Gas-Permeable Outer Casing for Fire-Resistant Cable Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable protection solutions for maintaining operation in fires are complex and difficult to assemble, with high material complexity and assembly challenges, particularly in producing cable connections.
Innovation Solution
A gas-permeable, heat-resistant outer casing made from materials like quartz or basalt, which allows for the dissipation of gases and vapors during a fire while maintaining mechanical flexibility to ensure insulation integrity and operational capability of electrical or optical conductors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multilayer coverings of inorganic textile material with silicone coating filled with flame-retardant means are used, then fire resistance and insulation maintenance are improved, but material complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the flame-retardant function from complex multilayer coatings and concentrates it in a single intumescent layer between textile layers, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining fire protection effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material structure combining inorganic textile layers with an intumescent flame-retardant layer, creating a multi-functional protective structure that achieves fire resistance without excessive complexity
2Reliability
If high-quality silicone rubber layers filled with boron are used for fire protection, then insulation maintenance in fire is improved, but assembly capability and handling ease deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The protective structure is segmented into distinct functional layers (textile carrier layers and intumescent flame-retardant layer), allowing each layer to be optimized independently and facilitating easier handling and assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the flame-retardant material by using intumescent compounds that expand when exposed to fire, providing effective protection without requiring complex handling during assembly
3Reliability
If gas-tight and oxygen-impermeable fire protection material is used, then fire sealing is improved, but gas and vapor dissipation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs porous or permeable textile material layers that allow controlled passage of gases and vapors while maintaining the fire barrier function, preventing dangerous pressure buildup during fire exposure
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 enables cost-effective and simple assembly of cable connections that maintain insulation and operational functionality during a fire, adhering to safety standards by keeping insulation in place and allowing for thermal protection and deformation without additional mica tapes or insulation tubes.
Implementation Method 1
an outer casing which comprises a gas-permeable, heat-resistant material. The gas permeability allows the gases or vapours which occur in the event of a fire to be able to dissipate
Implementation Method 2
Owing to the fact that the outer casing is itself heat-resistant, it does not degrade owing to the effect of heat, or degrades only significantly later than the insulation or the conductor material
Implementation Method 3
The outer casing according to the invention preferably has a mechanical flexibility or resilience so that the maintenance of the insulation in the event of a fire can thereby be complied with in a particularly efficient and reliable manner since the mechanical flexibility or resilience enables the redirections of the conductor or the cable strand which occur in the event of a fire to be followed
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4-1~4-4
Figure 5-1~5-3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a container for an electrical or optical conductor, the use of a gas-permeable, heat-resistant and preferably mechanically flexible or resilient casing and a construction kit for producing a cable connection or a cable joint. The container comprises an insulation (102) which is produced from an insulator which is filled with flame-retardant means and which can be fitted to the conductor (100) so as to at least partially surround it. There is further provided an outer casing (104) which is produced from a gas-permeable, heat-resistant material and which surrounds the insulation (102) in such a manner that the function of the insulation is maintained for a specific period of time in the event of a fire. The invention further relates to an associated construction kit for producing a cable connection or a cable joint.