A sealing assembly for a subsea cable joint

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of submarine cable provides a kind of sealing assembly for submarine cable joint, including inner shell, two outer shell and two block head, inner shell is overall spindle type, two outer shell are symmetrically arranged on the outside of inner shell and are covered to inner shell in radial direction, two block heads are one-to-one correspondingly arranged in the gap between inner shell end and two outer shell end and are fixedly connected with outer shell by fastener.The sealing assembly for submarine cable joint according to the utility model can be constructed to form a complete sealing protection body which completely matches the outer shape of the cable joint and has no gap, and eliminates the local weak sealing point.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of submarine cable technology, and in particular to a sealing component for submarine cable joints. Background Technology

[0002] Submarine cables serve as the core channel for cross-sea power transmission and communication, and their safe and stable operation is of paramount importance. Cable joints are relatively weak points in terms of mechanical strength and electrical insulation throughout the entire line, requiring special protection measures. Due to their long-term laying in the deep-sea environment characterized by high pressure, high salinity, low temperature, and abundant biological deposits and complex mechanical stress, if the seal at the joint fails, seawater intrusion will occur, leading to a sharp decline in insulation performance, corrosion of metal components, and even serious faults such as short circuits or fractures, causing huge economic losses and energy supply interruptions.

[0003] Currently, the following solutions are used for the protection of submarine cable joints: 1. Mechanical compression sealing structure: This type of structure uses a multi-part housing made of metal or high-strength plastic. Radial pressure is generated by bolt tightening, compressing a rubber sealing ring to achieve a seal. Its disadvantages are: First, the sealing effect is highly dependent on machining accuracy and installation torque, requiring stringent on-site construction and making consistency difficult to guarantee; second, the rubber sealing ring is prone to stress relaxation or aging under long-term high pressure and temperature changes, leading to a decrease in sealing pressure and ultimately seal failure; third, a purely mechanical structure cannot completely fill the irregular contours of the joint, easily creating leakage paths at the gaps.

[0004] 2. Heat shrink tubing or molding: This method involves wrapping the joint with heat shrink material and then heating it to shrink it, or using a mold to cast an elastomer material on-site for encapsulation. While these methods can provide a good fit to the joint's shape, their mechanical strength is usually insufficient, and their resistance to external impacts, compression, and abrasion is weak, making them susceptible to damage in complex seabed geological conditions and fishing activities. Furthermore, heat shrink materials or certain encapsulation materials have limited long-term resistance to water pressure and deep-sea corrosion, posing a risk of aging and seepage.

[0005] 3. Rigid Shell Potting: This method involves encasing the joint in a prefabricated rigid shell and then injecting insulating sealant (such as polyurethane or epoxy resin) into it. While this approach improves mechanical protection, existing designs often suffer from the following drawbacks: First, the internal cavity structure of the shell is simple, and the potting material has poor flowability, easily forming air pockets or incompletely filled areas, leaving potential sealing hazards. Second, there is a lack of reliable internal positioning and support between the shell and the internal cables or joints. Before the potting material cures or when subjected to external forces, internal components may shift, affecting the uniformity of the sealing layer. Third, end seals are often poorly handled, relying solely on the adhesion of the potting material itself to form a reliable impermeable barrier at the end face. This interface is prone to becoming a failure source under long-term axial stress or vibration.

[0006] Chinese patent CN214849297U discloses a sealing and protection device for a submarine cable joint and a cable having the same. In practical applications, this solution relies excessively on easily aging elastomeric sealing rings as the main waterproof barrier. At the same time, it lacks an inherent design to ensure the uniformity of the injection seal and the mechanical strength of the overall structure, resulting in significant limitations in its sealing reliability, structural stability and engineering applicability in long-term harsh submarine environments.

[0007] Therefore, how to ensure the integrity and uniformity of the injection sealing material through optimized structural design, and provide a multi-layered, mechanically interlocked sealing interface, to provide a joint sealing device that can provide long-term, reliable sealing and mechanical protection in this extreme environment, and improve the long-term protection performance of the joint in the harsh seabed environment, has become an urgent technical problem to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0008] In view of this, in order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a sealing assembly for submarine cable joints.

