Sealing Boot Helical Projections Block Moisture Ingress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elastomeric sealing covers for electrical interconnections face challenges with moisture ingress due to voids created by the interaction of annular or helical grooves and corrugations in cable jackets, particularly when the grooves and cable helix are out of phase, leading to potential leak paths.
Innovation Solution
A sealing boot with oppositely directed helical projections on its inner surface that match the cable's corrugation pattern, ensuring high compression areas and blocking moisture pathways by aligning with the cable's helical ridges and valleys, thereby preventing spiral leak paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If annular or helical grooves are added to the inner surface of the neck section to facilitate installation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to moisture ingress through voids formed between grooves and cable corrugations
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using grooves (recesses) in the neck section inner surface as in prior art, this invention uses projections (ridges) that extend axially from the inner surface. This inversion of the sealing feature geometry eliminates the void spaces between the sealing features and cable corrugations, preventing moisture ingress while maintaining ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The projections are positioned at specific locations on the inner surface of the neck section to create localized high compression areas. This allows the sealing features to concentrate sealing force at critical points where moisture ingress is most likely, rather than distributing force uniformly across the entire neck section.
2Reliability
If a smooth inner diameter neck section is used, then sealing contact is maximized, but ease of operation deteriorates as the neck becomes difficult to slide over the cable jacket during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The neck section inner surface is segmented into multiple axial projections rather than being smooth and continuous. This segmentation reduces the frictional contact area between the neck and cable jacket during installation, making it easier to slide the boot onto the cable while maintaining sealing effectiveness at the projection contact points.
3Reliability
If the boot is designed to seal tightly against the cable jacket, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for precise groove-corrugation alignment
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the sealing feature from grooves to projections, the invention eliminates the alignment complexity between sealing features and cable corrugations. The projections naturally conform to the cable surface and create sealing contact without requiring precise phase alignment, simplifying the overall device design.
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 effectively seals the interconnection by creating continuous high compression areas that prevent moisture ingress, facilitating easy installation and enhancing the durability of the seal.
Implementation Method 1
creating continuous high compression areas that prevent moisture ingress
Implementation Method 2
Elastomeric sealing covers for protecting electrical interconnections
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7B
AI summary
A sealing boot for protecting an electrical interconnection includes: a main body having a cavity configured to house an interconnection of two electrical connectors; and a neck merging with one end of the main body and having a cylindrical inner surface that defines a bore that is continuous with the cavity of the main body, the inner surface having an inner diameter that is less than an inner diameter of the cavity of the main body. The inner surface of the neck includes a helical projection comprising a main artery and two tributaries, the tributaries each intersecting a section of the main artery at one end and merging with an end of the main artery at an opposite end.