This invention relates to a multiple cable wall gland.

It is often required with cables and/or tubes of various kind, such as telecommunication and cable- television cables, to be able to pass them through a bulkhead or a wall such as a wall of a waterproof jointing box or a connector compartment for example, in such a manner that the entry opening through the wall is sealed with respect to the wall and the cable and/or tube whereby passage of fluid from one side of the wall to the other is prevented.

This has previously been achieved, with respect to single cables, by means of a gland member sealingly surrounding the cable or tube, and sealingly connected to the wall around the entry opening therethrough.

It has also been proposed to provide a single wall gland for a plurality of cables and/or tubes utilising a single wall opening, the plurality of cables and/or tubes passing, within a hollow gland member, individually through appropriate bores m a sealing member arranged to be compressed and seal about the plurality of cables and/or tubes.

It is an object of the present invention to enable the provision of a convenient and easy to use sealed gland for such a plurality of cables and/or tubes.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention tnere is provided a gland assembly for enabling a plurality of cables and/or tubes to pass through a wall m a sealed manner comprising a hollow mam gland body sealingly σonneσtable directly or indirectly to the wall at an opening therein and extending generally transverse, in use, from the plane of the wall, from an inner end to an outer end; an inner disposed sleeve member and outer disposed sleeve located within the mam gland body in line with each other between the inner and outer ends of the main gland body, the inner and outer sleeve members being at least partially closed ended at their inner and outer ends respectively; sealing material disposed with the two sleeve members; the assembly being capable of adjustment to a first disposition such that little or no force in the inner/outer direction is imposed upon the sleeve ends which are then in an aligned separated disposition; the main gland body, the two sleeve ends and

the sealing material being capable of having cables and/or tubes passed therethrough between the outer and inner ends thereof when the sleeves are in an aligned separated disposition; and the assembly being capable of a further adjustment to a second disposition such that force in the inner/outer direction is imposed upon the sleeve ends so as to urge the sleeves together and exert pressure on the sealing material in the inner/outer direction whereby to provide a seal about cables and/or tubes passing therethrough.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a gland assembly for enabling a plurality of cables and/or tubes to pass through a wall in a sealed manner comprising a hollow main gland body sealingly connectable directly or indirectly to the wall at an opening therein and extending generally transverse, in use, from the plane of the wall, from an inner end to an outer end; an inner disposed sleeve member and outer disposed sleeve located within the mam gland body in line with each other between the inner and outer end of the main gland body, the inner and outer sleeve members being closed ended at their inner and outer ends respectively; the sleeve members enclosing a sealing member, at least a portion of which, full width across at least one sleeve member, is of elastαmeric sealing material; the closed ends of the sleeve members and the sealing member being provided with bores therethrough in an inner/outer direction; the main gland body being capable of outward

movement to a first disposition such that use little or no force in the inner/outer direction is imposed upon the sleeve ends which are thereby in an aligned separated disposition and the elastomer material is uncompressed for the insertion of cables and/or tubes in the bores; and the ma gland body being capable of inward movement to a second disposition such that, in use, force in the inner/outer direction is imposed upon the sleeve ends so as to urge the sleeves together and exert pressure on the elastomer sealing material in the inner/outer direction to compress the same and provide a seal about the cables and/or tubes passing therethrough.

The sleeve members may be cylindrical and the seal member may comprise a cylinder of elastomeric material, or may, along its length, comprise a lamination or succession of elastomeric portions and non-elastomeπc relatively rigid portions. Again the seal member may comprise a plastic central cylinder of a relatively rigid nature, with cylindrical elastomeric portions at each end thereof, which may be bonded to the central cylinder.

The main gland body may be connectable directly to the wall about the opening therein, for example by means of a threaded upstanding annular skirt formed about the opening.

Alternatively, the mam gland body may be connectable to a separate annular skirt member secured within and sealed with respect to a simple opening in the wall.

The skirt or skirt portion upstanding from the wall may be internally threaded, and may in practice mate with an externally threaded portion of the main- gland body which is itself conveniently of a right cylindrical nature. In this case inward and outward movement of the main gland body may be by screwing in and out on the skirt or skirt portion.

