Raychem Limited

A/s Hellesens

Per J Jensen

George M Gansbuehler

George B Park

Gerald L Shimirak

Richard J Penneck

Paul S Chan

Stephen Michael Baigrie

Joergen M Berth

A method and article for joining two substrates or repairing a substrate comprising positioning in thermal contact with and surrounding the substrate(s) a tubular article comprising conductive polymeric material. Two electrodes extending along the whole or part of the article as connected to a source of electrical power to cause current to pass through and heat the article. The conductive polymeric material is urged radially inwards towards the substrate(s). The radially inward movement may be caused by recovery of the conductive polymeric material, or by the use of elastomeric material.

Conductive polymeric heater

A heat recoverable conductive polymeric tubular article shrinks radially when electrical current is passed therethrough. It is powered by elongate electrodes extending along the article along part of the length only of the article, thereby defining an inwardly directed electrode end material of the article preferably has specific electrical properties to compensate for the increased current density that would otherwise exist at the inwardly directed electrode end, and which could lead to burning or hot spot formation.

Heat recoverable article

A tubular heat recoverable article comprises electrically conductive polymeric material and can be recovered by passing an electric current therethrough. The article comprises two or more elongate electrodes extending at least part way along the article. One or more of the electrodes are interrupted so that separate lengths of the article can be connected to an electrical power source and heated and or recovered independently.

Conductive polymeric article

A tubular article comprises an electrically conductive polymeric material. The article increases in wall thickness on recovery. It can be used for example as a duct seal or as an internal coupler or seal for hollow conduits such as pipes. The article may have plain or convoluted walls.

A tubular heat recoverable article comprises conductive polymeric material and is heated to effect recovery by the passage of electrical current therethrough. Elongate electrodes are attached on the surface or embedded in longitudinal flanges extending along the article. The flanges also comprise conductive polymeric material but are not heat recoverable, and therefore remain substantially undeformed on recovery other than bending to accommodate transitions. This means that the contact resistance between the electrode and the conductive material of the flange does not increase significantly on recovery.

A cable is sealed at a conduit such as an outlet from a housing and preferably also terminated and blocked by shrinking over it a conductive polymer article having at least three portions. An end portion is shrunk to engage cable jacket, an intermediate portion is heat-shrunk to drive an adhesive into interstices between the conductors of the cable, and an opposite end portion is shrunk to engage the conduit.

Method of cable sealing

A battery comprises a single flat cell with a cell casing in the form of a plastic cup, or several cells piled on each other, whereby the plastic cups are integrally connected along the circumference. Each plastic cup comprises a terminal plate located both on the inner side and on the outer side of the bottom of each cup. One of these terminal plates comprises a projecting knob extending through an aperture in the bottom of the cup, and is connected to the other terminal plate in such a manner that the plates squeeze tightly about the bottom of the cup and abut the upper and lower surfaces thereof by a permanent pressure. As a result, a durable, efficient sealing against electrolyte leakage at the terminal passage in the bottom of each plastic cup is provided.

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Slangerup, Denmark

Per J Jensen