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GB2085188A - An improved optical cable - Google Patents

An improved optical cable Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2085188A
GB2085188A GB8129011A GB8129011A GB2085188A GB 2085188 A GB2085188 A GB 2085188A GB 8129011 A GB8129011 A GB 8129011A GB 8129011 A GB8129011 A GB 8129011A GB 2085188 A GB2085188 A GB 2085188A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
tubes
optical cable
sheath
optical
cable
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB8129011A
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GB2085188B (en
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Balfour Beatty PLC
Original Assignee
BICC PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by BICC PLC filed Critical BICC PLC
Priority to GB8129011A priority Critical patent/GB2085188B/en
Publication of GB2085188A publication Critical patent/GB2085188A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2085188B publication Critical patent/GB2085188B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G02OPTICS
    • G02BOPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/44Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
    • G02B6/4401Optical cables
    • G02B6/4429Means specially adapted for strengthening or protecting the cables
    • G02B6/4434Central member to take up tensile loads
    • GPHYSICS
    • G02OPTICS
    • G02BOPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/44Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
    • G02B6/4401Optical cables
    • G02B6/441Optical cables built up from sub-bundles

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Communication Cables (AREA)

Abstract

An optical cable in which the optical fibres are protected against tensile forces comprises a central core 1 consisting of an elongate tensile-resistant reinforcing member 2 surrounded by an outer peripheral layer 3 of cellular plastics material; a plurality of plastics tubes 4 in each of at least some of which is loosely housed at least one optical fibre 5 and/or optical bundle; and an outer protective sheath 6 surrounding the tubes in such a way that the tubes are loose in the sheath. The tubes 4 are wound around the core 1 in such a way that the direction of lay of the tubes reverses at spaced positions along the cable, the deformability of the cellular plastics material and the looseness of the tubes in the sheath being such that, when the cable is stressed by a longitudinally applied tensile force, the angles of lay of the tubes are reduced to increase the effective lengths of the tubes and thereby reduce the strain that might otherwise be imparted to the optical fibre or fibres. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An improved optical cable This invention relates to optical cables for the transmission of the ultraviolet, visible and infra-red regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, which regions, for convenience, will hereinafter all be included in the generic term "light", and especially, but not exclusively, to optical cables for use in the communication field adapted for transmission of light having a wavelength within the range 0.8 to 1.9 micrometres.
The present invention provides an improved optical cable in which the optical fibres are protected against tensile forces.
According to the invention, the improved optical cable comprises a central elongate core comprising an elongate tensile-resistant reinforcing member surrounded by an outer peripheral layer of highly deformable plastics material; a plurality of formed tubes of plastics material in each of some or all of which is or are loosely housed at least one separate optical fibre and/or at least one optical bundle as hereinafter defined, which tubes are wound in a layer around the central elongate core in such a way that the direction of lay of the tubes reverses at spaced positions along the length of the cable; and an outer protective sheath surrounding the tubes in such a way that the tubes are loose in the sheath, the deformability of the deformable material and the looseness of the tubes in the sheat being such that, when the cable is stressed by a longitudinally applied tensile force, the angles of lay of the tubes are reduced to increase the effective lengths of the tubes and thereby reduce the strain that might otherwise be imparted to the optical fibre or fibres.
Since the central elongate core includes an outer peripheral layer of highly deformable material, the core can be readily twisted in opposite directions at spaced positions along its length as the angles of lay of the tubes are reduced, the tensile-resistant reinforcing member of the core continuing to provide tensile strength.
By the expression "optical bundle" is meant a group of optical fibres or a group of fibres including at least one optical fibre and at least one non-optical reinforcing fibre or other reinforcing elongate member.
By virtue of being housed loosely in a tube, limited relative movement between the or each separate optical fibre and/orthe or each optical bundle and the tube can take place when the cable is flexed.
Preferably, the tubes are laid-up around the central core in such a way that, at each separate direction of lay along the length of the cable, the tubes do not make more than one complete turn around the central core, Preferably, each tube is of an extruded polymeric material whose molecules have been orientated to lie longitudinally with respect to the axis of the tube.
Polymeric materials of which the tubes may be made include polypropylene, polyethylene and polyethylene and terephthalate.