The skirt or skirt portion of the wall may be provided with a radially inwardly directed shoulder arranged to bear against the inner sleeve member adjacent the closed end thereof, and the outer end of the main gland body may be provided with a radially inwardly extending shoulder engaging with the closed end of the outer sleeve member.

The ends of the sleeve members, and the sealing member, may be pre-drilled with a predetermined number of bores, those not required for use at any time being filled, for sealing purposes, with rods passing therealong which can then, in use of the sealing gland, be sealed therewithin.

The main gland body may be sealed against the skirt or skirt portion of the wall by means of a sealing ring disposed on an outwardly inclined surface around the outer periphery of the inner sleeve member, which is engagable by the inner end of the main gland body and the skirt or skirt portion.

The ends of the sleeve members facing each other may be plain square cut ends for making contact with each

other, or may be arranged for a telescopic sliding arrangement one within the other.

Means may be provided for applying pressure to the elastomer sealing material transverse to the inner/outer direction of the sleeve members, and in one embodiment of the invention where a elastomer portion of the sealing member is disposed adjacent the junction of the two sleeve members, the two sleeve members have, at their ends facing each other, an outwardly tapering inner wall on one, and axially separated and extending digits on the other such that upon compression thereof by inward movement of the main gland body, the digits of the one sleeve member are engaged by the inclined surface of the other member to bear radially inwardly into the elastomer of the sealing member, and thereby provide radial compression of the sealing member in addition to the axial compression provided by the closed ends of the sleeve members.

The bores through the sleeve ends and sealing member may be of any convenient configuration for the cables and/or tubes to be accommodated. Thus, they may be circular in section, or oval in section, or, for example where cables associated with cable-television, are to be passed through the gland, they may for example be of a figure of eight configuration so as to take the combined television and telecommunication cables associated with cable-television. In such a situation the configuration of the array of bores will be chosen through the sealing member to provide optimum capacity of cable passage, with

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satisfactory sealing properties.

The rods for sealing unwanted bores may initially be formed as plastic rods interconnected at one end fitting within all of the bores provided through the ends of the sleeves and the sealing member, whereby on use of the gland assembly the required number of rods can be broken away and removed.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood a number of embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a sealing gland in accordance with the invention coupled to a cylindrical surround to an opening in a wall;

Figure 2 shows an array of bores through the sealing member of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows an alternative configuration of bores through a sealing member to that of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows an alternative to the skirt portion of the wall of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 shows an alternative configuration of the mating ends of the cylindrical sleeve members of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the main cylindrical gland body 1 is arranged to engage at its inner end 2 by means of external threading 3 with internal threading 4 on an upstanding cylindrical skirt 5 surrounding an aperture 6 through a wall 7. Limit to screwed engagement of the main gland body 1 with the skirt

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portion of the wall is provided by means of an annular shoulder 8 on the main gland body 1.

Disposed within the main gland body 1-are two cylindrical sleeve members 9,10, an outer one 10 being closed at its outer end 11 and held within the gland body 1 by means of a radially inwardly directed shoulder 12 at the outer end thereof .

The inner sleeve member 9 is closed ended at 13, and is held by a radially inwardly directed shoulder 14 surrounding the aperture 6 below the skirt portion 5 surrounding it.

It is to be observed that in the fully screwed in position of the gland body shown in Figure 1, the two sleeves 9,10 mate with each other. In addition, an outwardly inclined surface 15 of the outer wall of the inner sleeve locates a resilient elastomeric "0" ring 16 forced outwardly on the inclined surface 15 by an inner edge 17 of the main gland body so as to form a seal between the skirt 5, the main gland body 1, and the inner sleeve 9, thereby providing a seal around the inner sleeve member 9 with respect to the other side of the wall 7 remote from the gland assembly.

Disposed within the two sleeve members 9,10 is a sealing member 18 which comprises a central cylinder 19 of relatively rigid plastics material bonded to which at each end is a shorter cylinder 20,21 of elastomeric material, such as polyurethane rubber.

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It is to be appreciated that the main gland body 1, the two sleeve members 9,10, and the central cylinder 19 of the sealing member 18, may all be formed of an appropriate generally rigid plastics material such as nylon.

