Dual-Viscosity Adhesive Heat-Shrinkable Wire Bundle Waterproofing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for waterproofing electrical wire bundles fail to effectively block water entry between strands during heat shrinkage, leading to productivity issues and insufficient waterproofing.
Innovation Solution
A heat-recoverable component with a dual-adhesive layer, comprising a low-viscosity adhesive portion and a high-viscosity adhesive portion, where the low-viscosity adhesive can penetrate between strands and the high-viscosity adhesive prevents flow-out, ensuring both waterproofing and water blocking during heat shrinkage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate processes are used for water blocking between strands and waterproofing, then each function can be optimized, but productivity decreases due to multiple steps
Solution Approach 1:
Two separate functions (water blocking between strands and waterproofing) are merged into a single heat-recoverable component with a dual-viscosity adhesive layer. This integration allows both functions to be achieved simultaneously in one application and heat shrinkage process, eliminating the need for separate manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat-recoverable component is designed with multi-functionality: it provides both water blocking between strands (through the low-viscosity adhesive portion) and waterproofing of the connecting portion (through the high-viscosity adhesive portion). This universal design consolidates multiple protective functions into a single component.
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 dual-adhesive layer effectively prevents water entry between strands and maintains waterproofing, enhancing productivity by integrating both functions into a single heat-shrinkable process.
Implementation Method 1
the base material layer has heat shrinkability... When the connecting portion is covered with such a heat-recoverable component and heating is performed, the heat-recoverable component shrinks so as to conform to the shape of the connecting portion
Implementation Method 2
the low-viscosity adhesive portion has a shear viscosity of 10 Pa·s or less... causing the adhesive to sufficiently penetrate between strands
Data Source
AI summary
A heat-recoverable component includes a tube-shaped or cap-shaped base material layer having heat shrinkability, and an adhesive layer formed on an inner circumferential surface of the base material layer. The adhesive layer includes a low-viscosity adhesive portion and a high-viscosity adhesive portion disposed between the low-viscosity adhesive portion and an opening of the base material layer. The low-viscosity adhesive portion has a shear viscosity of 10 Pa·s or less at a shear rate of 1 s−1 at a heat shrinkage temperature of the base material layer. The high-viscosity adhesive portion has a shear viscosity of 100 Pa·s or more at a shear rate of 1 s−1 at the heat shrinkage temperature of the base material layer. At the heat shrinkage temperature, a ratio of the shear viscosity of the high-viscosity adhesive portion to the shear viscosity of the low-viscosity adhesive portion is 15,000 or less.