The or each separate optical fibre and/or the or each optical bundle preferably has a length that is not shorter than the axial length of the tube in which it is loosely housed.
The tensile-resistant reinforcing member of the central core is preferably of a non-metallic material, a plurality of fibres of aromatic polyamide sold under the Trade Mark 'Kevlar' or of non-optical glass, that may or may not be bonded with resin, being preferred. Alternatively, it may be a solid wire or a strand of wires which has been die-formed; that is to say, a strand that has been passed through a die which effects a reduction in the overall diameter of the strand. Such a compacted strand has the advantage over non-compacted strands of a higher effective Young's Modulus at low strain. The wire or strand is preferably of steel but, in some circumstances, the wire or at least one of the wires of the strand may be of a metal or metal alloy of high electrical conductivity.For example, in a die-formed strand consisting of six wires stranded around a central wire, the central wire may be of steel and the surrounding six wires of copper or, in an alternative construction, all of the wires of the strand may be of hard drawn copper or cadmium copper.
In addition to the tensile-resistant reinforcing member of the central core, elongate tensileresistant reinforcing members may be laid-up with the tubes and/or may be embedded in the sheath at spaced positions, preferably uniformly spaced positions, around the sheath. Where reinforcing members are embedded in the sheath, as described and claimed in the Complete Specification of our Patent No. 1582851 each reinforcing member may have undulations, preferably radially extending undulations, that serve to improve the mechanical bonding of the member within the sheath and the flexibility of the cable.
One or more than one elongate bare or insulated electric conductor may be laid-up with the tubes and/or may be loosely housed in one or more than one of the tubes.
The outer protective sheath of the optical cable is preferably an extruded tube of rubber or plastics material and may be provided with an oversheath, for example an oversheath of a material having a low friction coefficient, such as nylon. An undersheath may be provided around the assembly of tubes and under the outer protective sheath. Where an oversheath and/or undersheath is provided, the outer protective sheath and the oversheath and/or the outer protective sheath and the undersheath may be separated by an armouring layer or by a layer of metallic tape having on its major surfaces coatings of plastics material that may be bonded to the materials of the outer protective sheath and of the oversheath or undersheath, as the case may be.
With a view to preventing water that may enter the optical cable through a damaged sheath from travelling along the cable in interstices between the tubes and between the tubes and the sheath, these interstices may be filled throughout the length of the cable with a water-impermeable medium of a grease-like nature, a medium consisting of, or comprising as a major constituent, petroleum jelly being preferred.In this case, the sheath may be lined by at least one longitudinally extending tape of metal or metal alloy which has been transversely folded or otherwise arranged to form a tube lining the sheath and which may have on its outer face a layer of plastics material that is bonded to the material of the sheath; alternatively, the assembly of tubes with the interstices filled with the medium of a grease-like nature may be surrounded by helically applied tape or tapes of a plastics material that is impermeable to the medium of a grease-like nature.
Each tube loosely housing at least one separately formed optical fibre and/or at least one optical bundle and/or at least one elongate electric conductor may be substantially filled throughout its length with a water-impermeable medium of a grease-like or gell-like nature, provided that the desired limited relative movement between the or each separate optical fibre and/or the or each optical bundle and/or the or each electric conductor and the tube is not affected to a detrimental extent.
The invention is further illustrated by a description, by way of example, of a preferred form of optical cable with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the cable, drawn on an enlarged scale.
Referring to the drawing, the cable comprises a central elongate core 1 comprising a tensile-resistant reinforcing member 2 of "Kevlar" surrounded by an outer peripheral layer 3 of cellular plastics material.
A plurality of tubes 4 of extruded polyethylene surround the core 1, the molecules of the polyethylene of each tube having been orientated to lie longitudinally with respect to the axis of the tube.
The tubes 4 are arranged helically around the core 1 in such a way that the direction of lay of the tubes reverses at spaced positions along the length of cable. In each tube is loosely housed an optical fibre 5. The tubes 4 are held together by a helically applied binder tape (not shown). An outer protective plastics sheath 6 surrounds the tubes 4 in such a way that the tubes are loose in the sheath. The deformability of the layer 3 of cellular plastics material and the looseness of the tubes 4 in the sheath 6 are such that, when the cable is stressed by a longitudinally applied tensile force, the angles of lay of the tubes are reduced so that the tubes 4 follow a more direct path and remain substantially unchanged in length despite the extension of the cable, thereby reducing the strain that might otherwise be imparted to the optical fibres.