Before screwing into the skirt portion 5 surrounding the opening 6 in the wall 7, the natural relaxed condition of the elastomeric portions 20,21 of the sealing member 18 will hold separate the two sleeve members 9,10. Whilst in this condition, it is possible to pass cables such as 22 through bores 23 formed longitudinally through the closed ends 11,13 of the sleeves 9,10 and through the sealing member 18. One configuration of such bores is illustrated in Figure 2.

It will be appreciated that unused bores can, in order to enable full sealing of the gland assembly with only some bores occupied by cables, be filled with appropriate rods 24 as shown in Figure 1.

In practice it is convenient in a totally unused gland assembly, to provide a full complement of rods, joined lightly at one end, all fitting one within each of the bores through the end walls of the sleeves and through the sealing members.

Bores to receive cables of varying configuration can readily be provided, and Figure 3 for example illustrates schematically bores 25 through the sleeve ends and the sealing member 18 of a configuration adapted to take the dual cable 26 required for cable-television provision,

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comprising a television cable of a coaxial nature connected by means of a web to a telecommunications cable.

In operation, the gland assembly, with the sealing member 18 elastomeric portions 20,21 in a relaxed and expanded condition, and with the sleeves 9,10 separated one from each other, is prepared for use by removing appropriate closure rods 24 and replacing them with cables 22 pushed through the gland assembly, and the ma gland body 1 is then faced up to and screwed into the skirt surround 5 to the opening 6 in the wall 7. On screwing in the main gland body 1, the "0" ring seal 16 is compressed in the gap between the inner end 17 of the main gland body 1, the inner periphery of the skirt portion 5 of the wall 7, and the inclined outwardly directed surface 15 of the outer wall of the inner sleeve member 9.

In addition, the screwing in of the mam gland body exerts a force in an inner/outer direction on the sealing member 19 and compresses the cylindrical elastomeric portions 20,21 within the two sleeve members 9,10 until the sleeve members are in abutment one with the other.

At this position, the elastomeric portions 20,21, by their elastic flow in all directions, have provided secure seals, at each end of the sealing member 18, about each of the rods 24 and cables 22 passing therethrough.

It will be appreciated that instead of cables, hollow tubes of appropriate wall strength can be used alternativel where there is a requirement for such.

In Figure 4 there is illustrated an alternative to the skirt portion 5 surrounding the opening 6 the wall 7 as illustrated m Figure 1. In this case a skirt is provided in the form of a double cylinder member 27. This can be mounted directly withm a straightforward circular opening 28 in a wall 29 by means of a nut 30 fastened about an externally threaded portion 31 of the double cylinder 27 of a somewhat reduced diameter, sealing of the double cylinder 27 being provided by means of an "0" ring gasket 32. The wider portion 33 of the double cylinder is, as can be seen, directly comparable in dimensions, configuration, and effect as the skirt surround 5 of Figure 1.

In Figure 5 is illustrated an alternative arrangement of the abutting ends 34,35 of the inner and outer sleeve members 9,10. Thus, here it will be seen that the inner sleeve member 9, for example, is provided with a plurality of peripheral separated digits 36, whilst the outer sleeve member 10 is provided at its inner end with an outwardly tapering inner wall 37 which is arranged, upon screwing of the main gland body, to bear upon the digitalised end 34 of the inner sleeve member 9, the digits of which are caused thereby to bear inwardly onto an appropriate disposed central elastomer portion of the sealing member 18. Such an arrangement can be of use where, instead of the sealing member comprising a central relatively rigid plastics cylinder with elastomeric cylindrical portions at each end, the sealing member is in totality an elastomeric

cylinder throughout its length, or is a succession of rigid portions and elastomeric portions.

By means of the invention we have provided an integral sealing gland assembly capable of being easily fitted with the required number of a plurality of cables or tubes to pass therethrough, and where the sealing effect is readily achieved simply by screwing the main gland body into a skirt or skirt surround at the relevant wall opening, this screwing in being done without any risk of twisting of the relevant plurality of cables or tubes.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is merely exemplary of cable sealing glands in accordance with the invention and that modifications can readily be made thereto without departing from the true scope of the invention.