A communication cable is composed of a number of optical fibers with an outer coating, loosely twisted together to form basic groups, provided with tension-relieving wires and sheathed to form a cable while filling the interspaces with lubricants.
An undersea optical fiber cable with a protective metal casing around the optical fibers 1. The casing includes a stranded assembly 3 of high-tensile metal wires of polygonal cross-section 3A forming an arch structure. The side (4) which is turned towards the axis of the cable is shorter than the outwardly-turned side 5, and intermediate sides 6 touch or interlock. A metal outer tube 7 is formed by skelping a tape to produce a cylinder and then welding the longitudinal edges thereof. The metal casing is filled with a liquid 4A whose density is close to that of water and whose viscosity is close to that of glycerine. The overall density of the cable is slightly higher than that of water.
An optical fiber cable incorporating either a lubricant or an antistatic agent or both in the outermost layer of the optical fiber unit; incorporating a lubricant or an antistatic agent or both in the pipe; and incorporating a lubricant or an antistatic agent or both in both the outermost layer of the optical fiber unit and the pipe.
A submarine communications cable comprising a plurality of optical fibres extending longitudinally, an electrically conductive tube surrounding the plurality of fibres with radial clearance, the electrically conductive tube allowing the transmission of electrical power between repeaters and being rigid so that when incorporated in the cable it resists hydrostatic pressure at the sea bed.
A waveguide cable comprises an axially extending polymer sleeve, or group of sleeves, the molecules in the sleeve(s) being longitudinally orientated. The or each sleeve contains one or more dielectric optical waveguides. A plurality of elongate filamentary strengthening members encased in polymer sleeves extend axially of the cable around the polymer sleeve or sleeves.
4420220 - Optical guides - Owned by BICC Public Limited Company (London,GB2) [*] Notice:The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to March 4, 1997 has been disclaimed.
An optical cable comprises at least one optical bundle and/or at least one separate optical fibre housed loosely in at least one bore extending lengthwise in an extruded elongate body of rubber or plastics material and, embedded in the extruded elongate body and arranged side by side with the bore or bores, at least one separate elongate reinforcing member. Preferably the bore or bores and the reinforcing member or members extend substantially parallel to the axis of the extruded body and their axes lie in a substantially common plane. Alternatively, a single reinforcing member may extend centrally in the extruded body and a plurality of separate bores be arranged around, preferably helically around, the central reinforcing member.
