Jointing of Armored Polyethylene-Insulated Cable to Neoprene Jacketed Connectors

Low cost, waterproof, easily implemented jointing of armored electrical cable to neoprene jacketed cable has been required for power/signal cables deployed in the nearshore zone. The primary difficulty in jointing was associated with bonding to polyethylene insulation within the armored cable. The most troublesome problems encountered were field reliability and deterioration with prolonged storage. Four methods of jointing with histories of variable performance have been used by the Shore Processes Laboratory (SPL) of Scripps Institution of Oceanography; these techniques were all inexpensive, and readily implemented in the field. Two methods used encapsulations, one used a heat shrink tubing while another consisted of a mechanical device. Recently the encapsulation methods developed a high failure rate; consequently these splicing methods are no longer used at SPL. The mechanical and the heat shrink methods have performed well in the field and have potential for future applications.