Claims (21)

1. An optical cable comprising a central elongate core comprising an elongate tensile-resistant reinforcing member surrounded by an outer peripheral layer of highly deformable plastics material; a plurality of separately formed tubes of plastics material in each of some or all of which is or are loosely housed at least one separate optical fibre and/or at least one optical bundle as hereinbefore defined, which tubes are wound in a layer around the central elongate core in such a way that the direction of lay of the tubes reverses at spaced positions along the length of the cable; and an outer protective sheath surrounding the tubes in such a way that the tubes are loose in the sheath, the deformability of the deformable material and the looseness of the tubes in the sheath being such that, when the cable is stressed by a longitudinally applied tensile force, the angles of lay of the tubes are reduced to increase the effective lengths of the tubes and thereby reduce the strain that might otherwise be imparted to the optical fibre or fibres.
2. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the tubes are laid-up around the central core in such a way that, at each separate direction of lay along the length of the cable, the tubes do not make more than one complete turn around the central core.
3. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein each tube is of an extruded polymeric material whose molecules have been orientated to lie longitudinally with respect to the axis of the tube.
4. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the tubes are made of polypropylene polyethylene or polyethylene terephalate.
5. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the or each separation optical fibre and/or the or each optical bundle has a length that is not shorter than the axial length of the tube in which it is loosely housed.
6. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the tensile-resistant reinforcing member of the central core is of anon- metallic material.
7. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the tensile-resistant reinforcing member of the central core comprises a plurality of fibres of aromatic polyamide.
8. An optical cable as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the tensile-resistant reinforcing member of the central core is a solid wire or a strand of wires which has been die-formed.
9. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the wire or at least one of the wires of the strand is of a metal or metal alloy of high electrical conductivity.
10. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein elongate tensile-resistant reinforcing members are laid up with the tubes.
11. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein elongate tensil-resistant reinforcing members are embedded in the sheath at spaced positions around the sheath.
12. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 11, wherein each reinforcing member embedded in the sheath has undulations that serve to improve the mechanical bonding of the member within the sheath and the flexibility of the cable.
13. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein one or more than one elongate bare or insulated electric conductor is or are laid up with the tubes.
14. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein one or more than one elongate bare or insulated electric conductor is or are loosely housed in one or more than one of the tubes.
15. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the outer protective sheath is an extruded tube of rubber or plastics material and is provided with an oversheath of a material having a low friction coefficient.
16. An optical cable as claimed in any one ofthe preceding Claims, wherein an undersheath is provided around the assembly of tubes and under the quter protective sheath.
17. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 15 or 16, wherein the outer protective sheath and the oversheath and/or the outer protective sheath and the undersheath are separated by an armouring layer or by a layer of metallic tape having on its major surfaces coatings of plastics material that are bonded to the materials of the outer protective sheath and of the oversheath or undersheath, as the case may be.
18. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein interstices between the tubes and between the tubes and the outer protective sheath are filled throughout the length of the cable with a water-impermeable medium of a grease-like nature.
19. An optical cable as claimed in Claim 18, wherein the sheath is lined by at least one longitudinally extending tape of metal or metal alloy which has been transversely folded or otherwise arranged to form a tube lining the sheath and which has on its outer surface a layer of plastics material that is bonded to the material of the sheath.
20. An optical cable as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein each tube loosely housing at least one separate optical fibre and/or at least one optical bundle and/or at least one elongate electric conductor is substantially filled throughout its length with a water-impermeable medium of a grease-like or gell-like nature.
21. An optical cable substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.
GB8129011A 1980-09-26 1981-09-25 An improved optical cable Expired GB2085188B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8129011A GB2085188B (en) 1980-09-26 1981-09-25 An improved optical cable

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8031256 1980-09-26
GB8129011A GB2085188B (en) 1980-09-26 1981-09-25 An improved optical cable

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2085188A true GB2085188A (en) 1982-04-21
GB2085188B GB2085188B (en) 1984-05-23

