| abstract |
The present invention relates to an electrical joint compound for use in tubular compression connectors generally of aluminum or copper, and is particularly useful for joining large, stranded or solid, underground, electrical power cable and terminations of cable in high-voltage potheads. The electrical joint compound is a thermosetting hardenable resin system such for example as epoxy or polyester, which contains sufficient fine metal particles to make the resin semi-conducting and also contains coarse metal particles of irregular shape which because of their size and shape break through any oxide surface such as occurs particularly on aluminum conductors during compression, and allow a metal-to-metal contact to be made between connector and conductor strands and between contiguous conductor strands. The combination of the coarse and the fine particles in a hard, semi-conducting resin provide a synergistic effect which gives a stable, low resistance, compression connector joint not heretofore available. The present invention makes it possible to join aluminum and aluminum to copper power cable in sizes as large as 3 million circular mil with compression connectors. |