Patent Application
20090229851
The present invention relates to a crush resistant conductor insulation. More particularly, the present invention relates to a crush resistant polymer insulated conductor twinning process or cable where the polymer insulation is foamed or unfoamed, has peaks and valleys, and maintains the electrical and mechanical properties of a typical cylindrical polymer insulated conductor.
Twisted pair communications cable is used for high frequency signal transmission, typically in plenum areas of buildings. The cable is composed of typically multiple twisted pairs of polymer-insulated conductors, covered by a polymer jacket. In twisted pair data cables, the individual insulated conductors are typically twisted into pairs, and four pairs are cabled together and jacketed to make the cable. Each pair is twisted at a different lay (conventionally measured in inches/turn) to reduce electrical coupling between adjacent twisted pairs (i.e. crosstalk).The twisting together compresses (i.e. crushes) the polymer insulation. The shorter the lay, the tighter the twist and the greater the crush or compression of the polymer insulation (whether foamed or unfoamed). The twisted pairs are typically designed to have 100 ohms impedance. The center to center spacing of the conductors within the pair is a key factor affecting impedance. Therefore, because increased compression brings the conductors closer, additional insulation thickness is needed to maintain the desired impedance as the length of twist becomes shorter. The problem with increasing the amount of polymer insulation used is that there is an increase in cable weight and cable size.
It is thus desirable to have a polymer insulation that maintains the desired impedance and other electrical and mechanical properties without increasing the weight of the insulation material. The following disclosure may be relevant to various aspects of the present invention and may be briefly summarized as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,419 to Bogese, II discloses a primary conductor of wire (solid or strands) that are enclosed by a coating of solid insulation with radially outward extending ribs. The insulated ribs of a first insulated conductor are located adjacent to a second insulated conductor in which the outermost end of the first and second insulated conductor ribs abut. The abutting ribs of the first and second insulated conductors define air spaces which are between the ribs and increase the distance between conductors from each other, thereby reducing the capacitance of the cable assembly.
Briefly stated, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process of twinning a pair of polymer-insulated conductors to form a twisted pair, each of said polymer-insulated conductors being formed by extruding a uniform thickness of said polymer onto said conductors, wherein said polymer-insulated conductors have a cylindrical exterior surface, the improvement comprising:
improving impedance efficiency for said twisted pair as compared to polymer insulation of said uniform thickness of the same weight of said polymer by:
(i) carrying out said extruding to form longitudinally running peaks and valleys in the exterior surface of each of said polymer-insulated conductors of said twisted pair of polymer-insulated conductors; and
(ii) twinning resultant polymer-insulated conductors to nest at least one of said peaks in said exterior surface of one of said polymer-insulated conductors in at least one of said valleys in said exterior surface of the other of said polymer-insulated conductors of said pair of polymer-insulated conductors.
The polymer insulation on the conductors is unfoamed or foamed. The improvement of the present invention further comprising applying a jacket to encase at least two twisted pairs, thereby forming a cable.
Pursuant to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pair of conductors each having polymer insulation thereon, the polymer insulation on each of said conductors having an exterior surface comprising: peaks and valleys alternating longitudinally along said exterior surface, said pair of conductors each having said polymer insulation thereon being twisted together to form a twisted pair wherein at least one of said peaks in the exterior surface of said polymer insulation on one of said conductors is nested in one of said valleys in the exterior surface of said polymer insulation on the other of said conductors to provide an improved impedance efficiency as compared to polymer insulation of the same weight but of uniform thickness, i.e. greater impedance per lb/1000 ft of polymer insulation. Thus, less weight of polymer insulation can be used to achieve the same impedance as with conventional polymer insulation (uniform thickness). The polymer insulation on the conductors is unfoamed or foamed.
The pair of conductors further comprising a polymer jacket being applied to encase at least two of said twisted pairs of polymer insulated conductors to form a cable. Pursuant to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coaxial cable, comprising a central conductor, polymer insulation encasing said central conductor, and an outer conductor encasing said polymer insulation, said polymer insulation having an exterior surface comprising longitudinally running peaks and valleys, said outer conductor bridging said valleys. The polymer insulation can be unfoamed or foamed.
The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
While the present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Reference is now made to the drawings for a detailed description of the present invention. In the process of twisting the polymer-insulated conductors of the present invention together (e.g. twinning), the insulation compresses as a result of torsional forces from tensioning and actual drag through the twinning machine. The shorter the twist, the more compression occurs. Traditionally, the insulation compression is counteracted by adding more insulation in order that the final center to center spacing of the conductors for a desired twist length is achieved.
