Abstract: A method for making splices in high voltage electrical cable and particularly for replacing relatively short sections of previously removed, original insulation. Ends of the original insulation adjoining the section are tapered and fresh insulating material is placed over the section and heated to fluidize it. Pressure is applied to intimately combine the original cable insulation and the newly added splice insulation to thereby effect an interfacing of the original and newly added insulating material. The new insulating material is placed inside the cavity of a mold which includes small apertures communicating the cavity with the exterior and being spaced over the length of the cavity. The fresh insulating material is pressurized by forcing additional material into the cavity to thereby vent entrapped air through the apertures to the exterior. Some of the apertures are selectively opened and closed to effect the venting while propagating the insulating material and the applied pressure throughout the cavity.

Abstract: A molded cable splice is formed by wrapping strip-formed semiconducting and insulative thermosetting molding compounds about a layer of semiconducting tape covering a connector and exposed central conductors of a pair of cable ends joined by the connector, and bonding the insulative molding compound to the cable insulation layer in a heated mold having opposing end clamp portions each with an inner surface of a predetermined radius and length. The radius is selected in accordance with the formula ##EQU1## , WHERE R IS THE RADIUS OF THE CABLES TO BE JOINED AND X is a numerical quantity called the cable clamp factor. For cables having an ethylene propylene rubber insulation layer, X lies in the range from about 0.20 to about 0.50; for cables with a cross-linked polyethylene insulation layer, X is partially dependent on insulation thickness W and lies between a lower range of from about 0.50 to about 0.76 for W = 0.175 inch and an upper range of from about 0.87 to about 1.00 for W = 0.900 inch.