Cable pressure block forming kit and valve apparatus

A valve means for coupling a fluid injector and a tap fitting providing fluid access to a cable interior, the valve means comprising:

• a housing defining a fluid passage therethrough and a channel across said fluid passage dividing said passage into an inlet segment and an outlet segment;
• and
• a slide movable in said channel for sealing said passage from the housing exterior;
• said slide including first, second and third sections slidably disposable between said inlet segment and said outlet segment;
• the first slide section including means forming an orifice establishing free fluid communication between said inlet and said outlet segments and means sealing said orifice from the housing exterior;
• the second slide section including means blocking said inlet and outlet segments;
• the third section including means establishing fluid communication between said inlet segment and the housing exterior while blocking the outlet segment, whereby the inlet segment is vented to the atmosphere.

A kit of component parts capable of field assembly for forming pressure blocks in a cable defined by a cable core in an interior space of a core-surrounded outer sheath, the kit comprising:

• a pressure tap fitting defined by a base sheet and means defining an injection port projecting from one side of the base sheet and communicating the one side with another side of the sheet;
• fluid injection means including a pressure applying member for flowing a fluid material under pressure through the port into the cable interior space to thereby form a pressure block therein;
• valve means comprising a housing including a passage therethrough for connection to and fluidly communicating the injection means and the injection port, and a closure member movably mounted to the housing and dividing the passage into an upstream portion communicating with the injection means and a downstream portion communicating with the port, the closure member including first, second, and third sections, the first section including means establishing free fluid communication between the passage portions, the second section including pressure tight means sealing the passage portions from each other, the third section including means communicating the passage upstream portion with the exterior of the housing and sealing the downstream passage portion from the upstream passage portion and from the housing exterior.

A method for forming a pressure block in an interior space of a cable having an outer cable sheath comprising the steps of mounting a pressure tap fitting to the cable, the fitting having a port communicating the cable interior with the exterior;

• providing a fluid material-injecting cartridge including a cartridge housing, a pressure-applying plunger disposed interiorly of the housing and a nozzle for the discharge of pressurized material from the housing interior;
• placing a curable fluid material into the housing interior;
• laterally displacing a barrier having a first interior passage and a second passage so as to align said first interior passage with both said port and nozzle;
• thereafter advancing the plunger to thereby inject the material in the cartridge through the first passage into the cable interior;
• thereafter laterally displacing the barrier to seal the cable interior from the housing interior and to form vacuum-breaking fluid communication between the nozzle and the housing exterior through the second passage such that fluid pressure across the plunger remains substantially equalized;
• and withdrawing the plunger from the housing.