US 4,441,961 A · Pulp insulated telecommunications conductor

Abstract

A method and apparatus to apply pulp to a telecommunications conductor with an adhesive which is formed from acrylic resin solution. The solution is applied in a bath and is passed between wiping rolls with the feed speed of the conductor and the differential speed between the peripheral surfaces of the wiping rolls and the conductor being controlled together with the contact angle between the conductor and the rolls. This control results in a dried thickness of resin of no greater than 0.00015 inches and as little as 20 microns after further stages in the method. These steps include drying the solution in a solution drying oven, coating the adhesive with pulp and drying the pulp coated conductor. For absolute control of the process, it is preferred for the wiping rolls to be moving in the opposite direction to the conductor at regions of contact with the conductor, for the solution to be prevented from drying as it passes between the wiping rolls, and for there to be continuous relative reciprocating movement between the conductor and the wiping rolls in the axial direction of the rolls.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A method of making pulp insulated telecommunications conductor comprising:

passing the conductor around a first roll while immersed in a bath of acrylic resin solution to provide the conductor with a covering layer of solution;
passing the conductor along its feedpath at a controlled speed and successively into contact with wiping rolls of a series of wiping rolls which are staggered alon sides of the path of the conductor while rotating the rolls to provide a differential speed between the rolls and the conductor to create a wiping action, the speed of rotation of the rolls and their distance apart being controlled to determine both the angle of contact with the conductor and the differential speed of the conductor and the peripheral surface of the rolls to provide, after the further steps in the method, a dried thickness of resin of no greater than 0.00015 inches;
passing the coated conductor through a solution drying oven to dry the coating to make it resistant to migration from the conductor while immersed in a pulp bath downstream of the oven;
coating the adhesive coated conductor with pulp in a pulp bath;
and
drying the pulp and the adhesive coating, the coating producing a solidified layer which adhesively retains fibers from the pulp upon the conductor.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Pulp insulated telecommunications conductor

Life of this patent

Pulp insulated telecommunications conductor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9