High-water-pressure-resistant direct-current and alternating-current cable core structure and manufacturing system thereof

Abstract

The utility model discloses a high-water-pressure-resistant direct-current and alternating-current cable core structure and a manufacturing system thereof. A submarine cable, the submarine cable comprising: a cable core; a waterproof layer covering the cable core; the water blocking layer is covered with the stranded layer; wherein the water-blocking layer is formed of a filling water-blocking tape, and a portion of the filling water-blocking tape is calendered into a stranding gap of the stranding layer. The utility model also relates to a manufacturing system of the cable core structure. The cable core structure provided by the utility model has the advantages of good water-blocking effect, low production cost, no environmental pollution during manufacturing, and energy and raw material saving.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a cable core structure of a submarine cable, and in particular to a cable core structure of a DC and AC cable resistant to high water pressure. In addition, the utility model also relates to a system for manufacturing the cable core structure according to the utility model. Background Art

[0002] In the production process of traditional submarine cables, first, a molten water-blocking adhesive is applied around the cable core, a certain amount of conductors are twisted on the water-blocking adhesive to form a twisted layer, and then a molten water-blocking adhesive is applied to the gaps in the formed twisted layer. A certain amount of conductors are twisted on the water-blocking adhesive to form another twisted layer, and this process is continued until the required number of twisted layers is formed. In this way, each twisting process requires the extrusion of the water-blocking adhesive, the heating and melting of the extruded water-blocking adhesive, and the coating of the molten water-blocking adhesive. However, the extrusion and melting devices are expensive and have high energy requirements. In addition, the coating mechanism often cannot densely fill the gaps in the twisted layer with the molten water-blocking adhesive, and sometimes the molten water-blocking adhesive drips onto the equipment, polluting the equipment and wasting raw materials.

[0003] Therefore, in the present technical field, there is a need for a cable core structure having densely filled water-blocking glue, thereby improving water resistance, significantly reducing manufacturing costs, and at the same time avoiding environmental pollution caused by heating and vaporization of the water-blocking glue. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the existing technical problems in this technical field, the utility model includes the following technical solutions.

[0005] A submarine cable comprising: a cable core; a water-blocking layer covering the cable core; and a stranded layer covering the water-blocking layer; wherein the water-blocking layer is formed by a filled water-blocking tape, and a portion of the filled water-blocking tape is pressed into the stranded gaps of the stranded layer.

[0006] A system for manufacturing a submarine cable according to the utility model comprises: a stranding machine for stranding conductors on a water-blocking layer to form a stranded layer; a water-blocking tape feeding mechanism for feeding the water-blocking tape to the stranding machine; and a covering mechanism placed upstream of the stranding machine for covering the core wire with a filling water-blocking tape before stranding the conductors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 FIG. 1 illustrates a manufacturing system for a core structure of a submarine cable according to the prior art;

[0008] Figure 2 FIG2 shows a cross-sectional view of a core structure of a submarine cable according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the water-blocking layer is formed by filling a water-blocking tape;

[0009] Figure 3 The figure shows a combined structure of a frame stranding machine and an upstream coating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0010] Figure 4 The figure shows a combined structure of a frame stranding machine and an upstream coating mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a water-blocking tape feeding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0012] Figure 6 The present invention is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a core structure of a submarine cable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] In the following description with reference to the figures, the present invention is described in one or more embodiments, wherein like numbers represent like or similar elements. Although the present invention is described according to the best mode for achieving the purpose of the present invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is intended to cover substitutions, modifications and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents, which are supported by the following disclosure and the accompanying drawings.

[0014] In the following text, "molten water-blocking adhesive" refers to liquid water-blocking adhesive that is melted by heating, and "filling water-blocking tape" refers to a tape-shaped water-blocking adhesive that is solid at room temperature and has a certain viscosity. "Cable core" refers to the center line conductor of the cable core structure of the submarine cable, and "core wire" refers to the cable core to be twisted or the cable core of the partially twisted layer to be further twisted. "Water-blocking tape strip" refers to a filling water-blocking tape to which an isolation film is pre-adhered in order to prevent adhesion of the filling water-blocking tape, and the isolation film is peeled off when the filling water-blocking tape is used. "Gap between twisted layers" refers to the gap between adjacent conductors in each twisted layer. The water-blocking adhesive includes but is not limited to butyl adhesive, and the isolation film includes but is not limited to isolation paper, plastic film, etc.

