Dangler cathode cable assembly

Claim 1

In combination, a sheathed electrical conductor cable having a stripped end comprising a plurality of wire strands and means securing the cable to a cathode comprising a metal sleeve having a bore therein which is circumferentially continuous throughout its length and through which the wire strands extend axially, means forming a sealed connection between the cable sheath and said sleeve, said cathode having a tapered socket therein, said sleeve having a tapered outer surface circumferentially surrounding said wire strands and in tight frictional engagement with said socket, said sleeve being subjected by said socket to radially inwardly compressive forces which are transmitted by said sleeve radially inwardly to said wire strands to an extent such that the cross sectional area of one circumferentially continuous portion of the stripped end of the cable within the cathode is substantially smaller than the cross sectional area of the wire portion of the cable disposed axially outwardly of the cathode, said one portion of said stripped end of the cable having the appearance of being substantially free of interstices between the wire strands so as to present in section the appearance of a single solid conductor, the taper of said socket being at an angle of not greater than 3 1/2 * to the axis of the socket, said sleeve being retained in said socket solely by the frictional engagement between the interengaged tapered surfaces of said sleeve and socket.

Claim 12

The method of securing a cathode to the end of an electrical cable of the type having a plurality of wire strands enclosed in an insulating sheath which comprises, stripping the sheath from an end portion of the cable; inserting the stripped end portion of the cable into a metal sleeve having two concentric, axially-contiguous bores therethrough connected by an annular shoulder, the bore adjacent the end of the sleeve into which the cable is inserted having a diameter sized to snugly receive an end portion of the cable with the insulating sheath thereon and the other bore being circumferentially continuous throughout its length and of a smaller uniform diameter sized to snugly receive the adjacent stripped end portion of the cable, the portion of the sleeve through which the smaller bore extends having an outer surface portion which tapers progressively to a smaller diameter in a direction away from the end of the sleeve through which the cable is inserted; thereafter, inserting the free end of the sleeve into a tapered socket in the cathode which is closed at its smaller end and has a diameter at its larger open end sized such that the sleeve is only partially freely insertable therein so that a substantial portion of the sleeve wall surrounding the smaller bore projects axially outwardly from the larger end of the socket; thereafter, applying sufficient axial force on the outwardly projecting portion of the sleeve to drive the sleeve into the tapered socket of the cathode a substantially greater distance, the cross sectional dimension of the cathode being sufficiently large to resist circumferential expansion so that the axially applied force causes the sleeve wall of the smaller bore to circumferentially contract as the sleeve is driven into said socket, the portion of the last-mentioned wall of the sleeve which is adapted to be driven into said socket being shaped in axial section such that said axially applied force causes the metal at one section of said wall to be displaced radially inwardly to a greater extent than the metal at the leading end of the sleeve wall and thus produce a smaller internal diameter at said section of the sleeve than at the leading end of said sleeve, the taper of said socket being such as to cause said sleeve to tightly compress and grip the stripped end of the cable and to cause the sleeve to be tightly locked in the socket of the cathode solely by friction; and circumferentially contracting the sleeve wall of the larger bore into tight sealing engagement with said insulating sheath.

Claim 13

The method of securing a cathode to the end of an electrical cable of the type having a plurality of wire strands enclosed in an insulating sheath which comprises, stripping the sheath from an end portion of the cable; inserting the stripped end portion of the cable into a metal sleeve having two concentric, axially-contiguous bores therethrough connected by an annular shoulder, the bore adjacent the end of the sleeve into which the cable is inserted having a diameter sized to snugly receive an end portion of the cable with the insulating sheath thereon and the other bore being circumferentially continuous throughout its length and of a smaller uniform diameter sized to snugly receive the adjacent stripped end portion of the cable, the portion of the sleeve through which the smaller bore extends having an outer surface portion which tapers progressively to a smaller diameter in a direction away from the end of the sleeve through which the cable is inserted; thereafter, inserting the free end of the sleeve into a tapered socket in the cathode which is closed at its smaller end and has a diameter at its larger open end sized such that the sleeve is only partially freely insertable therein so that a substantial portion of the sleeve wall surrounding the smaller bore projects axially outwardly from the larger end of the socket; thereafter, applying sufficient axial force on the outwardly projecting portion of the sleeve to drive the sleeve into the tapered socket of the cathode a substantially greater distance, the cross sectional dimension of the cathode being sufficiently large to resist circumferential expansion so that the axially applied force causes the sleeve wall of the smaller bore to circumferentially contract as the sleeve is driven into said socket, the portion of the last-mentioned wall of the sleeve which is adapted to be driven into said socket being shaped in axial section such that said axially applied force causes the metal at one section of said wall to be displaced radially inwardly to a greater extent than the metal at the leading end of the sleeve wall and thus produce a smaller internal diameter at said section of the sleeve than at the leading end of said sleeve, the taper of said socket being such as to cause said sleeve to tightly compress and grip the stripped end of the cable and to cause the sleeve to be tightly locked in the socket of the cathode solely by friction; and circumferentially contracting the sleeve wall of the larger bore into tight sealing engagement with said insulating sheath.