Cable Closure Sealing with Embedded Spring Fingers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cable closures face challenges in maintaining effective sealing, particularly due to thermal expansion, which can cause axial sliding of sealing elements and potentially damage them, leading to compromised sealing properties.

Innovation Solution

The integration of embedded resilient fingers or flaps with compressible and/or deformable sealing elements, combined with protrusions, prevents axial and radial sliding of the sealing elements, ensuring they remain in place across a wide temperature range and improving sealing efficacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If compressible and/or deformable sealing elements are positioned between barrier walls to seal cable insertion regions, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but thermal expansion causes axial sliding of the sealing elements leading to potential damage and compromised sealing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing effectivenessVSAvoidthermal expansion damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The spring elements are pre-loaded to continuously press the sealing elements against the barrier walls, creating a preliminary compressive force that compensates for thermal expansion movements before they can cause damage or sealing failure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing system utilizes elastic deformation of spring elements and compressible/deformable sealing materials that can dynamically adjust their physical parameters (compression, deformation) in response to thermal expansion, transforming the harmful thermal movement into a controlled elastic response

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If sealing elements are made compressible and/or deformable to accommodate cable insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but axial sliding during thermal expansion increases the risk of damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecable insertionVSAvoidsealing element stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing elements are constructed from compressible and deformable materials that function as flexible sealing components, allowing them to be compressed during cable insertion while maintaining their ability to conform to the sealing surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The spring elements provide a dynamic retaining mechanism that continuously adapts to the position and shape of the sealing elements, maintaining retention force while allowing the sealing elements to move dynamically during cable insertion and thermal expansion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This configuration enhances the sealing performance by minimizing damage from thermal expansion and maintaining effective sealing, even during operation and testing, while accommodating cables of varying diameters.

Implementation Method 1

at least the barrier wall (26) facing the interior (14) of the cable closure (10) comprises in the region of each cable insertion region (17) spring elements (35, 36, 36') with resilient fingers (37, 38) or flaps, whereby the resilient fingers (37, 38) or flaps of the spring elements (35, 36, 36') are embedded in the respective sealing element (23, 24)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

compressible and/or deformable sealing elements (23, 24), which are each arranged between barrier walls (25, 26) and which are compressible and/or deformable in the longitudinal direction of a respective cable

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 3

The embedded resilient fingers or flaps of the spring elements combination with the embedded protrusions decrease an axial sliding of the sealing element in longitudinal direction of the respective cable which may be caused by thermal expansion of the compressible and/or deformable sealing element

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal expansion: Thermal Expansion

Data Source

PatentEP2597744B1Cable closure

Publication Date: 2015.01.07 CCS TECHNOLOGY INC

Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~4a
Figure 3b~4b

AI summary

A cable closure cable (10), having a housing, which delimits an interior of the cable closure and seals off the cable closure toward the outside, the housing comprising a covering body (13), the covering body (13) comprises shells (12) and provides on mutually opposite sides (15) of the same cable insertion regions (17) for inserting cables into the interior of the cable closure and/or for passing cables out of the interior of the cable closure, wherein compressible and/or deformable sealing elements (24) are positioned at the mutually opposite sides (15) of the covering body (13) in the region of the cable insertion regions (17) of the shells (12), wherein each of the sealing elements (24) is positioned between barrier walls (25, 26) of the respective shell (12), namely between a barrier wall (26) facing the interior (14) of the cable closure and a barrier wall (25) remote from the interior (14) of the cable closure, whereby at least the barrier walls (26) of the shells (12) facing the interior (14) of the cable closure comprise in the region of each cable insertion region (17) spring elements (36) with resilient fingers (38) or flaps, and whereby the resilient fingers (38) or flaps of the spring elements (36) are embedded in the sealing element (24) positioned between the barrier wall (26) facing the interior (14) of the cable closure and the respective barrier wall (25) remote from the interior (14) of the cable closure.