[0009] This utility model provides a sealing assembly for submarine cable joints. The sealing assembly for submarine cable joints includes an inner shell, two outer shells, and two sealing heads. The inner shell is spindle-shaped. The two outer shells are symmetrically arranged on the outside of the inner shell and radially cover the inner shell. The two sealing heads are correspondingly arranged in the gap between the end of the inner shell and the end of the two outer shells and are fixedly connected to the outer shells by fasteners.

[0010] Optionally, the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints of this utility model includes a hollow, spindle-shaped inner shell main body, with inner linings integrally connected to both axial ends of the inner shell main body. The inner lining is elliptical in shape, and its inner cavity is integrally connected to the inner cavity of the inner shell main body. The central axis of the inner lining coincides with the central axis of the inner shell main body.

[0011] Optionally, the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints of this invention has a plurality of axially distributed protrusions on the outer wall of the inner liner.

[0012] Optionally, the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints of this utility model includes a semi-spindle shaped outer shell main body, with outer linings integrally connected to both axial ends of the outer shell main body. The outer lining is in the shape of a semi-elliptical ring, with the central axis of the outer lining coinciding with the central axis of the outer shell main body. A through first fastening hole is provided on the outer lining.

[0013] Optionally, the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints of this utility model has an injection channel that runs through the interior of the outer wall of the main body of the outer casing.

[0014] Optionally, in the sealing assembly for submarine cable connectors of this utility model, multiple support portions are arranged on the inner wall of the main body of the outer shell. One end of each support portion with equal radial height is integrally connected to the inner wall of the main body of the outer shell, and the other end of the support portion is matched with the outer wall of the inner shell.

[0015] Optionally, in the sealing assembly for submarine cable connectors of this utility model, the support portion is evenly distributed along the axial direction of the main body of the outer shell, and multiple flow holes are correspondingly arranged on the support portion, with the center of each flow hole having an equal distance from the inner wall of the main body of the outer shell.

[0016] Optionally, the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints of this utility model has an overall elliptical hollow rotating body, and the sealing head is composed of a shaft and a sealing part integrally connected to the shaft. A non-through second fastening hole is provided on the outside of the shaft.

[0017] Optionally, in the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints of this utility model, the sealing part is assembled in a cavity formed by the outer shell, the support part near the end of the outer shell, and the inner shell.

[0018] Optionally, in the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints of this utility model, the inner side of the sealing part is provided with multiple fixing grooves, which match the protrusions on the outer wall of the inner lining of the inner shell.

[0019] This utility model discloses a sealing component for submarine cable joints. Through comprehensive structural design, it constructs a "mechanical seal + injection curing seal" protection structure, significantly improving the reliability and integrity of the seal. It offers the following beneficial technical effects: The inner and outer shells form a continuous, smooth sealed cavity foundation through a precise spindle-shaped fit. The sealing heads at both ends are rigidly connected to the outer shell via fasteners. Simultaneously, the fixing grooves on their inner sides interlock with the protrusions on the inner lining of the inner shell, forming a robust axial and radial mechanical lock, effectively preventing initial leakage paths caused by water pressure or mechanical vibration at the ends. The sealing material injected through the injection channel flows, fills, and cures throughout the cavity. The flow holes designed on the support ensure uniform material distribution, forming a seamless, integral sealed protective body that perfectly conforms to the shape of the cable joint, completely eliminating localized weak points in the seal. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1This is an exploded structural diagram of a sealing assembly for a submarine cable joint according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a sealing assembly for a submarine cable joint according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the inner shell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the inner shell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing head according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is an assembly diagram of a sealing assembly for a submarine cable connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; In the figure, 1-inner shell, 2-outer shell, 3-sealing head, 4-fastener, 11-main body of inner shell, 12-inner liner, 13-protrusion, 21-main body of outer shell, 22-outer liner, 23-first fastening hole, 24-injection channel, 25-support, 26-flow hole, 31-shaft, 32-sealing part, 33-second fastening hole, 34-fixing groove. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other; and, based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0024] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0025] Figure 1 This is an exploded structural diagram of a sealing assembly for a submarine cable joint according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a sealing assembly for a submarine cable joint according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the sealing assembly for the submarine cable joint includes an inner shell 1, two outer shells 2, and two sealing heads 3. The inner shell 1 is spindle-shaped, and the two outer shells 2 are symmetrically arranged on the outside of the inner shell 1, radially covering the inner shell 1. The two sealing heads 3 are correspondingly arranged in the gap between the end of the inner shell 1 and the end of the two outer shells 2, and are fixedly connected to the outer shells 2 by fasteners 4. In practical applications, the inner shell 1, outer shells 2, and sealing heads 3 can be made of corrosion-resistant metal alloy materials or organic polymer resin materials with high strength and corrosion resistance.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the inner shell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the inner shell 1 includes a hollow, spindle-shaped main body 11. Inner linings 12 are integrally connected to both axial ends of the main body 11. The inner linings 12 are generally elliptical, and their inner cavities are integrally connected to the inner cavities of the main body 11. The central axis of the inner linings 12 coincides with the central axis of the main body 11. Multiple axially distributed protrusions 13 are provided on the outer wall of the inner linings 12.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the inner shell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the outer shell 2 includes a semi-spindle shaped outer shell main body 21. The two axial ends of the outer shell main body 21 are integrally connected with an outer liner 22. The outer liner 22 is generally semi-elliptical and ring-shaped. The central axis of the outer liner 22 coincides with the central axis of the outer shell main body 21. A through first fastening hole 23 is provided on the outer liner 22.

