Abstract: A hand-operated tool (50) for assembling stackable elements (52, 53 and 54) of a multicontact electrical connector (51) and for assembling conductors (56 and 57) to the connector includes a head (125) which is automatically positioned for effectively applying forces to the connector at each step of its assembly and to the conductors. An installer causes the head to be moved downwardly through a first incremental distance toward a support (109) into engagement with an element or conductors which are to be moved into secured engagement with an element held on the support. The movement of the head through the first incremental distance and the initiation of its movement through a second incremental distance causes the head to be spaced from the support a predetermined distance which is automatically determined as a function of the number of elements held on the support in that step of the assembly.

Abstract: A modular plug for terminating a multiconductor cord and adapted to be inserted into a jack to establish electrical connections between cord conductors and contact wires in the jack possesses superior dielectric strength. The plug includes a plastic housing having conductor-receiving cells extending between a closed end of the plug and a chamber common to all the conductors with the spacing of the cells differing from that of the jack wires. Terminal-receiving slots extend between the chamber and an exterior surface of the housing with the length of each slot being parallel to the associated cell and communicating with an exterior surface of the housing through an opening defined by at least one camming surface. The openings are spaced the same as the jack wires and the same as terminals being fed by automatic machinery for insertion.

Abstract: A slotted beam contact element for an electrical connector is constructed by forming an opening in a metallic strip and applying forces to at least one portion of the strip adjacent the opening to reshape said portion. Then a bifurcated beam is formed in the strip with at least portions of the furcations of the beam encompassing the opening after which the furcations are moved toward each other to cause the portions encompassing the opening to define a slot of predetermined width characteristics suitable for receiving an insulated conductor and for establishing electrical contact between the conductor and the furcations. For some uses of these kinds of contact elements, selected portions of the furcations may be coated or plated and/or heat treated prior to moving the furcations to their final closed position.

Abstract: A process is taught for producing plastic jacketed cable for use in underground ducts exposed to unusually high temperatures and having a corrugated metallic shield which imprints the plastic covering includes an inner jacket capable of providing and maintaining adequate strength properties notwithstanding imprinting thereof by the corrugations of the shield contiguous thereto and an outer jacket superimposed over the inner jacket and suitable for resisting degradation while being exposed to elevated temperatures for sustained periods of time.

Abstract: A plastic jacketed cable; having a corrugated metallic shield which encloses a core comprising a plurality of insulated conductors, for use in underground ducts exposed to elevated temperatures includes an inner jacket which is capable of providing and maintaining adequate strength properties notwithstanding imprinting thereof by the corrugations of the shield contiguous thereto, and an outer jacket superimposed over the inner jacket and suitable for resisting degradation while being exposed to the elevated temperatures for sustained periods of time.

Abstract: Methods are provided for processing expandable thermoplastic materials with a typical compression relief design extruder screw having a helical flight for advancing and working a thermoplastic material. The screw is modified to shorten the feed and compression sections and to include a plurality of force-producing components in at least the compression section of the screw such that at least some portion of the components in any one turn of the flight lie in one plane essentially normal to the axis of rotation of the screw and such that the walls of the flight are uninterrupted. This arrangement controls the location of the rupturing or fragmenting of what is referred to as the solid bed and controls the manner in which it is fragmented to provide an extrudate at a die end of the extruder which has a constant temperature and which is uniform throughout each successive section of the thermoplastic material.

Abstract: A typical compression relief design extruder screw having a helical flight for advancing and working a thermoplastic material is modified to shorten the feed and compression sections and to include a plurality of force-producing components in at least the compression section of the screw such that at least some portion of the components in any one turn of the flight lie in one plane essentially normal to the axis of rotation of the screw and such that the walls of the flight are uninterrupted. This arrangement controls the location of the rupturing or fragmenting of what is referred to as the solid bed and controls the manner in which it is fragmented to provide an extrudate at a die end of the extruder which has a constant temperature and and which is uniform throughout each successive section of the thermoplastic material.

