Concave Cable Closure With Elastomeric Film Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure housings face issues with shape changes due to temperature fluctuations, leading to seal loss and failure in protecting against water and dirt, and are not easily re-enterable for cable repairs, resulting in increased waste and transport difficulties.
Innovation Solution
The use of concave housings with elastomeric films, flexible layers, and conformable sealants that surround cables, providing a re-enterable and watertight seal while accommodating pressure changes, and featuring a hollow design for increased space and reduced weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional closure housings are made watertight to protect cables from environmental elements, then sealing performance is improved, but the housing becomes rigid and cannot accommodate pressure changes, leading to seal loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible membranes and elastomeric materials as sealing elements that can deform under pressure changes while maintaining the watertight seal. These flexible components allow the closure housing to adapt to external pressure variations without compromising the seal integrity or cable protection.
2Reliability
If closure housings are designed to be fully sealed and rigid, then protection from environmental elements is improved, but re-enterability for cable repairs becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The closure housing is divided into separable sections or modules that can be easily detached and reattached. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to open the housing for cable repairs and then quickly restore the sealed configuration, combining ease of access with continuous environmental protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing incorporates dynamic sealing mechanisms that maintain the watertight seal during assembly and disassembly operations. These mechanisms allow the housing to transition between open and closed states while ensuring that the seal is automatically re-established upon closure, facilitating easy repair access without compromising long-term protection.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional sealing methods are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but shape changes due to temperature fluctuations cause seal loss
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system utilizes materials with appropriate thermal expansion coefficients that match or complement the housing materials. This parameter matching ensures that temperature-induced dimensional changes in the seal and housing remain compatible, preventing seal loss while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the use of standard thermally-compatible materials.
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
The solution offers improved sealing, re-enterability, and mechanical stress relief, minimizing the influence of pressure changes while reducing weight and manufacturing costs, allowing for easier installation and transport.
Implementation Method 1
The relatively soft surface of the layers surrounding the cables can deform to accommodate pressure changes, without placing undue stress on the outer perimeter of the housings
Implementation Method 2
One or more elastomeric films can surround one or more cables to seal the cables from environmental conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A closure housing includes a plurality of housings. At least one of the housings is a concave housing with an open face. At least one layer, such as for example an elastomeric film, surrounds one or more cables to define one or more wrapped cables. A portion of each of the wrapped cables is adapted to be interposed between the housings.