Fabrication techniques for tubular sheathed heaters

Abstract

Electric heater assemblies to encircle and warm hermetic compressor housings are fabricated by the selection of a sheathed tubular heating element of a length of the same order of magnitude as the circumference of the compressor housing to be encircled and a bend is introduced near the end of the selected element. An elongated tensioning member and the element bend are positioned closely adjacent one another and a mass of non-metallic material molded about the element bend and a portion of the tensioning member to join the member to the selected element. Opposite ends of the tensioning member may be joined to the heating element near the opposite ends thereof by introducing a similar bend near the end opposite the one end of the selected element and similarly juxtaposing the tensioning member and bend and thereafter molding a further mass about the element bend and tensioning member so as to form a loop for encircling the housing. At any convenient time during the fabrication process leads may be attached to the heating element and appropriately insulated as by the molding of electrically insulating material about their junction. The tensioning member may comprise a separable pair of metal straps with an arrangement for coupling those straps together and for moving one strap relative to the other to thereby effectively vary the length of the tensioning member to tighten the assembly about a housing.