Patent FR-2790492-A1 (FR)
Title: Shrouding for cables consists of one or more strips wrapped round cables using heat shrinking material with edge lips forming beading when brought together to be held by slide
Inventor: COLOMBOT MICHEL
IPC: E01D19/16
Filed: 1999-03-01
Abstract: The shrouding (2) for at least one band of cables or strands is a strip of heat shrinking material which is applied to lock the cables. The sealed joints have collars (5) round the cables for the circulation of dry air within the shrouding, along the length of the cables.  The strip has two lips projecting from the outer surfaces of the two edges so that, when they are brought together at their flat surfaces, they form a beading at right angles to the contact surfaces. A slide is pushed over the beading to lock the edges together during heat shrinking, which can be removed after shrinking or left in place as a mechanical reinforcement of the joint. A system gives a dry air circulation between the shrouding (2) and the cables, in the gaps formed after shrinkage. The shrouding is formed by a number of strips (2) wrapped round the cables, overlapping each other. The shrouding also covers the metal collars, as a seal between them. The collar sections (6,7) are locked together by a screw bolt clamp (8). The seal can also be a neck within the collar around the heat shrinking shrouding material. A cord of sealing putty is around the ring collar and the shrouding as the seal, or a shaped unit is molded or fitted on the collar by a clamp where one shrouding strip is between the sealing piece and the cables and another shrouding strip is outside the sealing piece and round the first shrouding strip. The heat shrinking strip is locked to the metal collar without cladding, with a string of sealing putty as the bond between the strip and the end of the collar. The edges of the shrouding strip can have projecting lips at one side, to form a beading when they are brought together, to be locked by a slide pushed over them. One lip is set back from the edge, by 20-70 mm and preferably 40 mm, as a space for an applied thermofusible adhesive which is compressed during shrinkage. The beadings, formed by the lips, have a semi-circular cross section. An Independent claim is included for a cable shrouding process where the shrouding material is cut to length and laid along the cables, and is wrapped round them to bring their edges together with the edge lips projecting outwards forming a beading, to be locked together by a slide pushed over them. The shrouding is heated to shrink the material, and to bond the edges together by the fusible adhesive between them. The slide can be removed and the lips trimmed off flush to the shrouding, or the slide can be left in place to reinforce the bond at the shrouding edges. Preferred Features: The zone of bumps formed by the lips and the slide is covered by a putty to give a support zone in a regular convex shape with a width of 6 cm and a length of 20-40 cm, where the first shrouding strip is partially covered by the second strip together with an additional bonding strip to hold the edges together during shrinkage. The second strip covers the first longitudinally to enclose the end of the lip and slide bumps for complete sealing.