Heat-Shrinkable Tubing With Pre-Filled Sealant for Multi-Wire Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sealing systems for multi-wire electrical connections, such as stub splice or end splice connections, are labor-intensive and costly, and fail to reliably prevent moisture ingress due to their complexity and inefficiency in sealing multiple wires.
Innovation Solution
A sealing system comprising a heat-shrinkable tubing with a pre-sealed end and an open end, filled with a low-viscosity sealant that flows across and through the wires upon heating, encapsulating the connection and sealing it within the outer jacket, effectively preventing air and moisture from passing between wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional external adhesive and HST sealant systems are used, then sealing protection is provided, but the system becomes labor-intensive and expensive while failing to reliably seal multi-wire configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the HST outer jacket and the sealant into a single integrated unit. The sealant is pre-filled inside the HST, eliminating the need for separate adhesive application steps and external sealant systems. This merging of components simplifies the overall sealing system while improving reliability for multi-wire configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealant is pre-filled into the HST during manufacturing, creating a ready-to-use sealing unit. This preliminary action eliminates the need for labor-intensive on-site application of separate adhesives and sealants, reducing both complexity and labor costs while ensuring proper sealing material is always present.
2Ease of manufacture
If multi-component, multi-step sealing processes are used, then sealing coverage is attempted, but the process becomes labor-intensive and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into a single integrated component (HST with pre-filled sealant) rather than requiring multiple separate components and application steps. This segmentation into one unified product simplifies manufacturing and application while maintaining effective sealing coverage for multi-wire configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-filled HST is designed to be self-contained and self-applying. When installed over the electrical connection and heated, the sealant automatically flows and cures without requiring additional labor-intensive steps. This self-service capability dramatically improves productivity while maintaining ease of manufacture.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional sealant systems are used on multi-wire configurations, then external sealing is attempted, but water or moisture ingress and transfer between wires cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The sealant is nested inside the HST, creating a nested structure where the inner sealant component is protected within the outer HST jacket. This nested configuration ensures the sealant is properly positioned and protected during handling and installation, while still able to flow out to seal around all wires when activated by heating, effectively preventing moisture ingress.
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 system provides a simple, reliable, and cost-effective method to seal multi-wire electrical connections, ensuring a watertight seal and preventing moisture ingress, with the low-viscosity sealant crosslinking to enhance the seal's durability and temperature resistance.
Implementation Method 1
HST is commonly manufactured from fluoropolymers or polyolefins, which shrink radially when heated. The process of shrinking an HST is referred to as 'recovering' the HST and the predetermined temperature at which an HST starts to recover is referred to as its 'recovery temperature'.
Implementation Method 2
Upon application of heat to the electrical connection sealer with the electrical connection and the low-viscosity sealant in the cavity of the electrical connection sealer, the low-viscosity sealant flows across and through the first wires and the at least one second wire
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connection sealer includes an outer jacket and a low-viscosity sealant. The outer jacket includes a first piece of heat-shrinkable tubing. The outer jacket has a pre-sealed end and an open end opposite the pre-sealed end. The first piece of heat-shrinkable tubing at the open end is heat-recoverable and forms a cavity for insertion of an electrical connection. The low-viscosity sealant is insertable into the cavity. Upon application of heat to the electrical connection sealer with the electrical connection and the low-viscosity sealant in the cavity of the electrical connection sealer, the low-viscosity sealant flows across and through the first wires and the at least one second wire and the first piece of heat-shrinkable tubing shrinks to encapsulate the electrical connection and seal the electrical connection and the low-viscosity sealant substantially within the outer jacket.