Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Patent
1993-08-03
1995-06-06
Nimmo, Morris H.
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
29871, 174 76, 439877, 439882, H02G 1510, H01R 4300
Patent
active
054224381
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an electrical crimp connector for connecting two or more elongate electrical conductors.
Hitherto, electrical crimp connectors have been proposed which have sought to prevent corrosion of the metal exposed within them by various means. These means have tended either to be unsuccessful or time consuming and requiring the use of specialised equipment to produce the necessary protection. For example, the use of grease to prevent water contacting the exposed metal of the connection involves the risk that the grease may be easily dislodged, or indeed that the action of crimping may force the grease out of the connection. One successful method of providing a good seal against corrosion is the use of a heat-recoverable sleeve containing a hot-melt adhesive, the sleeve being heated to seal the device after crimping, but this method is more time consuming than one which merely involves crimping actions. Furthermore, the use of heat may be inappropriate in certain cases.
According so one aspect, the present invention provides a device for forming a butt splice between two or more elongate electrical conductors, which comprises a crimp barrel having two open ends, an electrically insulating sleeve located about and extending beyond the ends of the crimp barrel, and a quantity of gel located within each end region of the insulating sleeve beyond each end of the crimp barrel for sealing each end of the splice against ingress of moisture, each quantity of gel containing an aperture to allow the insertion of one or more elongate electrical conductors into each end of the crimp barrel.
The present invention has the advantage that it provides a device which is relatively simple to employ in the production of an essentially corrosion resistant connection between two or more elongate electrical conductors, involving only the action of crimping to form and seal the connection. The invention allows the conductors to be located within the crimp barrel with little disturbance of the gel material. Thus, it is possible to form a splice that has a relatively low contact resistance due to the absence of gel between the conductors and the crimp barrel. Furthermore, the absence of gel from the crimp barrel means that the conductors may be inserted and located more easily and any tendency of the conductors to be forced out of the crimp barrel before or during crimping is reduced.
According to a preferred feature of the invention, the device includes a ferrule (in the form of a hollow cylinder or ring) located beyond each end of the crimp barrel, between the insulating sleeve and the gel. These ferrules may provide a number of advantages. For example, they may protect the elongate electrical conductors inserted into the device from strain arising from their movement (referred to hereafter as strain relief). Alternatively, or additionally, the ferrules may contribute to the environmental sealing of a splice formed with the device by being capable of being crimped in order to compress at least part of the gel against an electrical conductor inserted into the crimp barrel. Thus, the invention also provides a device for forming a butt splice between two or more elongate electrical conductors, which comprises a crimp barrel having two open ends, an electrically insulating sleeve located about and extending beyond the ends of the crimp barrel, a quantity of gel located within each end region of the insulating sleeve beyond each end of the crimp barrel for sealing each end of the splice against ingress moisture, and a ferrule located beyond each end of the crimp barrel between the insulating sleeve and the gel, each ferrule being capable of being crimped in order to compress at least part of the gel against an electrical conductor inserted into the crimp barrel and/or to provide strain relief for the electrical conductor.
The electrically insulating sleeve of the device provided by the invention preferably comprises a cross-linked polymeric material, such as, for example polytetrafluoroethylene, ethylene tetrafluoroet
REFERENCES:
patent: 3010183 (1961-11-01), Forney, Jr.
patent: 3585275 (1971-06-01), Gillemot et al.
patent: 4600804 (1986-07-01), Howard
Burkard Herbert G.
Nimmo Morris H.
Novack Sheri M.
Raychem SA
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