In the present invention, a preferred embodiment for the insulation shape around the conductor produced from an extrusion process is a series of arches (e.g. scalloped) around the outer circumference of the insulation. This process 1) reduces the tension through the twinning machine by decreasing the contact surface area of the insulation with the machine components; 2) increases the crush resistance of the insulation layer; 3) increases the conductor center to center distance in the twisted pair with less total insulation weight than conventional round insulation; and 4) increases the insulation to insulation surface contact area.
With continued reference to
The cross-sectional shape of
In
In the processes and product of the present invention, the peaks and valleys are continuous along the entire length of the insulation and are parallel to the conductor as extruded as shown in
One aspect of the present invention is that the polymer insulation has a corrugated surface created by the longitudinally running peaks and valleys. The number of peaks present depends on the diameter of the polymer insulation. As the diameter increases, so does the circumference, which means that the peak width chosen for a small diameter polymer insulation, if used on a larger diameter polymer insulation, will require more peaks. Alternatively, the peak widths could be increased. The peaks are not tall and thin, because such configuration does not improve crush resistance. Such peaks tend to fold over upon themselves upon being subjected to crushing. The peaks used in the present invention have sufficient width relative to height that they do not fold during crushing. Preferred quantitative characterizations of the peaks are independently as follows: (i) the height of the peaks is no greater than about 150% of the width of said peaks, (ii) the peaks cover at least about 30% of the exterior surface (valley circumference) of the polymer insulation (this defines the foot print of the peaks), and (iii) the peaks have a height that is at least about 50% of the width of the peaks. As the width of the peaks decrease the number of peaks increased to provide equivalent improvement. For the very small size (diameter) communications cable, such as wherein the overall thickness of insulation is about 6 to 14 mils (0.150 to 0.360 mm), and the height of the peaks is at least about 25% of said overall thickness. Overall thickness is the thickness of the insulation from the conductor surface to the top of the peaks. The width of the peaks is the distance across the base of the peaks where they intersect with the valleys. The height of the peaks is measured from the circumference defined by the valleys (valley circumference) to the top of the peaks. Preferably the peaks are rounded to facilitate nesting. Generally, a jacket is applied over either the twisted pair or coaxial constructions to complete the communications cable. Multiple twisted pairs can be bundled together in a single jacket.
For the twisted pair insulation thicknesses, the height of the peaks, as disclosed above, is preferably at least 25% of the thickness of the overall polymer insulation, more preferably at least 30%, and even more preferably, at least 40% thereof. Generally, folding of the peaks during crushing is avoided if the height of the peaks is no more than 150% of the width of the peaks, preferably no more than 125%, and more preferably no more than 100% thereof. Of course, the peaks are also wide enough that they do not fold upon crushing, which is generally obtained when the width of the peaks range from 75% or 100% of the peak height to 200% of the peak height. Another indication of the peak width is the coverage of the peaks on the circumference of the polymer insulated cable, the circumference in this case meaning the inner diameter of the foamed polymer insulation represented by the surface (floor) of the valleys. Preferably, the peaks cover up to about 90% of the circumference (valley surface), preferably at least 35% of such circumference.
The peaks are prominent in the surface of the insulation, e.g. for the 4 to 20 mil (0.1 to 0.5 mm) and 6 to 14 mil (0.15 to 0.35 mm) overall thickness ranges for the insulation, the peak height preferably ranges from 3 to 7 mils (0.075 to 0.175 mm), preferably 4 to 6 or 7 mils (0.1 to 0.15 or 0.175 mm). For thicker insulation (overall thickness) from 20 to 125 mils (0.5 to 3.1 mm), the peak height will preferably be from 3 to 20 mils (0.076 to 0.5 mm). For all these peak heights, the peak width will preferably be in the range of 75 to 200% of the peak height.
The present invention extrusion and twinning described above maintains the desired impedance performance for the twisted pair while maintaining or reducing the amount of polymer used in insulating the conductors (i.e. impedance efficiency). The polymer material for the insulation can be foamed or unfoamed. For purposes of this specification the term unfoamed means solid or that under a magnification of 40×, virtually no voids are visible in the regions at the interior and exterior surfaces of the foamed polymer.
The desired impedance performance for a twisted pair is 100 ohms.
Any method for foaming the polymer to form the foamed regions of the polymer insulation of the present invention can be used. It is preferred, however, that the method used will obtain cells (voids) that are both small and uniform for the best combination of electrical properties, such as low return loss and high signal transmission velocity. In this regard, the cells are preferably about 50 micrometers in diameter or less and the average void content is about 10 to 70%, preferably about 20 to 50%, more preferably about 20 to 35%. Average void content is determined by capacitance measurement on the insulated conductor. It is preferable for twisted pair that the average void content is between 0-35% and more preferably 10-35%. For coaxial cable, the average void content is preferably 10-70%. Average void content is determined by comparing the weight of the foamed insulation with the weight of unfoamed insulation (same polymer) of the same dimensions according to the following equation;
Void content (vol %)=100(1−[foamed wt/unfoamed wt]).