[0015] As in Figure 1As shown in the figure, the manufacturing system of the cable core structure of the submarine cable in the prior art includes: a pay-off mechanism 1, a molten water-blocking adhesive coating mechanism 3, and a frame stranding machine 4 downstream of the coating mechanism 3. As the pay-off mechanism 1 pays out the core wire 2 to be stranded, the water-blocking adhesive coating mechanism 3 sprays the molten water-blocking adhesive on the core wire 2, and the frame stranding machine 4 strands a certain amount of conductor 5 onto the molten water-blocking adhesive on the surface of the core wire 2 to form a stranding layer. However, due to the influence of the surface tension of the molten water-blocking adhesive, it is difficult for the flowing glue to enter the small gaps between the conductors, and due to the effect of gravity, the glue is not uniform on the surface of the core wire 2, resulting in poor water-blocking effect. In addition, the melting and dripping process of the water-blocking adhesive will vaporize and pollute the environment, requiring expensive high-temperature heating equipment and having high energy requirements. In addition, the coated liquid water-blocking adhesive may drip onto the equipment, polluting the equipment and wasting raw materials.

[0016] Figure 2 The figure shows a cross-sectional view of a cable core structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The cable core structure includes a cable core 6, a twisted conductor 5, a water-blocking layer 7 between the cable core 6 and the twisted layer, and between the twisted layers. According to the present invention, the water-blocking layer 7 is formed by filling a water-blocking tape, and when the conductor 5 is twisted, the water-blocking tape is rolled to fill the gaps in the overlying twisted layer. In order to densely fill the gaps in the twisted layer by rolling the water-blocking tape, the thickness of the water-blocking tape should be appropriately selected. That is, the thickness of the water-blocking tape should be sufficient to fully fill the gaps in the overlying twisted layer. Preferably, the thickness of the water-blocking tape should be selected to just fill the gaps in the twisted layer, so as to achieve dense filling and avoid waste of water-blocking glue. As shown in FIG. Figure 2 As can be seen in the image, unlike traditional submarine cables, the gaps between the stranded layers are densely filled with water-blocking adhesive. Because the water-blocking tape can achieve 100% coverage of the core surface when applied, ideally, the gaps between the stranded layers can be 100% filled with water-blocking adhesive.

[0017] Figure 3 The system according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 The cable core structure according to the present invention. Figure 3 As shown in FIG, as an example, the frame stranding machine 4 may include, for example, a hollow ring, and a plurality of wire wheels 9 with guide grooves are evenly distributed circumferentially on the inner circumference of the ring (for illustration and simplification, Figure 3 Only a portion of the wire wheel 9 is shown in FIG. 1 ). As an example but not a limitation, the system includes a frame stranding machine 4 and a bell mouth 10 upstream of the ring of the frame stranding machine 4. A conductor release and tensioning mechanism ( Figure 3 ), to continuously provide the tensioned conductor 5.

[0018] Figure 3 The core wire 2 is located on the centerline of the circular object and is pre-wrapped longitudinally with a filling water-blocking tape 8. For example, the width of the water-blocking tape 8 is slightly larger than the diameter of the core wire 2 by 1-2 mm. The bell mouth 10 is located on the centerline of the annular object upstream of the frame stranding machine 4. The flared end of the bell mouth 10 is used to receive the core wire 2 longitudinally wrapped with the water-blocking tape. The core wire 2 moves longitudinally and linearly from the flared end of the bell mouth 10 through the constricted end. Because the water-blocking tape 8 has a certain degree of self-adhesion, the water-blocking tape 8 passing through the constricted end of the bell mouth 10 will adhere to the core wire 2, thereby preventing the water-blocking tape 8 from falling off and causing waste of raw materials. Preferably, the constricted end of the bell mouth 10 has a smooth feature to prevent the bell mouth 10 from damaging the water-blocking tape 8. In addition, the constricted end of the bell mouth 10 is preferably provided with an adjustment ring to adjust the size of the constricted end. In this way, the size of the constricted end of the bell mouth 10 can be adjusted to accommodate core wires 2 of different diameters. The core wire 2 having the water blocking tape 8 adhered thereto passes through the necked end and then passes through the central opening of the ring to form a twisted conductor 5 on the other side of the ring.

