Self-healing cables
OwnerMark R. Easterinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A self-healing cable comprising a conductor and a water-swellable composition surrounding said conductor is disclosed. When the cable is damaged and water ingress reaches the water-swellable composition, the water-swellable composition expands and fills in any void, puncture or crack present, thus sealing the damage in the cable. In one embodiment, the water-swellable composition is formed from an admixture of a substantially non-water-swellable polymer and a water-swellable filler. In another embodiment, the water-swellable composition is formed from a water-swellable polymer.
Claims68
A self-healing cable comprising a conductor and a water-swellable composition surrounding said conductor, said water-swellable composition comprising:
- a) a substantially non-water-swellable polymer;
- and
- b) a water-swellable filler admixed to the polymer, wherein said water-swellable filler is selected from the group consisting of bentonite, lignite, alumina trihydrate, barytes, calcium carbonate, chlorite, clays, pyrophyllite, talc, polyacrylic acid, cellulose esters, ethylene vinyl chloride, acrylic resins, alkyd resins, polyethylene oxide, collagens, gelatins, and ethylene acrylic acid.
A self-healing cable comprising a conductor and a water-swellable polymer surrounding said conductor.
A method of making a self-healing cable comprising providing a conductor and surrounding the conductor with a water-swellable composition, said water-swellable composition comprising:
- a) a substantially non-water-swellable polymer;
- and
- b) a water-swellable filler admixed to the polymer, said water-swellable filler are selected from the group consisting of bentonite, lignite, alumina trihydrate, barytes, calcium carbonate, chlorite, clays, pyrophyllite, talc, polyacrylic acid, cellulose esters, ethylene vinyl chloride, acrylic resins, alkyd resins, polyethylene oxide, collagens, gelatins, and ethylene acrylic acid.
The method of claim 55, further comprising a polymeric sheet surrounding the water-swellable composition.
A method of making a self-healing cable comprising providing a conductor and covering the conductor with water-swellable polymer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.