Patent ID: 8840977

Claim:
A casing member for forming a connection between two tubular sections, the casing member having at each side a side portion for connecting on a respective adjacent end surface of a tubular section adjacent the connection, and a middle portion that spans between the end surfaces of the tubular sections, each said side portion comprising a first crosslinked plastics material layer to be disposed relative to said end surfaces outwardly from a second plastics material layer that is uncrosslinked or has a degree of crosslinking substantially less than said first layer, at least said first layer being heat shrinkable in the direction of the circumference of the adjacent tubular section, and an electrically heatable member spaced inwardly from said first layer for heating the second layer to cause it to fusion bond with a plastics material jacket of a tubular section when disposed adjacent thereto, wherein the first crosslinked plastics material layer and the second plastics material layer comprise high density polyethylene.