Heat shrinkable member for connecting tubular sections

摘要

The member has shrinkable end portions (11) for connecting on respective adjacent end surfaces of the tubular sections (13, 14) adjacent a joint (19), with an integral shrinkable middle portion (12) spanning the joint, the end portions (11) being thinner than the middle portion (12) so that the end portions (11) tend to shrink preferentially on exposure to heating. The member is a tubular preform or is formed from a wrap-around sleeve, optionally formed of different width sections. The end portions can have uniform thickness, be tapered or stepped.