Temperature compensated wire-conducting tube and method of manufacture
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsBoyd B. Moore, Moye Wicks, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for manufacturing a continuous metal tube having a plurality of electrical conductors disposed therein, by using a spring member to depress the electrical conductors while a flat metal strip is formed into a tubular member and welded to enclose the electrical conductors. The spring member functions to protect the electrical conductors from heat damage. The welding occurs completely downstream of the spring member in order to avoid excessive heat buildup in the spring member.
Claims5
A method for manufacturing a continuous metal tube having electrical conductors disposed within the tube, said method comprising:
- feeding a continuous strip of flat metal into a tube-forming station;
- feeding continuous multiple electrical conductors into said tube-forming station, at least some of the conductors being twisted upon themselves to form unitary twisted bundles and the remainder of the conductors being left in an untwisted condition;
- forming said strip of first metal into a tubular member with the edges of said strip being aligned and substantially in contact;
- depressing said electrical conductors to the side of the formed tubular member opposite the aligned edges to protect said conductors from heat damage;
- and
- continuously welding the aligned edges together to provide a continuous tubular member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.