Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
1995-01-20
2001-10-30
Nguyen, Chau N. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310292
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to splicing electrical conductors of unequal size and particularly to compression splices fitted with one or more adapters for splicing a range of conductors of dissimilar sizes.
Compression sleeves or splices are commonly used in electrical distribution networks for joining conductors. A proper splice provides efficient electric conductivity with high pull out strength. In practice it is often necessary to splice conductors of different sizes such as compact stranded copper conductors and the next smaller standard splice sizes are sometimes used to provide more closely fitting sleeves. The smaller splices or tubes are approximately only 65% of the cross-section of the compact stranded conductor and produce a splice of inadequate capacity for the electrical load carried by the spliced conductors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention deals with the matter of providing an adequate splice connection between different size conductors by providing splice adapters resulting in a compression splice with close fitting internal diameter for each conductor forming the splice while retaining the original outside diameter of the finished splice for compression by a given size compression die. In accordance with the invention, a splice of dissimilar size conductors includes a joining sleeve with the larger size conductor inserted into one end of the sleeve, and with the smaller size conductor in concentric assembly with one or more tubular reducing adapters inserted into the other end of the sleeve. The sleeve-conductor-reducing adapter assembly is then compressed to complete the splice. The result is a splice having a cross-section larger than the conductor in most cases and always a more robust final product.
In accordance with the invention, each splice reducing adapter includes the following dimensional requirements: (i) suitable outside diameter to fit within the compression sleeve where it is to be used, (ii) suitable inside diameter to accommodate the conductor being spliced, (iii) suitable length to fit the compression sleeve where it is to be used, and (iv) to provide a cross-sectional area exactly the same as the difference in area it fills within the splice. In this way the total copper area (including sleeve and adapters) placed within the die of the compression tool is always the same whether one or multiple adapters are used for a splice.
An illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed which comprises a set of adapters made available to installers for splicing conductors selected from a group of six compact strand conductors of dissimilar size.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide for compression splicing of dissimilar size compact strand conductors.
It is an object of the invention to provide adapters used individually or collectively in concentric arrangement for compression splices of dissimilar size conductors.
It is a further object of the invention to provide adapters for compression splicing of a range of dissimilar size conductors in which the total copper area placed within a compression die is always the same.
Other and further objects of the invention will occur to one skilled in the art with an understanding of the following detailed description of the invention or upon employment of the invention in practice.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2199892 (1940-05-01), Metcalf
patent: 3390227 (1968-06-01), Shlesinger, Jr.
patent: 3404216 (1968-10-01), Amann et al.
patent: 3596231 (1971-07-01), Melton
patent: 3691291 (1972-09-01), Taj
patent: 4829146 (1989-05-01), Duve
patent: 3149048 (1983-06-01), None
Framatome Connectors USA Inc.
Nguyen Chau N.
Perman & Green LLP
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