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Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2152235A (en) * 1981-07-20 1985-07-31 Chevron Res Armoured optical fibre cable for use in an optical communication system for drill hole logging
GB2156094A (en) * 1984-03-14 1985-10-02 Bicc Plc Optical fibre element comprising resiliently set flexible tube
US4550976A (en) * 1984-09-10 1985-11-05 Siecor Corporation Fiber optic cable with foamed plastic dummy members
GB2163895A (en) * 1984-09-01 1986-03-05 Fothergill Cables Limited A cable and a method of producing same
GB2168824A (en) * 1984-11-05 1986-06-25 Telephone Cables Ltd Optical fibre cables containing an electrical conductor
US4652323A (en) * 1984-01-09 1987-03-24 Olin Corporation Plasma deposition applications for communication cables
GB2184863A (en) * 1985-12-18 1987-07-01 Telephone Cables Ltd Optical fibre cable
GB2185334A (en) * 1986-01-07 1987-07-15 Bicc Plc Elongate flexible core for optical cable
EP0255848A1 (en) * 1986-08-08 1988-02-17 KABEL- und DRAHTWERKE Aktiengesellschaft Optical cable
US4741684A (en) * 1984-12-31 1988-05-03 Ericsson, Inc. Optical cable with filling compound and parallel fibers
GB2213952A (en) * 1987-12-18 1989-08-23 Focas Ltd Optical fibre cable helically wound on electrical conductor
EP0321788A3 (en) * 1987-12-21 1989-10-11 kabelmetal electro GmbH Optical cable
EP0112163B1 (en) * 1982-12-13 1991-07-17 Focas Limited Fibre optic cable arrangements
US10120152B1 (en) * 2018-02-13 2018-11-06 Superior Essex International LP All dielectric self-supporting fiber optic cable

Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2152235A (en) * 1981-07-20 1985-07-31 Chevron Res Armoured optical fibre cable for use in an optical communication system for drill hole logging
EP0112163B1 (en) * 1982-12-13 1991-07-17 Focas Limited Fibre optic cable arrangements
US4652323A (en) * 1984-01-09 1987-03-24 Olin Corporation Plasma deposition applications for communication cables
GB2156094A (en) * 1984-03-14 1985-10-02 Bicc Plc Optical fibre element comprising resiliently set flexible tube
US4690499A (en) * 1984-03-14 1987-09-01 Bicc Public Limited Company Optical fibre element housed in a tube resiliently set in a form such that its longitudinal axis follows a path greater than the rectilinear distance between points to be connected
EP0157516A3 (en) * 1984-03-14 1987-11-25 Bicc Public Limited Company An improved optical fibre element
GB2163895A (en) * 1984-09-01 1986-03-05 Fothergill Cables Limited A cable and a method of producing same
US4550976A (en) * 1984-09-10 1985-11-05 Siecor Corporation Fiber optic cable with foamed plastic dummy members
GB2168824A (en) * 1984-11-05 1986-06-25 Telephone Cables Ltd Optical fibre cables containing an electrical conductor
US4741684A (en) * 1984-12-31 1988-05-03 Ericsson, Inc. Optical cable with filling compound and parallel fibers
GB2184863A (en) * 1985-12-18 1987-07-01 Telephone Cables Ltd Optical fibre cable
GB2185334B (en) * 1986-01-07 1989-10-25 Bicc Plc Elongate flexible core for optical cable
US4793685A (en) * 1986-01-07 1988-12-27 Bicc Plc Optical cable with nonmetallic reinforcing elements
GB2185334A (en) * 1986-01-07 1987-07-15 Bicc Plc Elongate flexible core for optical cable
EP0255848A1 (en) * 1986-08-08 1988-02-17 KABEL- und DRAHTWERKE Aktiengesellschaft Optical cable
GB2213952A (en) * 1987-12-18 1989-08-23 Focas Ltd Optical fibre cable helically wound on electrical conductor
EP0321788A3 (en) * 1987-12-21 1989-10-11 kabelmetal electro GmbH Optical cable
US4909593A (en) * 1987-12-21 1990-03-20 Alcatel N.V. Optical cable having at least two separate multiple-fiber units each having its own soft plastic envelope
US10120152B1 (en) * 2018-02-13 2018-11-06 Superior Essex International LP All dielectric self-supporting fiber optic cable
US10591691B1 (en) 2018-02-13 2020-03-17 Superior Essex International LP All-dielectric self-supporting fiber optic cable

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Publication number Publication date
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PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee