Mineral-Insulated Cable Splicing With Hermetic Fusible Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for joining mineral-insulated cables are cumbersome, time-consuming, and often fail to ensure a hermetic connection, especially in challenging environmental conditions such as high temperatures and radioactive radiation environments.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of fusible conductor and sheath joining materials with lower melting points than the cable components, allowing for quick and simple connection by heating from the outside to melt and resolidify the joining materials, eliminating the need for cutting the cable sheath and exposing inner conductors, and ensuring a hermetic seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional welding or hard soldering methods are used to join mineral-insulated cables, then mechanical strength and thermal stability are improved, but the joining process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the joining method from traditional welding/hard soldering to a process using fusible joining material with lower melting point. The cable ends are heated to melt the fusible material, which then bonds the cables together. This parameter change (using lower melting point material) dramatically reduces joining time while maintaining adequate mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical welding/soldering process with a thermal fusion process using fusible joining material. Instead of applying mechanical force or high-temperature welding, the system uses controlled heating to melt the fusible material, which then solidifies to create the bond, substituting a complex mechanical process with a simpler thermal process.
2Reliability
If traditional splicing methods with multiple steps are used, then hermetic connection is achieved, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple traditional splicing steps into a single integrated process. The fusible joining material simultaneously provides mechanical bonding, electrical connection, and hermetic sealing functions. The outer sheath material integrates the protective covering and sealing functions, eliminating the need for separate sealing steps and reducing overall process complexity while maintaining hermetic connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate steps from traditional splicing methods. By using pre-formed fusible joining material and outer sheath material, the process removes complex assembly steps such as separate sealing operations and multiple component installations, simplifying the overall procedure while preserving the hermetic connection capability.
3Reliability
If cable sheath is cut and inner conductors are exposed for joining, then electrical connection is achieved, but the risk of moisture intrusion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the fusible joining material and outer sheath material on the cable ends before the actual joining operation. The outer sheath material is already in place to provide immediate protection, and the fusible material is pre-placed to ensure proper positioning during heating. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need to expose inner conductors to the environment during the joining process, preventing moisture intrusion while ensuring reliable electrical connection.
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 method simplifies the joining process, reduces time and complexity, and ensures a reliable, hermetic connection even in difficult conditions, maintaining insulation resistance and mechanical strength.
Implementation Method 1
heating the cable and/or the connector from the outside such that the heat penetrates into an interior of the at least one heated cable or the connector so that the fusible conductor joining material present between the at least one inner conductor of the cable and the connector melts
Implementation Method 2
heating the cable and/or the connector from the outside such that the heat penetrates into an interior of the at least one heated cable or the connector
Data Source
AI summary
A method for joining a cable to a connector includes: providing an electrically conductive fusible conductor joining material which has a lower melting point than that of at least one inner conductor of the cable and/or at least one contact of the connector; bringing an end of the connector to an end of the cable such that at least one inner conductor of the cable and at least one contact of the connector are opposite one another and the fusible conductor joining material is present in between; and heating the cable and/or the connector from the outside such that the heat penetrates into an interior of the at least one heated cable or the connector so the fusible conductor joining material melts and electrically connects the at least one inner conductor of the cable and the contact of the connector to one another.