Sealing bungs for electrical connector and lead-through arrangements and method

Claim 1

IN AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MEMBER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A METAL HOUSING HAVING A THROUGH APERTURE, A BUNG OF INSULATING ELASTOMER MATERIAL HAVING TWO END FACES SPACED BY A CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE SO SHAPED AND DIMENSIONED AS TO FIT WITH CLEARANCE, WHEN UNSTRESSED, INTO THE THROUGH APERTURE OF THE HOUSING, SAID BUNG HAVING A PLURALITY OF THROUGH PASSAGES INTER-CONNECTING SAID END FACES, SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE BEING BONDED TO THE HOUSING IN CLOSE CONTACT THEREWITH INSIDE THE APERTURE SO THAT THE BUNG IS TENSIONALLY PRE-STRESSED, AND A CONNECTOR CONTACT FITTED UNDER COMPRESSIVE STRESS IN EACH SAID THROUGH PASSAGE OF THE BUNG.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF SEALINGLY MOUNTING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR ELEMENT EXTENDING THROUGH AN APERTURE IN A RIGID BODY, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF INSERTING INTO SAID APERTURE A BUNG OF ELASTOMER MATERIAL WHICH WHEN UNSTRESSED IS SMALLER TO IN DIAMETER THAN SAID APERTURE, FORCING THE MATERIAL OF THE BUNG RADIALLY OUTWARDLY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER WALL OF THE RIGID BODY, BONDING THE BUNG TO THE WALL OF SAID APERTURE, AND TEN DISCONTINUING THE FORCING INTO ENGAGEMENT OF THE MATERIAL OF THE BUNG WITH THE INNER WALL OF THE RIGID BOYD SO AS TO SET UP A TENSIONAL PRE-STRESS IN SAID BUNG, SAID BUNG HAVING A THROUGH PASSAGE WHICH IS A COMPRESSION FIT ON THE CONDUCTOR ELEMENT, AND INSERTING THE CONDUCTOR ELEMENT INTO SAID THROUGH PASSAGE SO AS TO SUPERIMPOSE COMPRESSION STRESS UPON SAID TENSIONAL STRESS IN THE BUNG.