Welded Cable Conductor Joint With Metal Sleeve for Low Contact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
High power cables experience overheating due to poor contact resistance at joints, leading to breakdowns and financial damage, particularly in high voltage cables with aluminum conductors, where the issue worsens with increasing conductor size and power.
Innovation Solution
A method involving welding conductors together and filling the space between the welded conductor and cable insulation with a metal sleeve to create an ideal contact point, reducing overheating by minimizing air traps and enhancing electrical and mechanical contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ferrule connectors are used for aluminum conductors in prefabricated cable accessories, then installation and connection are simplified, but contact resistance increases leading to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the conductor ends directly through welding to form a continuous conductive path, eliminating the separate ferrule connector component. This direct merging of conductor materials reduces the number of contact interfaces and eliminates the high contact resistance associated with ferrule-aluminum interfaces, while maintaining ease of installation through the prefabricated nature of the welded joint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures in the welded joint region, combining aluminum conductor materials with carefully controlled weld zones. The welding process creates a metallurgical bond that forms a composite structure with optimized electrical and thermal properties, reducing contact resistance while maintaining mechanical strength and ease of installation.
2Power
If conductor size and power are increased to meet future cable requirements, then cable capacity is improved, but overheating risk increases due to higher power and larger conductor size
Solution Approach 1:
The direct welding approach merges conductor materials into a continuous path that scales effectively with conductor size. This eliminates the ferrule connector bottleneck that becomes increasingly problematic with larger conductors and higher power ratings, providing a solution that maintains low contact resistance across all conductor sizes and power levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of connection method from mechanical ferrule attachment to metallurgical welding. This parameter change fundamentally alters the contact resistance characteristics, enabling the system to handle increased power and larger conductor sizes without proportionally increasing overheating risk, as the welded joint maintains consistently low contact resistance regardless of scale.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional connection methods with ferrules are used, then manufacturing process is simpler, but oxidation and poor electrical contact occur
Solution Approach 1:
The welding process merges conductor materials directly, eliminating the ferrule component and its associated manufacturing steps. This direct merging approach actually simplifies the overall manufacturing process by reducing the number of components and assembly steps, while simultaneously improving electrical contact quality through the creation of a continuous metallurgical bond that prevents oxidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding process creates a controlled environment that protects the aluminum conductor surfaces from oxidation during the connection process. The welding arc and associated shielding create an inert or controlled atmosphere around the joint region, preventing oxygen exposure and oxidation that would otherwise degrade electrical contact quality, while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a single integrated process.
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 effectively reduces the risk of overheating in prefabricated cable accessories by improving contact resistance and preventing oxidation, ensuring reliable operation in high voltage cables.
Implementation Method 1
electrically connecting the first and second conductors by welding them together
Implementation Method 2
filling a space between an outer surface of the welded conductor and an outer surface of an outer surface of a cable insulation of the first and second conductors, by arranging a metal sleeve therebetween
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed for connecting a first and a second conductor for use in a prefabricated cable accessory. The method includes electrically connecting the first and second conductors by welding them together and filling a space between an outer surface of the welded conductor and an outer surface of a cable insulation of the first and second conductors by arranging a metal sleeve therebetween.