The fluoropolymer used in the present invention is preferably a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and hexafluoropropylene (HFP). In these copolymers, the HFP content is typically about 6-17 wt %, preferably 9-17 wt % (calculated from HFPI×3.2). HFPI (HFP Index) is the ratio of infrared radiation (IR) absorbances at specified IR wavelengths as disclosed in U.S. Statutory Invention Registration H130. Preferably, the TFE/HFP copolymer includes a small amount of additional comonomer to improve properties. The preferred TFE/HFP copolymer is TFE/HFP/perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether) (PAVE), wherein the alkyl group contains 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Preferred PAVE monomers are perfluoro(ethyl vinyl ether) (PEVE) and perfluoro(propyl vinyl ether) (PPVE). Preferred TFE/HFP copolymers containing the additional comonomer have an HFP content of about 6-17 wt %, preferably 9-17 wt % and PAVE content, preferably PEVE, of about 0.2 to 3 wt %, with the remainder of the copolymer being TFE to total 100 wt % of the copolymer. Examples of FEP compositions are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,868 (Carlson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,677,404 (Blair), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,588 (Kaulbach et al.) and in U.S. Statutory Invention Registration H130. The FEP is partially crystalline, that is, it is not an elastomer. By partially crystalline is meant that the polymers have some crystallinity and are characterized by a detectable melting point measured according to ASTM D 3418, and a melting endotherm of at least about 3 J/g.
Other fluoropolymers can be used, i.e. polymers containing at least 35 wt % fluorine, that are melt fabricable so as to be melt extrudable, but FEP is preferred because of its high speed extrudability and relatively low cost. In particular applications, ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) polymers will be suitable, but perfluoropolymers are preferred, these including copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether) (PAVE), commonly known as PFA, and in certain cases MFA. PAVE monomers include perfluoro(ethyl vinyl ether) (PEVE), perfluoro(methyl vinyl ether) (PMVE), and perfluoro(propyl vinyl ether) (PPVE). TFE/PEVE and TFE/PPVE are preferred PFAs. MFA is TFE/PPVE/PMVE copolymer. However, as stated above, FEP is the most preferred polymer. The fluoropolymers used in the present invention are also melt-fabricable, i.e. the polymer is sufficiently flowable in the molten state that it can be fabricated by melt processing such as extrusion, to produce wire insulation having sufficient strength so as to be useful. The melt flow rate (MFR) of the perfluoropolymers used in the present invention is preferably in the range of about 5 g/10 min to about 50 g/10 min, preferably at least 20 g/10 min, and more preferably at least 25 g/10 min.
MFR is typically controlled by varying initiator feed during polymerization as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,609 (Chapman). The higher the initiator concentration in the polymerization medium for given polymerization conditions and copolymer composition, the lower the molecular weight, and the higher the MFR. MFR may also be controlled by use of chain transfer agents (CTA). MFR is measured according to ASTM D-1238 using a 5 kg weight on the molten polymer and at the melt temperature of 372° C. as set forth in ASTM D 2116-91a (for FEP), ASTM D 3307-93 (PFA), and ASTM D 3159-91a (for ETFE, which is measured at 297° C.).
Fluoropolymers made by aqueous polymerization, as polymerized contain at least about 400 end groups per 106 carbon atoms. Most of these end groups are unstable in the sense that when exposed to heat, such as encountered during extrusion, they undergo chemical reaction such as decomposition, either discoloring the extruded polymer or filling it with non-uniform bubbles or both. Examples of these unstable end groups include —COF, —CONH2, —COOH, —CF═CF2 and/or —CH2O H and are determined by such polymerization aspects as choice of polymerization medium, initiator, chain transfer agent, if any, buffer if any. Preferably, fluoropolymers are stabilized to replace substantially all of the unstable end groups by stable end groups. The preferred methods of stabilization are exposure of the perfluoropolymer to steam or fluorine at high temperature. Exposure of the perfluoropolymer to steam is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,083 (Schreyer). Exposure of the perfluoropolymer to fluorine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,122 (Buckmaster et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,658 (Imbalzano et al.). These processes can be used in the present invention. The analysis of end groups is described in these patents. The presence of the —CF3 stable end group (the product of fluorination) is deduced from the absence of unstable end groups existing after the fluorine treatment, and this is the preferred stable end group, providing reduced dissipation factor as compared to the —CF2H end group stabilized perfluoropolymer the product of steam treatment. Preferably, the total number of unstable end groups constitute no more than about 80 such end groups per 106 carbon atoms, preferably no more than about 40 such end groups per 106 carbon atoms, and most preferably, no greater than about 20 such end groups per 106 carbon atoms.
