Water-Blocking Textile Fabric With Swelling Pore Sealing for Cables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water-blocking textile fabrics for cables face issues with adhesives impairing swelling action and gel strength, leading to ineffective prevention of water penetration and spreading, especially under hydrostatic pressure.
Innovation Solution
A textile fabric with high air permeability and open porosity, featuring an absorbent material bonded to the fabric, which swells to seal pores and maintain anchoring without adhesives, ensuring effective longitudinal sealing and resistance to water migration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If water-blocking tapes are sealed or bonded with adhesives to prevent mechanical loss of water-blocking compounds, then the attachment of water-blocking compounds is improved, but the swelling action and swelling rate of the water-blocking compounds are inhibited, impairing the water-blocking properties
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes adhesives and binders from the water-blocking tape structure entirely. Instead of using adhesive-coated substrates, the patent employs a self-adhering mechanism where the water-blocking compound itself provides the bonding function through friction and mechanical interlocking with the substrate, eliminating the harmful adhesive layer that inhibited swelling.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a novel intermediary mechanism - a self-adhering water-blocking compound that bonds to the substrate without requiring external adhesives. This compound acts as both the water-blocking agent and the bonding medium, using its own physical properties (friction, mechanical interlocking) to achieve attachment while maintaining full swelling capability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If water-soluble binders and adhesives are used to attach water-blocking compounds to the substrate, then the attachment is improved, but the binder dissolves on contact with water and the water-blocking compound can be flushed out and migrate along cavities under water pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates water-soluble binders and adhesives from the system. The water-blocking compound is applied in powder form without any adhesive coating, and attachment is achieved through mechanical means (friction, interlocking) rather than chemical bonding, preventing dissolution and migration when water contacts the tape.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a simple, adhesive-free construction where the water-blocking compound in powder form serves its purpose directly without requiring permanent chemical attachment. The compound relies on physical attachment mechanisms that are sufficient for the application, avoiding complex adhesive systems that would dissolve.
3Quantity of substance
If SAP fibers are used as water-blocking material, then the water absorption capacity is improved, but in the swelled state they display low gel strength and the gel migrates rapidly along cavities under hydrostatic pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a composite structure where the water-blocking compound (in powder form) is mechanically interlocked with the substrate and reinforced by friction forces. This composite approach provides both high water absorption capacity and sufficient gel strength through physical bonding rather than relying solely on the intrinsic gel strength of the SAP material.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention divides the water-blocking function into separate components: the water-blocking compound in powder form provides absorption capacity, while the substrate structure and friction forces provide mechanical strength and prevent migration. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromise.
4Reliability
If coatings of swellable compounds are applied to substrates to form composite materials, then the water-blocking function is provided, but the composite materials have low swelling rate and the swellable compound detaches during production and/or use
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the coating step and adhesive layer entirely. Instead of applying swellable compounds as coatings that require drying and curing time, the patent uses powder-form compounds that are mechanically attached to the substrate, enabling rapid swelling from contact with water without detachment issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The water-blocking compound in powder form attaches to the substrate through self-service mechanisms (friction, mechanical interlocking) without requiring external adhesives or complex coating processes. This enables rapid deployment and immediate swelling action when water contacts the tape.
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 fabric effectively prevents water penetration and spreading along cables, maintaining high tensile strength and absorbency while minimizing weight and adhesion issues, even under hydrostatic pressure.
Implementation Method 1
the layer comprising pores configured to be at least partially closed under an effect of liquid due to a swelling of the absorbent material
Data Source
AI summary
A textile fabric for preventing the penetration and water spreading in cables, having at least one layer, which is at least partially covered by an absorbent material and has pores, which pores can be at least partially closed under the effect of liquid due to absorbent material swelling, the absorbent material being bonded to the textile layer, at least in some areas, has a DIN ISO 9073-3 tensile strength in machine direction of >50 N/5 cm, and obtainable by a method involving: treating a layer containing pores with a mixture containing a polymerizable monomer or oligomer and a cross-linking agent and, as absorbent material precursor, a wetting agent and initiator, and polymerization of the monomer or oligomer under formation of a bonded connection between the absorbent material and the layer. The textile fabric can have a DIN EN ISO 9237 air permeability in dry state of greater than 200 dm3/(m2s).