[0028] An injection channel 24 is provided on the outer wall of the outer shell main body 21, which is connected to the interior. A plurality of support parts 25 are distributed on the inner wall of the outer shell main body 21. One end of the support part 25, which has an equal radial height, is integrally connected to the inner wall of the outer shell main body 21, and the other end of the support part 25 is matched with the outer wall of the inner shell 1.

[0029] In practical applications, the support portion 25 is distributed at equal intervals along the axial direction of the outer shell body portion 21, and multiple flow holes 26 are arranged on the support portion 25 in a one-to-one correspondence, with the center of each flow hole 26 having an equal distance from the inner wall of the outer shell body portion 21.

[0030] In this embodiment, the two outer shells 2 are symmetrically fastened to the outside of the inner shell 1 through the support portions 25 on the inner wall as contact points, achieving complete radial coverage of the inner shell 1. The outer shell 2, as the main load-bearing component, has a semi-spindle-shaped rigid outer shell that effectively resists external hydrostatic pressure from the seabed, accidental impacts, or trawl net impacts. Multiple axially equidistant support portions 25 provide uniform radial support between the inner shell 1 and the outer shells 2, preventing deformation of the outer shell 2 under pressure and ensuring the shape stability of the sealed cavity.

[0031] The injection channel 24 makes the injection of sealing material convenient and intuitive, without the need for complex built-in tools. The flow hole 26 on the support 25 ensures the flow of sealing material and also serves as an venting channel during the injection process, helping to expel air from the cavity, avoiding the formation of air pocket defects, ensuring that the internal quality of the seal is uniform and free of voids after curing, reducing over-reliance on the experience of construction personnel, and improving the success rate and reliability of sealing projects.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing head according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the sealing head 3, which is an elliptical hollow rotating body, consists of a shaft portion 31 and a sealing portion 32 integrally connected to the shaft portion 31. A non-through second fastening hole 33 is provided on the outer surface of the shaft portion 31. The sealing portion 32 is assembled into a cavity formed by the outer shell 2, the support portion 25 near the end of the outer shell 2, and the inner shell 1. A plurality of fixing grooves 34 are provided on the inner side of the sealing portion 32, and the fixing grooves 34 match the protrusions 13 on the outer wall of the inner lining portion 12 of the inner shell 1.

[0033] In practical applications, the second fastening hole 33 of the shaft portion 31 of the sealing head 3 is aligned with the first fastening hole 23 on the outer liner portion 22 of the outer shell 2. The two are fixed together by fasteners 4, which tightens and fixes the sealing head 3 onto the outer shell 2, thus locking the two outer shells 2 together. During the installation of the sealing head 3, the inner fixing groove 34 engages with the protrusion 13 of the inner liner portion 12 of the inner shell 1, forming a tight mechanical interlock. This further prevents micro-movements between the sealing head 3 and the inner shell 1, ensuring the structural integrity of the entire assembly under long-term dynamic loads.

