Dealing with electrical cables is always a hectic task. One has to be highly cautious and skillful to obtain a precise termination of electrical cables. Since the inception of shear bolt connectors, they are widely applied in the fields of medium and high voltage applications. Of late, these shear bolts have undergone technological advancements and the outcome is the stepless shear bolt connectors. These connectors have resulted in a faster and reliable termination of the electrical cables. Another advantage of these connectors is that we no longer have to use the dies or compression tools for the installation process. On application of required pressure, the bolt shears off indicating the same. Conductors made from copper and aluminum can be terminated effectively with these mechanical shear head connectors.
We can avail the following benefits by making use of these connectors:
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The shearing takes place just below the surface and so we don’t have to file the connector.
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In this process of installation, there are least chances that any sharp material can project out and so the cable insulations are left undamaged.
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The compression force applied can be uniform throughout the process. This is achieved by the friction discs used in these connectors.
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Irrespective of the type or size of the conductor, always maximum compressive force is applied on the cables.
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Installation can be done with ease and doesn’t require any special tools.
The following are the key features of these bolts which makes them unique. Each of the above detailed advantages can be explained by its features.
Stepless Technology:
Unlike the traditional shear bolts, the stepless ones don’t have any predetermined shear points and so we can make complete use of available bolt threads. This technology ensures that the shearing takes place just at the connector surface. It is because of this reason; the filing process is eliminated here.
Friction Disc:
The friction disc is connected to the base of the shear head connector. As the bolt progresses towards the cable, at the lowest point, the friction disc gets into contact with the cables and constrains the rotary motion of the bolt. At this point any motion of the bolt doesn’t result in application of further pressure on the conductors. Hence, we can apply the required contact force precisely. This property of these stepless shear head bolts have made it possible for them to be applied on finely stranded conductors.
Hexagonal Bolt Heads:
The connectors are manufactured to have hexagonal key fittings on their heads. Therefore one doesn’t need to employ any sort of installation tools. All that we need is the hex keys as per the fittings on the shear head bolts. In general, 8 mm and 5 mm hex keys are popularly employed for electrical applications.
The application of shear head connectors in the termination of medium and high voltage cables is increasing at a steady pace. It can be inferred that there is no reasonable alternative to the shear head connectors in these applications as of now. Thereof, technological advancement of these connectors is a welcome change.