FIELD INSTALLABLE CIRCULAR SHELL ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTORS High Performance in Kit Form

摘要

Environmental connectors must meet exacting criteria for resistance to moisture or contaminant migration, and have the ability to function in harsh atmospheric conditions, while fulfilling the need to provide for ease of engagement and disengagement, with secure locking features. For optimum performance, environmental connectors are generally pre-manufactured using processes that create unitized connector and cable assemblies. To accomplish this, the connector body is either assembled and sealed, or directly molded onto wire and cable. This method creates an axial seal, thereby excluding or minimizing fluid and/or contaminant intrusion. When mated pairs are fully engaged, an auxiliary means of interface sealing and mechanical locking assures environmental integrity and prevents unintentional disengagement. This preferred method of manufacture is often impractical, for a variety of reasons, such as the need to install connectors onto existing flying leads from power sources, repairing accidentally cut cables, prototyping, and the need for versatility in customizing cables or patch cords in various lengths. Additionally, the need for recyclable materials will re- quire manufactured products that are readily disassembled. Because of these situations, a series of highly reliable field installable environmental connectors has been developed that can be easily installed with common assembly methods, and still meet recognized electrical performance and environmental criteria. The reliability of a field-assembled connector for electrical and environmental use is dependent on a proven means of termination, fail-safe alignment of assembled components, and provisions for sealing against a variety of wire diameters. Using methods consistent with good manufacturing practice, the properly assembled connectors are designed to provide equivalent performance and be indistinguishable in appearance from their pre-assembled counterparts. Performance and test data will be presented to demonstrate that the properly assembled environmental connector and cable assemblies will function reliably for a variety of inline and panel mounted applications. Data will reference internationally recognized performance standards for acceptance criteria.