material swelling in the presence of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/14 Extreme weather resilient electric power supply systems, e.g. strengthening power lines or underground power cables
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1372 Randomly noninterengaged or randomly contacting fibers, filaments, particles, or flakes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31938 Polymer of monoethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon

Abstract

A cable has a filling compound (CA1, CA2) containing a swelling powder and at least one additive substance. This additive substance is mixed with the swelling powder and lies between the particles of the swelling powder to provide good water accessibility to the individual particles of the swelling powder given an incursion of water throughout the cable interspaces.

Claims

1. A cable comprising:

a powered filling compound filling interspaces in the cable, the filling compound including;

water-absorbent swelling powder particles; and

parting powder particles, the parting powder particles being mixed with the swelling powder particles and being arranged such that the parting powder particles separate the swelling powder particles from one another such that water may flow through the separation caused by the parting powder particles.

2. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the size of the parting powder particles is smaller than the size of the swelling powder particles.

3. The cable according to claim 2, wherein the size of the parting powder particles is less than 1/10 of the size of the swelling powder particles.

4. The cable according to claim 2, wherein the size of the parting powder particles is less than 1/100 of the size of the swelling powder particles.

5. The cable according to claim 2, wherein the size of the parting powder particles is between 1/100 and 1/200 of the size of the swelling powder particles.

6. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the size of the parting powder particles is below 1 μ

m.

7. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the size of the parting powder particles is below 0.1 μ

m.

8. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the parting powder is a highly dispersed, inorganic powder.

9. The cable according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the parting powder includes particles selected from the group consisting of silicates, SiO₂, bentonites, and montmorillonites.

10. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the filling compound contains less of the parting powder than the swelling powder.

11. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the filling compound contains between 94 and 99.9 volume % true volume swelling powder and between 0.1 volume % and 6 volume % parting powder.

12. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the filling compound further contains other powder parts.

13. The cable according to claim 12, wherein the filling compound further contains polyethylene powder.

14. The cable according to claim 12, wherein a particle size of the other powder parts is about the same as the size of the swelling powder particles.

15. The cable according to claim 12, wherein the filling compound has between 10 and 70 volume % swelling powder, 0.1 through 6 volume % parting powder, and between 30 volume % and 85 volume % other powder parts.

16. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the filling compound further includes an oil or adhesive additive of an amount sufficient to prevent the filling compound from creating dust during processing and without giving the filling compound a paste-like consistency.

17. The cable according to claim 16, wherein the filling compound contains below 5 volume % the oil or adhesive additive.

18. The cable according to claim 16, wherein the filling compound contains between 1 and 3 volume % the oil or adhesive additive.

19. The cable according to claim 16, wherein the added oil or adhesive has a viscosity below 500 mPas.

20. The cable according to claim 16, wherein the filling compound has between 93.5 volume % and 99 volume % swelling powder, (S1 through Sn), between 0.1 volume % and 6 volume % parting powder, and 0.5 volume % through 5 volume % oil or adhesive additive.

21. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the filling compound further includes elastic microspheres.

22. The cable according to claim 21, wherein said elastic microspheres are hollow.

23. The cable according to claim 21, wherein the diameters of the elastic microspheres, in an expanded condition, are selected about the diameters of the swelling powder particles.

24. The cable according to claim 21, wherein, the cable is an electrical or optical cable, and wherein the cable core filling compound comprises between 3 and 50 volume % swelling powder, between 0.5 and 6 volume % parting powder, between 0 volume % and 60 volume % other filler powder parts, between 0.5 and 5 volume % oil or adhesive additive, and between 10 volume % and 90 volume % elastic, small hollow balls.

25. The cable according to claim 21, wherein the cable further comprises an optical buffer tube, and wherein the buffer tube filling compound comprises between 3 volume % and 50 volume % swelling powder, between 0.1 and 6 volume % parting powder, between 0.5 and 5 volume % oil or adhesive additive, between 0 volume % through 30 volume % other powder parts, and between 49 volume % and 96 volume % hollow microspheres.

26. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the size of the swelling powder particles is between 1 and 100 μ

m.

27. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the cable is an electrical cable, and wherein the filling compound has an overall relative dielectric constant below 1.5.

33. The method according to claims 24, further comprising:

spraying an oil onto said lead and/or optical fiber buffer tubes or the cable core to promote adhesion of the applied powder parts thereto.

28. A method for manufacturing a cable having a powdered filling compound for filling interspaces therein, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a water-absorbent swelling powder;

providing a non-absorbent parting powder;

mixing the swelling powder and the parting powder with one another to form the powdered filler compound;

providing the powdered filling compound finely distributed in a chamber; and

moving one or more leads and/or optical fiber buffer tubes through the chamber, such that the filling compound forms a coating on each respective lead and/or optical fiber buffer tube.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising:

introducing a slight oil or adhesive additive during the mixing to prevent the powders from creating dust.

30. The method according to claim 28, further comprising:

mixing other powder parts to the filler compound.

31. The method according to claim 28, further comprising:

mixing hollow microspheres into the filler compound.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein multiple said leads and/or optical fiber buffer tubes are provided in the form of a cable core, the method including moving the cable core through the filling chamber.