Power cables

Claim 1

IN A HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC POWER CABLE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FLEXIBLE POWER CONDUCTORS, A LAYER OF ELASTOMERIC POLYMER INSULATING MATERIAL COVERING EACH CONDUCTOR, A SEPARATE THIN ANTI-CORONA LAYER OF SEMI-CONDUCTING MATERIAL COVERING AND SURROUNDING EACH INSULATING LAYER, A FLEXIBLE GROUNDING CONDUCTOR COMPRISING AN EXTENDED CORE OF TOUGH PLIABLE POLYMERIC MATERIAL HAVING FLEXIBILITY AND ELASTICITY SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THOSE OF SAID ELASTOMERIC POLYMER, AND A PLURALITY OF METAL STRANDS HELICALLY WRAPPED ABOUT SAID CORE TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS CONDUCTIVE COVERING OVER THE SURFACE OF THE CORE, SAID COVERING BEING IN SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH THE SEMI-CONDUCTING LAYERS OF AN ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID INSULATED POWER CONDUCTORS AND BEING ADJACENT AND SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO THE INSULATING MATERIAL ON SAID PAIR OF CONDUCTORS AND THEREBY ADAPTED TO CONTACT EITHER OF SAID POWER CONDUCTORS WHEN THE INSULATING MATERIAL THEREON IS DAMAGED, SAID CORE MATERIAL CONTAINING CONDUCTING CARBON BLACK OF SUBSTANTIALLY 21 MILLIMICRONS PARTICLE SIZE AND IN AN AMOUNT OF APPROXIMATELY 30% TO 50% BY WEIGHT OF THE CORE MATERIAL UNIFORMLY DISPERSED THEREIN SO AS TO PROVIDE A CONDUCTING PATH OF CONDUCTIVITY MUCH GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID SEMI-CONDUCTIVE LAYER EFFECTIVE TO ELECTRICALLY SHUNT A LOCALLY DAMAGED LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF SAID STRANDS, THEREBY TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENTCARRYING CONTINUITY OF SAID GROUNDING CONDUCTOR, AND A JACKET SURROUNDING AND BINDING SAID COVERED CONDUCTORS TOGETHER.