Polymeric compositions comprising a blend of high-density polyethylene (“HDPE”) with ethylene vinyl acetate (“EVA”), and optionally with a carbon black and/or one or more other additives, where the polymeric compositions have certain melt-index and vinyl-acetate-content ranges to improve melt strength and processability. Such polymeric compositions can be employed in manufacturing coated conductors, such as fiber optic cables.

A polyethylene copolymer blend consisting essentially of (A) an ethylene/unsaturated carboxylic ester bipolymer and (B) an ethylene/unsaturated carboxylic ester/carbon monoxide terpolymer. The polyethylene copolymer blend is defined by constituents (A) and (B) and at least one omitted material that would have otherwise restricted a physical property of the blend. The (A) ethylene/unsaturated carboxylic ester bipolymer is defined by features comprising choice of unsaturated carboxylic ester, unsaturated carboxylic ester comonomeric content in weight percent (wt %), and bipolymer melt index (I.sub.2; 190° C., 2.16 kg) in grams per 10 minutes (g/10 min.). The (B) ethylene/unsaturated carboxylic ester/carbon monoxide terpolymer is defined by features comprising choice of unsaturated carboxylic ester, unsaturated carboxylic ester comonomeric content in wt %, carbon monoxide comonomeric content in wt %, and terpolymer melt index (I.sub.2; 190° C., 2.16 kg) in g/10 min. Also formulations, cured polymer products, strippable semiconductive insulation shield layers, coated conductors, methods of making and using same.

The invention relates to a composition comprising a) a thermoplastic matrix polymer based on one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomer(s), wherein the thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, polystyrene, polyacrylates, ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer, and copolymers and blends of the aforementioned, b) an inorganic flame retardant, c) a polymer based on one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers and having a plurality of alkoxysilane and/or acetoxysilane groups covalently linked to the polymer, wherein the ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers of component c) are different or have a different composition than the ethylenically unsaturated monomer(s) of component a) and d) a clay.

A structure for creating a sealed wire bundle includes a first adhesive material in the form of a circular or semi-circular shape. The first adhesive material has a first outer wall with first spoke arms extending inward from the first outer wall. The first adhesive material has a first viscosity. First wire receiving spaces are provided between the first spoke arms. Wires are positioned in the first wire receiving spaces. As heat is applied to the adhesive structure, the adhesive structure flows to fill voids between the plurality of wires to thereby seal the wires.

An electric wire includes a conductor having a cross-sectional area of not less than 180 mm.sup.2 and not more than 220 mm.sup.2, an insulation provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the conductor, and a wire sheath provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the insulation. The amount of deflection is not less than 180 mm when, at 23° C., one end of the electric wire is fixed to a fixture table so that another end horizontally protrudes 400 mm from the fixture table and a weight of 2 kg is attached to the other end, and cracks and breaks do not occur when wound with a bending diameter of three times the diameter at −40° C.

A halogen-free crosslinked resin composition includes a base polymer including as a main component (a) an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and (b) an acid modified polyolefin resin having a differential scanning calorimetry glass transition temperature Tg of not higher than −55 degrees Celsius in a mass ratio (a):(b) of 70:30 to 100:0, the base polymer including 50 to 70% by mass of vinyl acetate, 0.5 to 10 parts by mass of a silicone rubber with respect to 100 parts by mass of the base polymer, and 100 to 250 parts by mass of a metal hydroxide with respect to 100 parts by mass of the base polymer.

A method for sealing a bundle of wires includes providing an adhesive material having a viscosity of less than about 300 Pa.Math.s at the installation temperature. The method further includes forming a structure from the adhesive and inserting a plurality of wires into the structure. A first amount of heat is applied to the structure in a first heating operation. The first amount of heat being higher than an ambient temperature and lower than a softening temperature of the structure. Subsequently, a second amount of heat is applied in a second heating operation to the adhesive structure to thereby fully melt the adhesive structure and cause the adhesive of the structure to fill voids between the plurality of wires to thereby seal the wires. Application of the first amount of heat during the first operation to the structure facilitates improved melt uniformity of the structure during the second heating operation.

An electrically insulated cable that is excellent in in adhesion with a resin used for resin sealing is provided. According to the present invention, an electrically insulated cable (10) includes: a plurality of coated electric wires (11) and a sheath (12) covering outer peripheries of the plurality of coated electric wires, wherein an average value of surface roughness Rz of an outer surface of the sheath is 15 μm or more and 75 μm or less.

An electric cable for improving flexibility of an insulating resin portion of the electric cable expressed by a secant modulus value is provided. In an electric cable 10a in which an outer periphery of a conductor 11 made of wires with diameters from 0.15 to 0.5 mm and having a cross-sectional area of 20 mm.sup.2 or more is covered with an insulating resin 12 including a flame retardant, a ratio of an electric cable diameter to a conductor diameter is from 1.15 to 1.40, and a secant modulus of the insulating resin 12 is from 10 to 50 MPa.

Various embodiments of the teachings herein include a cationic tape accelerator for use in a process for producing an insulation system by impregnation and/or encapsulation with an anhydride-free impregnating agent. The tape accelerator comprises an ionogenic compound of a sulfonium-containing cation and a hexafluoroantimonate anion.