[0034] The application principle of the sealing assembly for submarine cable joints in this embodiment is as follows: The submarine cable connector passes through the inner housing 1. Two outer housings 2 symmetrically cover the outside of the inner housing 1 to form the main protective layer. The spindle shape of the inner housing 1 matches the support portion 25 on the inner wall of the outer housing 2, ensuring that the two are concentric and form a stable annular gap. Two sealing heads 3 are respectively installed at both ends of the component for end sealing. The sealing heads 3 and the outer housing 2 are fixed and locked together by fasteners 4. Figure 6This is an assembly diagram of a sealing assembly for a submarine cable connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] After assembly, liquid sealing material (such as polyurethane, epoxy resin, etc.) is injected into the sealed cavity formed by the outer wall of the inner shell 1, the inner wall of the outer shell 2, and the end caps 3 through the injection channel 24 on the outer wall of the outer shell 2. The sealing material flows in the cavity and evenly fills the entire annular cavity through the flow hole 26 on the support part 25, and finally solidifies to form a continuous solid sealing and protective layer that fits tightly with the shape of the cable joint.

[0036] In practical applications, the cured sealing material and multiple mechanical seal interfaces effectively prevent high-pressure seawater from intruding into the cable joint. The outer shell 2 and the internally cured sealing material together form an impact-resistant and compression-resistant spindle-shaped protective cover. The overall streamlined spindle-shaped structure significantly reduces the resistance of seawater flowing through the component (hydrodynamic optimization), reduces eddies and vibrations, thereby alleviating long-term fatigue stress caused by ocean currents and tides, and protecting the internal cable joint and seal. It helps to disperse and buffer the mechanical stress caused by the impact and dragging of seabed currents, protecting the internal cable joint. This smooth and continuous surface also reduces the probability and adhesion of marine organisms (such as barnacles and shellfish), which is beneficial for maintenance. The cured uniform sealing layer is not only waterproof, but also effectively isolates the metal joint and shell from corrosive media such as salt and chemicals, improving the long-term durability of the component in complex seabed environments with high pressure, high salinity, and low temperature.

[0037] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A sealing assembly for a submarine cable joint, characterized in that, The sealing assembly for the submarine cable joint includes an inner shell (1), two outer shells (2), and two sealing heads (3). The inner shell (1) is spindle-shaped. The two outer shells (2) are symmetrically arranged on the outside of the inner shell (1) to cover the inner shell (1) radially. The two sealing heads (3) are correspondingly arranged in the gap between the end of the inner shell (1) and the end of the two outer shells (2) and are fixedly connected to the outer shells (2) by fasteners (4). The inner shell (1) includes a hollow, spindle-shaped inner shell main body (11). The inner lining (12) is integrally connected to both ends of the inner shell body (11). The inner lining (12) is elliptical in shape. The inner cavity of the inner lining (12) is integrally connected to the inner cavity of the inner shell body (11). The central axis of the inner lining (12) coincides with the central axis of the inner shell body (11). The outer shell body (2) includes a semi-spindle shaped outer shell body (21). The outer lining (22) is integrally connected to both ends of the outer shell body (21). The outer lining (22) is elliptical in shape. The central axis of the outer lining (22) coincides with the central axis of the inner shell body (11). The central axes of the outer shell body (21) coincide, and the outer liner (22) is provided with a through first fastening hole (23). The outer wall of the outer shell body (21) is provided with an injection channel (24) that communicates with the interior. Multiple support parts (25) are distributed on the inner wall of the outer shell body (21). One end of the support part (25) with equal radial height is integrally connected to the inner wall of the outer shell body (21), and the other end of the support part (25) matches the outer wall of the inner shell (1). The support parts (25) are evenly spaced along the axial direction of the outer shell body (21). The cloth has multiple flow holes (26) arranged one-to-one on the support part (25). The center of each flow hole (26) is equidistant from the inner wall of the outer shell body (21). The sealing head (3) is an elliptical hollow rotating body composed of a shaft part (31) and a sealing part (32) integrally connected to the shaft part (31). A non-through second fastening hole (33) is provided on the outside of the shaft part (31). The sealing part (32) is assembled in the cavity formed by the outer shell (2), the support part (25) near the end of the outer shell (2), and the inner shell (1).

2. The sealing assembly for a submarine cable joint according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple protrusions (13) are provided on the outer wall of the inner lining (12) along the axial direction.

3. The sealing assembly for a submarine cable joint according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple fixing grooves (34) are provided on the inner side of the sealing part (32), which match the protrusions (13) on the outer wall of the inner lining part (12) of the inner shell (1).

Images