Patent ID: 7872197

Claim:
A method of joining at least one pair of electric cables together, each cable comprising at least one conductor, an insulating coating at a position radially external to the at least one conductor, and an electric-shielding coating applied at a radially external position to the insulating coating, the method comprising: providing a tubular covering sleeve in a resiliently radially expanded condition, the tubular covering sleeve comprising: a primary tubular body comprising at least one annular insert of semiconductive material integrated into at least one layer of insulating material; and a coating sheath comprising one or more layers of semiconductive material, wherein the coating sheath is disposed at a radially external position to the primary tubular body; disposing the radially expanded tubular covering sleeve at a substantially coaxial position around one of the cables; electrically connecting each conductor of the at least one pair of cables and obtaining a splicing region between the at least one pair of cables; positioning the radially expanded tubular covering sleeve around the splicing region; causing radial shrinkage of the tubular covering sleeve on the at least one pair of cables in the splicing region; making an electric connection between the one or more layers of semiconductive material of the coating sheath and the electric-shielding coating of at least one of the cables; and moving an end portion of the one or more layers of semiconductive material of the coating sheath apart from a geometric axis of the coating sheath to carry out a sectionalization along the one or more layers of semiconductive material; wherein providing a tubular covering sleeve comprises: preparing the primary tubular body; preparing the coating sheath; and mechanically engaging the coating sheath in, a condition of radial resilient expansion around the primary tubular body so that the coating sheath engaged on the primary tubular body exerts a centripetal tightening action on the primary tubular body.