Raychem Limited

Robert L Hall

Richard J Penneck

Jan L Vansant

Noel M Overbergh

Joris R Franckx

Jos Doucet

Leslie J Allen

A seal between an object such as a cable, cable splice or branch-off, and a surface such as a recoverable sleeve by means of a flexible envelope containing a void-filling composition. The void-filling composition undergoes a change from a low viscosity on installation, which allows the flexible envelope to conform to the object, to a high viscosity after installation, which gives mechanical strength to the seal. Deformation of the flexible envelope on installation may be brought about by installation of the recoverable sleeve or other surrounding surface.

Flexible envelope seal and sealing method

Electrical connections to line substrates, such as cables, are made by employing a radially shrinkable coil member which is positioned about the substrate in an expanded form and is then caused or allowed to revert to a smaller radius so that it grips the substrate. In preferred embodiments the coil member is made from a heat-recoverable material or is made from a resilient material which is held in an expanded form by a disburdenable material, e.g. a fusible material such as solder, which is subsequently removed, deformed or destroyed so as to cause connection. The devices are especially suitable for connecting earth leads to the sheaths of mineral insulated cables in the vicinity of terminations and splices thereof.

Coil connector

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Swindon, United Kingdom

Robert L Hall