[0019] When twisting the conductors 5, each tensioned conductor 5 passing through the wire pulley 9 rests against the wire groove of the corresponding wire pulley 9, and then converges onto the core wire 2 on the other side of the ring. The ring rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, thereby driving the conductor 5 to rotate accordingly and twisting the conductor 5 onto the core wire 2. The conductors 5 should be arranged as closely as possible, and the twisting force should be large enough to just allow the filling water-blocking tape below to be rolled to fill the gaps between the conductors 5. The conductors 5 are distributed on the wire pulley 9 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the number is related to the circumference of the twisted layer to be formed. In other words, as the number of twisted layers increases, the number of conductors 5 will also increase accordingly.

[0020] Figure 4 The diagram shows a system for manufacturing a cable core structure according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein a winding machine 11 is used to replace the winding machine 11. Figure 3 The bell mouth 10 in the winding machine 4 is similarly located upstream of the annulus of the frame stranding machine 4, thereby wrapping the waterproof tape 8 around the core wire 2 before the conductor 5 is stranded. Because the winding machine 11 applies a winding force during the winding process, the water-blocking tape 8 can directly adhere to the core wire 2. Preferably, the winding machine 11 should achieve 100% coverage of the core wire 2 with the water-blocking tape 8 and minimize the overlapping portion of the water-blocking tape 8 during the water-blocking tape winding process. This can be achieved by matching the winding speed of the winding machine 11 with the linear movement speed of the core wire 2. The advantage of using the winding machine 11 to cover the core wire 2 with the water-blocking tape 8 is that there are no excessive requirements for the width of the water-blocking tape 8. The above examples illustrate the two methods of longitudinal wrapping and transverse winding to cover the core wire 2 with the water-blocking tape 8, but other methods of covering the water-blocking tape 8 should also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0021] As an example, the filled water-blocking tape 8 can be formed by mixing butyl rubber with chemical materials such as carbon black, then rolling it into a strip. Because the water-blocking tape 8 is sticky, it is generally pre-attached to the separator and prefabricated into a wound water-blocking tape. Figure 5 The figure shows a water blocking tape feeding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is placed before the frame stranding machine 4 to feed the water blocking tape 8 to the frame stranding machine 4. The water blocking tape feeding mechanism works as described below. Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the wound water-blocking tape is placed on the unwinding portion 13. The unwinding portion 13 releases the tape by rotating. During the release and transmission process of the tape, the water-blocking tape 8 and the isolation film 15 are separated due to different transmission paths, wherein the separated water-blocking tape 8 is fed to the frame stranding machine 4. When feeding the water-blocking tape 8, it is necessary to avoid the water-blocking tape 8 from self-adhesion and adhesion to other objects. The separated isolation film 15 is wound on the winding portion 17, which is driven by a motor and winds the recovered isolation film 15 by rotation. As an example but not limitation, the unwinding portion 13 and the winding portion 17 can be jointly arranged on the mounting plate 12.

[0022] Preferably, Figure 5 The water-blocking tape feeding mechanism also includes a main transmission part. At this time, the unwinding part 13 can be a passive transmission, and the rear end is connected to a magnetic powder brake to achieve constant tension automatic control. As an example but not a limitation, Figure 5 The main transmission part is shown as 5 guide rollers 14. The number of guide rollers 14 used can be determined depending on the actual transmission force required. The more guide rollers 14 there are, the greater the transmission force generated. As an example, the main transmission part can be driven by a motor, and driven by a double-sided toothed belt to achieve synchronous rotation of the 5 guide rollers 14, thereby actively transmitting the water-blocking tape strip. After the strip is transmitted through the last guide roller 14, the water-blocking tape 8 and the isolation membrane 15 are separated. The transmission speed of the water-blocking tape strip can be set to automatic and / or manual mode. In automatic mode, the programmable logic controller (PLC) automatically adjusts the speed according to the operating speed of the frame stranding machine 4, thereby achieving synchronization between the feeding of the water-blocking tape and the movement of the core wire 2. In manual mode, the speed is adjusted by adjusting the frequency of the frequency converter, which is mainly used for cleaning the water-blocking tape feeding mechanism or small batch testing.

