Control of diameter of fiber insulation on conductors

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
A pulp vat apparatus for applying a layer of pulp fiber to conductors comprising a vat, a cylinder mould rotatable within the vat about an axis to move any part of its periphery alternately towards and away from the bottom of the vat, the mould having axially spaced annular perforate regions each for accommodating a conductor as the conductors pass in laterally spaced positions downwardly into the vat beneath the mould and upwardly out of the vat, an outlet for water from within the mould, partition means within the vat extending radially outwards from the cylinder mould in positions between perforate regions to divide the vat into compartments with each perforate region associated solely with one compartment, flow inlet means for pulp to each compartment, means to vary the rate of flow of pulp through each inlet means independently of the other inlet means, means for guiding a plurality of electrical conductors through the vat in laterally spaced positins along the annular perforate regions of the mould, means for measuring the diameter of the fiber insulation surrounding each of the conductors after drying of the fiber and for producing a signal corresponding to the measured diameter, and means to operate the flow rate varying means depending upon the variation of the produced signal from a datum signal representative of a desired diameter, to raise or lower the level of the pulp in each compartment independently of other compartments and corresponding to a required increase or decrease in the diameter of the fiber towards the desired diameter.
2.
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each inlet means has an independently adjustable inlet and the means to vary the rate of flow varies the effective size of the inlet.
3.
Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a pulp reservoir is disposed alongside the vat and is separated therefrom by a side member or dividing member and each inlet is a size controlled opening in the dividing member and which interconnects the reservoir and the vat