Abstract: The invention relates to the formation of a metallic shield about a cable core to provide a substantially circular configuration of the shield around the core with an overlapped edge portion of the shield being preformed. The shield is first partially formed about the cable core and thereafter the shield is formed in the substantially circular configuration around the cable core while a portion of the overlying longitudinal edge portion of the shield at the overlap is turned inwardly toward the cable core sufficiently to preclude the edge portion of the shield from protruding disadvantageously into a jacket which is subsequently extruded over the shielded cable core.

Abstract: A conductive element is covered with an insulating material which is cooled within a predetermined temperature range, and preferably near or at ambient, by moving the conductor first through a cooling trough and then in a plurality of convolutions about spaced grooveless rollers which comprise a capstan. The length of the cooling trough is such that the insulation is not deformed as it engages the capstan and the number of convolutions wrapped about the capstan which is subjected to a cooling medium are determined to insure that the temperature of the conductor exiting from the capstan is at or near ambient.

Abstract: Cordage suitable for use, for example, in spring telephone cords which connect a telephone handset to a telephone base and a line cord which connects the telephone base to a wall terminal includes a plurality of tinsel conductors individually insulated with a polyether polyester thermoplastic copolymer obtained by reacting 1, 4 butane diol terephthalate with terephthalate esters of polytetramethylene glycol and stabilized with a long chain hindered phenolic antioxidant, tubed over each of the conductors, and a jacket comprising a plasticized polyvinyl chloride composition. The polyether polyester copolymer provides the cordage unexpectedly with superior mechanical properties such as, for example, resiliency, flex life and creep resistance. Spring cords of the above-described construction exhibit outstanding extensile and retractile properties.

Abstract: An insulation comprising a polyether polyester thermoplastic copolymer obtained by reacting 1, 4 butane diol terephthalate with terepthalate esters of polytetramethylene glycol is coated over an irregularly configured conductor, such as for example, a tinsel conductor, suitable for use in telecommunications cordage by moving the copolymer through an extruder and along a flow path formed between a core tube and wall of a die cavity. The die cavity adjacent to the throat of the die has a frustoconical portion formed with an approach angle of sufficient magnitude to minimize the pressure drop through the extruder to extrude the copolymer at a temperature slightly above the melting point of the copolymer.

Abstract: A plurality of groups of mandrels are arranged for movement successively through a plurality of workstations with each group being worked on at a station while other groups are being worked on simultaneously at other stations to produce continuously automatically groups of retractile cords. Cordage is fed from a supply into clamping engagement with each of the mandrels in the group in a cord-loading position and then wound helically in a plurality of spaced-apart convolutions on each of the mandrels of that group after which the wound cords are severed from the cordage supplies. The wound cords are advanced incrementally through a heating zone, wherein the cords are exposed to radiant heating supplemented by preheating of the mandrels, while cordage is being wound on the next successive groups of mandrels.

Abstract: Recompoundable polyvinyl chloride suitable to be recompounded for reuse, for example, in cable and wire production is recovered from a scrap material which includes plasticized polyvinyl chloride. A charge of plasticized polyvinyl chloride scrap material is treated with a solvent such as methyl ethyl ketone, tetrahydrofuran, cyclohexanone or dimethyl formamide to form a solvent mixture with one component thereof being a solvent solution of dissolved vinyl chloride polymer and plasticizers. The mixture is heated and agitated and scrap metal and other gross solids, if present, are removed. Then the solvent mixture is treated with an acid which advantageously causes a flocculation of suspended insolubles such as pigments and fillers. Except when using cyclohexanone as the solvent, the treatment with the acid must be accomplished, unexpectedly, in the presence of an additional flocculating agent such as a cellulose acetate which is soluble in the solution and which is insolubilized by the acid on refluxing.

