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CA-3065502-C - GEL COMPOSITION, CABLE FILLER, CABLE, AND CRUMB FOR GEL COMPOSITION

CA3065502CCA 3065502 CCA3065502 CCA 3065502CCA-3065502-C

Abstract

The present invention provides a gel composition which is able to be easily filled in the protective tube or cable during manufacturing a cable, is high in a dropping point (temperature of change from a semisolid to a liquid), and has such a characteristic that even in the case where the protective tube or cable is broken, the filling material does not flow out from the interior under a wide-range temperature and is also able to prevent water from penetration into the interior. The gel composition is a gel composition containing a base oil (a) and a hydrogenated block copolymer (b), wherein the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) is a hydrogenated product of a diblock copolymer composed of a polymer block (A) consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from an aromatic vinyl compound and a polymer block (B) consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from a conjugated diene compound, the content of the polymer block (A) in the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) being 38.0 to 45. 0% by mass; and the content of the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) in the gel composition is 1 to 20 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the base oil (a) and the hydrogenated block copolymer (b).

Inventors

  • Yoshihiro Morishita
  • Yuta TOMISHIMA
  • Shinya Oshita
  • Asako Minamide

Assignees

  • KURARAY CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20180531
Priority Date
20170531

Claims (16)

  1. 85524337 CLAIMS: [Claim 1] 34 A gel composition comprising a base oil (a) and a hydrogenated block copolymer (b), wherein the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) is a hydrogenated product of a diblock copolymer composed of a polymer block (A) consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from an aromatic vinyl compound and a polymer block (B) consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from a conjugated diene compound, the content of the polymer block (A) in the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) being from 38.0 to 45.0% by mass, and the content of the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) in the gel composition is from 1 to 20 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the base oil (a) and the hydrogenated block copolymer (b).
  2. [Claim 2] The gel composition according to claim 1, wherein a peak top molecular weight of the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) is from 50,000 to 250,000.
  3. [Claim 3] The gel composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a hydrogenation rate of the polymer block (B) in the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) is from 90 to 99.5 mol%.
  4. [Claim 4] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polymer block (B) is one consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from at least one selected from butadiene and isoprene.
  5. [Claim 5] The gel composition according to claim 4, wherein the polymer block (B) is one consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from isoprene.
  6. [Claim 6] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a viscosity index of the base oil (a) is from 70 to 150.
  7. [Claim 7] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the base 85524337 35 oil (a) is at least one selected from paraffin-based mineral oils and naphthene-based mineral oils.
  8. [Claim 8] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the base oil (a) contains a paraffin and a naphthene, and a mass ratio of the paraffin to the naphthene [paraffin/naphthene] is from 60/40 to 90/10.
  9. [Claim 9] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an antioxidant in an amount of 0.01 to 1 part by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the base oil (a) and the hydrogenated block copolymer (b).
  10. [Claim 10] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a viscosity of the gel composition under a shear rate condition of 50 s-1 is 500 to 100,000 mPas.
  11. [Claim 11] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a ratio of a viscosity under a shear rate condition of 1 s-1 to a viscosity under a shear rate condition of 50 s-1 is 5 or more.
  12. [Claim 12] The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a separation oil degree of the gel composition is 1% or less.
  13. [Claim 13] A cable filling material, which is composed of the gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
  14. [Claim 14] A cable comprising the gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
  15. [Claim 15] The cable according to claim 14, which is an optical fiber cable.
  16. [Claim 16] A crumb for gel composition, comprising a hydrogenated block copolymer (b), wherein the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) is a hydrogenated product of a diblock copolymer composed of a polymer block (A) consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from an aromatic vinyl compound and a polymer block (B) consisting mainly 85524337 36 of a structural unit derived from a conjugated diene compound, the content of the polymer block (A) in the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) being from 38.0 to 45.0% by mass.

Description

Title of Invention .. 1 DESCRIPTION GEL COMPOSITION, CABLE FILLER, CABLE, AND CRUMB FOR GEL COMPOSITION Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a gel composition, a cable filling material composed of the gel composition, a cable including the gel composition, and a crumb for the gel composition. Background Art [0002] Cables, such as optical fiber cables and electrical wire cables, are generally laid in a state that one or more cables and the like are housed in a resin-made protective tube or the like. Accordingly, there is involved such a problem that when on laying, an impact or stress is applied to the protective tube, the protective tube and the internal cable, or the internal cables, interfere with each other, to damage the internal cable. As a method for dissolving this problem, for example, there is a method of filling a cushioning material, such as a gel composition, in an air gap between the protective tube and the cable. In addition, in the case of an optical fiber cable, in order to prevent the fine optical fiber wire core from damaging, there is also a method of filling a cushioning material, such as a gel composition, in the surrounding of the optical fiber wire core within the cable. The cushioning material which is used for such an application is not only required to have elasticity for protecting the interior but also required to have a viscosity to an extent that it is able to be easily filled in the protective tube or cable, and in the case where the protective tube or cable is damaged, the filling material does not flow out from the interior. In addition, the cushioning material is demanded to have properties exhibiting fixed characteristics under various temperatures and to have such properties that in the case where the protective tube or cable is damaged, it is able to prevent water from penetration into the interior. As for such a gel composition, for example, PTL 1 describes a filling CA 03.06 5502 2019-11-28 2 material containing a specified oil, a styrene-(ethylene/propylene) diblock copolymer, an optical antioxidant, and an optical metal deactivator. In addition, PTL 2 describes a cable fill composition for optical fiber composition containing (i) a Fischer-Tropsch derived base oil; and (ii) a thickening system, wherein the thickening system contains at least one block copolymer. Citation List Patent Literature [0003] PTL 1: JP-A 10-67913 PTL 2: JP-T 2015-527448 Summary of Invention Technical Problem [0004] The filling material compositions described in PTLs 1 and 2 have a viscosity suitable for such an application, are able to prevent water from penetration into the protective tube, and are low in temperature dependency; however, more improvements in performances are desired. [0005] In view of the aforementioned problems of the background art, the present invention has been made, and an object thereof is to provide a gel composition which is able to be easily filled in the protective tube or cable during manufacturing a cable, is high in a dropping point (temperature of change from a semisolid to a liquid), and has such a characteristic that even in the case where the protective tube or cable is broken, the filling material does not flow out from the interior under a wide-range temperature and is also able to prevent water from penetration into the interior. Solution to Problem [0006] The present inventors made extensive and intensive investigations. As a result, it has been found that the aforementioned problem can be solved by using a hydrogenated product of a diblock copolymer composed of a polymer block consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from an aromatic vinyl compound 3 and a polymer block consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from a conjugated diene compound in a specified ratio and a base oil in a specified proportion, thereby leading to accomplishment of the present invention. [0007] Specifically, the present invention relates to the following [1] to [4]. [1] A gel composition containing a base oil (a) and a hydrogenated block copolymer (b), wherein the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) is a hydrogenated product of a diblock copolymer composed of a polymer block W consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from an aromatic vinyl compound and a polymer block (B) consisting mainly of a structural unit derived from a conjugated diene compound, the content of the polymer block W in the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) being 38.0 to 45.0% by mass, and the content of the hydrogenated block copolymer (b) in the gel composition is from 1 to 20 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the base oil (a) and the hydrogenated block copolymer (b). [2] A cable filling material, which is composed of the gel composition as set forth in the above [1]. [3] A cable including the gel composition as set forth in the above [1]. [4] A crumb for gel composition, containing a hydrogenated block copolymer (b), wherein the hydrogenated bl