Examples of non-fluorinated thermoplastic polymers include polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, and polyaryleneetherketones, such as polyetherketone (PEK), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and polyetherketoneketone (PEKK). Polyolefins may also be used as insulation according to the present invention. Examples of polyolefins include polypropylene, e.g. isotactic polypropylene, linear polyethylenes such as high density polyethylenes (HDPE), linear low density polyethylenes (LLDPE), e.g. having a specific gravity of 0.89 to 0.92. The linear low density polyethylenes made by the INSITE® catalyst technology of Dow Chemical Company and the EXACT® polyethylenes available from Exxon Chemical Company can be used in the present invention; these resins are generically called (mLLDPE). These linear low density polyethylenes are copolymers of ethylene with small proportions of higher alpha monoolefins, e.g. containing 4 to 8 carbon atoms, typically butene or octene. Any of these thermoplastic polymers can be a single polymer or a blend of polymers. Thus, the EXACT® polyethylenes are often a blend of polyethylenes of different molecular weights. The polymer forming the insulation can also contain other additives that are commonly used in polymer insulation, such as pigments, extrusion aids, fillers, flame retardants, and antioxidants, depending on the identity of the polymer being used and properties to be enhanced.
The conductor used in the present invention is any material that is useful for transmitting signals as required for service in a communications cable. Such material can be in the form of a single strand or can be multiple strands twisted together or otherwise united to form a unitary strand. The most common such material is copper or copper containing. For example, a copper conductor may be plated with a different metal such as silver, tin or nickel. The present invention is not only applicable to twisted pair applications as discussed above but also for coaxial cable. A coaxial cable is a cable consisting of inner 35 and outer 45 conductors with an insulating layer 40, 41 there between as shown in
The conductor used in the Examples unless otherwise indicated is copper single strand wire having a diameter of 22.6 mils (565 μm). The polymer insulation of Examples 1 and 3 has a void content of 20 vol % unless otherwise specified. The unfoamed layer at the inner surface of the insulation is observable by viewing a cross section of the polymer-insulated conductor under magnification. Example 2 is for unfoamed polymer insulation. The unfoamed exterior surface of the insulation is observable by the surface of the insulation being void free in appearance. Both the foamed and unfoamed polymer insulation encasing the conductors are formed by extruding.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the profile of a scalloped insulation surface is used for a foamed insulation coaxial cable as shown in
Table 1 shows the electrical properties of the conventional foamed coaxial cable (
In Table 1, the calculated impedance for the conventional coaxial cable and scalloped foamed coaxial cable are virtually the same. The calculated impedance was determined using the following formula:
where:
Z0=Impedance (Ohms)
Capacitance=picofarads/ft
VP=% of the speed of light
In another embodiment of the present invention, a twisted pair has a 0.3 inch (7.6 mm) lay and solid (unfoamed) polymer insulation about a conductor. (The lay 46 for the twisted pair is defined as the inches per complete twist which is shown in
In Table 2 the polymer insulation weight used to maintain a 100 ohm impedance is shown to decrease in weight from the conventional solid insulation, to the embodiment of the present invention shown in
The present invention also shows a reduction in polymer insulation required for foam designs when compared to the standard polymer insulation under similar conditions. The foamed polymer insulation of this Example resembles that of
When this polymer-insulated conductor is twinned with another of the same polymer-insulated conductors at a twinning rate of 2000 turns/min to form a lay of 0.3 in (7.6 mm) for the twisted pair, a peak of one insulation nests in a valley of the other insulation assisted by the back-twisting of the individual polymer-insulated conductors prior to twinning. The impedance of the twisted pair is 100 ohms for both the conventional twisted pair of uniform thickness and the twisted pair of the present invention. In comparison, the foamed polymer insulation with the peaks and valleys weighed 0.706 lb/1000 ft, while the foamed polymer insulation (same void content) weighed 0.725 lb/1000 ft. Thus, the present invention maintained the same impedance using less material then the conventional twisted pair. It is therefore, apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention, crush resistant conductor insulation that fully satisfies the aims and advantages hereinbefore set forth. While this invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61037055 | Mar 2008 | US | |
| 61037192 | Mar 2008 | US | |
| 61123814 | Apr 2008 | US |