Abstract: A modular plug especially suited for terminating electrical cords in which the conductors are disposed in a generally non-planar array includes a plastic housing with at least two tiers of conductor-receiving cells and a plurality of terminal-receiving openings associated with the cells. Each opening includes a slot extending parallel to and communicating with the associated cell. The length of each slot is exposed to an exterior surface of the housing. A terminal is inserted partially into each opening with portions of the housing which define the opening being in compressive engagement with edge surfaces of the terminal to support the terminal against unintended movement. An assembler removes a plastic jacket from an end portion of a cord and inserts each insulated conductor into a predetermined one of the cells. Then the assembler actuates a tool to anchor the plug to the cord and to sever excess lengths of the conductors.

Abstract: Recompoundable polyvinyl chloride suitable for reuse, for example, in cable and wire production is recovered from a scrap material which includes plasticized polyvinyl chloride. A charge of plasticized polyvinyl chloride scrap material is treated with a solvent to form a solvent mixture with one component thereof being a solvent solution of dissolved vinyl chloride polymer and plasticizers. The mixture is heated and agitated and scrap metal and other gross solids, if present, are removed. Then the solvent mixture is treated with an acid which advantageously causes a flocculation of suspended insolubles such as pigments and fillers. Except when using cyclohexanone as the solvent, the treatment with the acid must be accomplished, unexpectedly, in the presence of an additional flocculating agent.

Abstract: In the manufacture of a communications cable, a moisture barrier comprising a corrugated metallic tape having inwardly and outwardly facing major surfaces is wrapped longitudinally about an advancing cable core to form an overlapping seam, with at least a portion of each of the major surfaces which form the seam being precoated with an adhesive copolymer material. Heat is applied to at least the portions of the moisture barrier which form the seam while the portions are spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit a stripe of adhesive copolymer material in molten form to be introduced into engagement with a longitudinal edge portion of the precoated outwardly facing surface which is destined to form the seam and which is disposed generally horizontally.

Abstract: An electrical conductor is advanced along a path and is preheated to within a controlled temperature range. A reaction mixture is extruded about the conductor, the preheat of which causes the reaction mixture to release a reaction product that etches the surface of the conductor. This results in an insulated conductor unexpectedly having desired adhesion values of the insulation to the conductor without degrading the overall physical and mechanical properties of the insulation. In one usage, the reaction mixture is plasticized polyvinyl chloride with hydrochloric acid being released to perform the etching.

Abstract: The capacitance and diameter-over-dielectric of successive sections of a conductor having a layer of cellular plastic insulation extruded thereon are monitored continuously. The monitoring provides a continuous indication of the capacitance and the diameter with respect to the percent expansion of the cellular plastic insulation and the weight of the insulation per unit length of the conductor. This facilitates the regulation of process variables to maintain the capacitance and diameter-over-dielectric within acceptable ranges of values.

Abstract: A cord terminating plug includes an unipartite, non-hinged, dielectric housing with a free end and a cord input end which opens to a cavity and with provisions for preventing ingress of moisture and other contaminants. A cord jacket anchoring member disposed within a well is formed integrally of the housing through a connecting hinge oriented toward the free end and a frangible portion oriented inward the cord-input end. The anchoring member has two intersecting externally facing surfaces with one of the surfaces having a stop formed thereon. Forces are applied to the anchoring member to disconnect it from the housing through the frangible portion and move it pivotally into clamping engagement with the cord jacket.

Abstract: A plug for terminating a cord in the field includes an unipartite, non-hinged, dielectric housing having a cord-input aperture, internal surfaces defining a cavity for receiving an end portion of the cord, jacket and conductor anchoring members, and facilities for supporting terminals in a partially seated position in terminal-receiving openings in the housing. The terminals have internal contacting portions for engaging cord conductors and external contacting portions for engaging electrically associated components of a telephone apparatus when the plug is inserted thereinto. The temporary terminal support facilities include webs formed integrally with the housing. Portions of the terminals are embedded in the webs while portions of the webs are reformed into clamping engagement with other portions of the terminals during the partial insertion of the terminals.