Sealant repair systems and methods for outer jacket layers of cables and cable accessories
View Patent ↗A method for repairing a damaged area of an outer jacket layer of a cable or cable accessory includes: applying sealant to a strip of flexible material; forming a preliminary sealant layer on the damaged area and around an entire circumference of the outer jacket layer by sliding the strip of flexible material relative to the outer jacket layer with the sealant in contact with the outer jacket layer; wrapping the strip of flexible material around the entire circumference of the outer jacket layer and the preliminary sealant layer, wherein the preliminary sealant layer holds the strip of flexible material in place after the wrapping; and allowing the sealant to cure to thereby form a final sealant layer on the damaged area and around the entire circumference of the outer jacket layer, wherein the strip of flexible material holds the sealant in place while allowing the sealant to cure.
1. A method for repairing a damaged area of an outer jacket layer of a cable or cable accessory, the method comprising:
applying sealant to a strip of flexible material; then
forming a preliminary sealant layer on the damaged area and around an entire circumference of the outer jacket layer by sliding the strip of flexible material relative to the outer jacket layer with the sealant in contact with the outer jacket layer; then
wrapping the strip of flexible material around the entire circumference of the outer jacket layer and the preliminary sealant layer, wherein the preliminary sealant layer holds the strip of flexible material in place after the wrapping; and
allowing the sealant to cure to thereby form a final sealant layer on the damaged area and around the entire circumference of the outer jacket layer, wherein the strip of flexible material holds the sealant in place while allowing the sealant to cure,
wherein forming the preliminary sealant layer comprises sliding the strip of flexible material circumferentially around the outer jacket layer such that the sealant is spread generally evenly around an entire circumference of the outer jacket layer.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sealant comprises room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the strip of flexible material is transparent.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the strip of flexible material comprises biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BoPET) film.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the strip of flexible material comprises first and second opposite ends, and wherein wrapping the strip of flexible material around the entire circumference of the outer jacket layer and preliminary sealant layer comprises overlapping the first and second ends.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the strip of flexible material comprises first and second opposite sides;
the first side faces and contacts the preliminary sealant layer and then the final sealant layer; and
the second side faces away from the preliminary sealant layer and then the final sealant layer.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying a solvent to the outer jacket layer prior to forming the sealant layer on the damaged area.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the cable or cable accessory comprises a cold shrink sleeve.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the cable or cable accessory comprises a cable.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein allowing the sealant to cure comprises allowing the sealant to cure without applying heat to the sealant.
11. A seal system comprising:
a cable or cable accessory comprising an outer jacket layer having a damaged area;
a sealant layer on the damaged area and surrounding an entire circumference of the outer jacket layer; and
a retention layer comprising a strip of flexible material directly on the sealant layer and surrounding the entire circumference of the outer jacket layer,
wherein the strip of flexible material comprises first and second opposite ends that overlap one another.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the sealant layer comprises room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein the strip of flexible material is transparent.
14. The system of claim 11 wherein the strip of flexible material comprises BoPET film.
15. The system of claim 11 wherein:
the strip of flexible material comprises first and second opposite sides; and
the first side of the first end directly contacts the sealant layer and the first side of the second end overlies and optionally directly contacts the second side of the first end.
16. The system of claim 11 wherein:
the strip of flexible material comprises first and second opposite sides;
the first side faces and contacts the preliminary sealant layer and then the final sealant layer; and
the second side faces away from the preliminary sealant layer and then the final sealant layer.
17. The system of claim 11 wherein the cable or cable accessory comprises a cold shrink sleeve.
18. The system of claim 11 wherein the cable or cable accessory comprises a cable.