[0023] Preferably, Figure 5 The water-blocking tape feeding mechanism further includes a tension control section 16. The tension control section 16 is used to ensure that the winding speed of the winding section 17 is consistent with the speed of the main transmission section. As an example, a sensor (such as but not limited to an angular displacement sensor, a linear displacement sensor, an encoder, etc.) is provided on the back of the mounting plate 12. The sensor is connected to a coupling provided on the back of the mounting plate 12, and the coupling is further connected to the Figure 5The swing arm shown in FIG is connected to sense the tension of the isolation film 15 to be recovered. In addition, the tension control part 16 may also include a cylinder. By adjusting the cylinder pressure, the tension of the isolation film 15 can be adjusted. In this way, Figure 5 The water-blocking tape feeding mechanism matches the moving speed of the core wire 2, so that as the core wire 2 moves forward in a straight line, the water-blocking tape 8 is continuously fed, and the isolation film 15 is simultaneously recovered. Compared with the expensive high-temperature heating equipment used to prepare molten water-blocking adhesive (approximately several million yuan), the water-blocking tape feeding mechanism according to the utility model is inexpensive (approximately 50,000 yuan) and can operate at a power as low as 3 kW.

[0024] Figure 6 The diagram shows a method for manufacturing a submarine cable according to the present invention. After starting the manufacturing system (step S610), the coating mechanism coats the cable core with a water-blocking tape (step S620). A certain number of conductors are then stranded on the cable core coated with the water-blocking tape, wherein the underlying water-blocking tape is sufficiently rolled to fill the gaps between the conductors during the stranding process (step S630). Next, the water-blocking tape is further coated on the outside of the formed adhesive layer (step S650). If further conductors need to be stranded to form a stranded layer, the process returns to step S630; otherwise, the process ends (step S660).

[0025] In summary, this utility model first proposes a submarine cable core structure that uses water-blocking tape to form a water-blocking layer without melting the water-blocking adhesive. Furthermore, this utility model also proposes a system for manufacturing submarine cable core structures. The cable according to this utility model has excellent water-blocking performance and low production costs, while also being environmentally friendly and conserving energy and raw materials during the manufacturing process.

[0026] Although this disclosure has described specific embodiments and generally associated products, variations and substitutions of these embodiments and products will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description of the example embodiments does not limit or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and modifications are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A submarine cable, characterized in that: The submarine cable comprises: Cable core; a water-blocking layer covering the cable core; and a twisted layer covering the water-blocking layer; The water blocking layer is formed of a filled water blocking tape, and a portion of the filled water blocking tape is pressed into the twist gaps of the twisted layer.

2. The submarine cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: Another water blocking layer and another twisted layer are covered on the twisted layer so that the water blocking layer and the twisted layer are alternately stacked, wherein the other water blocking layer is a filled water blocking tape and is calendered into the twist gaps of the overlying other twisted layer.

3. The submarine cable according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the water-blocking layer is related to the size of the twist gap of the overlying twisted layer.

4. The submarine cable according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The water-blocking layer is sufficiently calendered to densely fill the twist gaps in the overlying twist layer.

5. A system for manufacturing a submarine cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The system comprises: A frame stranding machine, used for stranding conductors on a water-blocking layer to form a stranded layer; a water-blocking tape feeding mechanism, configured to feed the filled water-blocking tape to the frame stranding machine; and The covering mechanism is placed upstream of the frame stranding machine and is used to cover the water-blocking tape on the core wire before stranding the conductors.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that The water-blocking tape feeding mechanism comprises: an unwinding portion for releasing the wound water-blocking tape by rotating, wherein the water-blocking tape is a water-blocking tape with an isolation film adhered thereto; and The winding part is used to recover the isolation film separated from the water-blocking tape.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The water-blocking tape feeding mechanism further comprises: The main transmission part is driven by the motor to actively transmit the released water-blocking tape; and The tension control part is used to adjust the tension during winding.

8. The system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that The wrapping mechanism is a bell mouth or a winding machine.

9. The system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The coating mechanism has the feature of preventing adhesion and damage to the water blocking tape.

10. The system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that The water-blocking tape feeding mechanism further includes a magnetic powder brake.

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