EP2095163A1

EP2095163A1 - Optical transmission element having high temperature stability

Info

Publication number: EP2095163A1
Application number: EP07857417A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dieter Kundis; Günter Wünsch; Gerhard Merbach
Original assignee: CCS Technology Inc
Current assignee: Corning Research and Development Corp
Priority date: 2006-12-20
Filing date: 2007-12-11
Publication date: 2009-09-02
Also published as: WO2008074700A1; DE102006060431A1; US20090257721A1; AU2007336372A1

Abstract

An optical transmission element (100) has a plurality of optical waveguides (10) which are arranged as a bundle and embedded into a filling composition (21). The optical waveguides (10) and the filling composition (21) are surrounded by a casing (30). A material composed of a resin which contains for example an acrylate enriched with a filler is used as materials for the casing. By mixing photoinitiators into the material composed of the resin of the casing (30), it is possible for the casing material of the casing to be cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light. Owing to the use of a material composed of resin during the production of the casing (30) of the optical transmission element, it is possible for thin casing layers to be produced at a high material processing speed.

Description

description

Optical transmission element with high temperature resistance

The invention relates to an optical transmission element with a high temperature resistance, in which at least one optical waveguide is arranged in a buffer tube. The invention further relates to an optical cable with an optical transmission element, wherein at least one light waveguide is arranged in a wire sheath. The invention further relates to a method for producing such an optical transmission element and to a method for producing such an optical cable.

In one embodiment of an optical cable, so-called micromodules are surrounded by a cable sheath as optical transmission elements. A micromodule contains several optical fibers, which are surrounded by a thin wire sheath. The purpose of the micromodules is to bundle several light waveguides and their color coding. The core of a micromodule currently consists of polymer blends, which are extruded in thin-film extrusion extrusion lines around the optical fibers as a thin coating layer.

In the extrusion plants, the polymer blends are melted. In the extrusion process, the molten polymer mixture is forced through nozzles and extruded as a buffer tube around the optical waveguide and the filling compound. Polymers are long-chain molecules, which are particularly difficult to process when thin layers, such as wire sheaths are made. A technical challenge in particular is the thin-layer extrusion of polymer materials at high speeds. At present, an increase in the Processing speed of the molten polymer during the extrusion process as well as a reduction of the layer thicknesses of the shell of a micromodule is a technical problem. Further difficulties arise in that polymer materials can be used only in low temperature ranges. The currently used low-melting polymer materials have a melting temperature between 70 ⁰ C and 80 ⁰ C.

In the following, an optical transmission element is to be specified, for the production of which materials are used that are easy to process and permit a wide range of applications. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide an optical cable containing optical transmission elements that are easy to process and in a wide

Field of application can be used. There is also a need to provide a method of making an optical transmission element that utilizes materials that are readily processable and allow a wide range of applications of the optical transmission element. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an optical cable using optical transmission elements containing materials that are easy to process and that allow the optical cable to be used in a wide range of applications.

According to a possible embodiment of the optical transmission element, the optical transmission element comprises at least one optical waveguide which contains a glass fiber. Furthermore, the optical transmission element comprises a casing which surrounds a space in which the at least one optical waveguide is contained. The shell is formed of a material comprising a resin. Heretofore, polymer blends have been used for the production of such casings, for example buffer casings, of optical transfer elements. The cladding of the individual optical waveguides takes place on extrusion plants for thin-layer extrusion. In particular, the thin-layer extrusion of polymers at high speeds is a technical problem. Furthermore, it is required in an optical transmission element that the core sheath should be easily removable. For this purpose, for example, a reduction in the thickness of the

Core sheath required. Both further increases in speed and a reduction in layer thicknesses currently appear largely impossible with the use of polymer blends as material for the buffer sheaths for technical reasons. Furthermore, the currently used polymer systems only allow limited temperature ranges. Thus, an operating temperature of 70 ⁰ C to 80 ⁰ C should not be exceeded in an optical transmission element in which a polymer mixture is used as the material for the wire sheath.

The use of resin systems as a replacement for the thermoplastic polymers provides several advantages. For example, higher processing speeds can be achieved. Furthermore, optical transmission elements whose core sheaths are made of a material made of resin have a higher temperature resistance. The resin system is chemically designed so that by setting the oligomer and / or fillers of the resin, such as an acrylate resin, a slight settling of the shell is possible. The material of the resin of the shell may contain an acrylate. In the material of the resin of the shell and a filler may be mixed. For example, inorganic materials may be blended as fillers in the resin. Furthermore, glass fiber sections, chalk or magnesium hydroxide may be mixed as a filler in the material of the resin of the shell.

Upon irradiation of the material with light, a network structure may form in the resinous material of the shell. The material of the resin of the shell may contain, for example, photoinitiators, wherein in the material of the resin of the shell upon irradiation of the photoinitiators with ultraviolet light forms a network structure.

The material of the resin of the shell may, for example, comprise molecules of methacrylic acid.

The at least one optical waveguide is movably arranged, for example, in the space surrounding the envelope. The space surrounding the shell may also contain a filler. The filling material may contain, for example, white or paraffin oils. It can also contain a rubber or Aerosil material.

The at least one optical waveguide may include a shell which surrounds at least one glass fiber compact. For example, the sheath surrounding the at least one glass fiber is also formed of the material of the resin.

An optical cable comprises at least one optical transmission element according to one of the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, the optical cable has a cable sheath, which surrounds a space in which the at least one optical transmission element is contained.

The at least one optical transmission element is arranged to be movable in the space which is surrounded by the cable sheath. Furthermore, it can be provided that the space which is surrounded by the cable sheath contains a filling compound.

In the following, a method for producing an optical transmission element is given.

According to the method it is provided that at least one optical waveguide which contains a glass fiber is provided. A space in which the at least one optical waveguide is contained is surrounded with a shell, wherein the shell is formed of a material comprising a resin.

As the material of the resin, a material containing an acrylate may be used. As the acrylate, a material containing molecules of methacrylic acid can be used. As the material of the resin, a material containing inorganic fillers may also be used. As inorganic fillers, for example, glass fiber sections, chalk and / or magnesium hydroxide can be used.

Before the step of surrounding the at least one optical waveguide with the envelope, the at least one optical waveguide is surrounded by a filling compound. For example, the step of surrounding the at least one optical waveguide with the filling compound and the step of surrounding the filling compound with the casing take place at the same time. The step of surrounding the at least one optical waveguide with the filling compound and the step of surrounding the filling compound with the Case, for example, by the at least one optical waveguide is wetted with the filling compound and the filling material is wetted at the same time with the material from the resin. For example, by means of a double-layer wetting in one operation, the filling compound and the resin system can be applied. The optical fibers to be coated can run through a single tool system. Since only one tool system is used, the startup and operation of a mechanical system is facilitated. The double-layer wetting can also achieve higher production speeds and form thinner shell layers than is possible with the production of the shell with a heated polymer mixture. Thus, for example, production speeds of between 500 and 700 m / min can be achieved and, by using resin systems, produce a thin coating layer between 0.05 mm and 0.5 mm.

According to the method, the material may be cured from the resin by irradiation with light after the step of wetting the at least one optical waveguide with the filler and the material from the resin.

According to a method for producing an optical cable, at least one optical transmission element according to one of the above-mentioned embodiments is produced. The at least one optical transmission element is surrounded by a cable sheath.

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail by means of figures which show exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Show it: 1 shows an embodiment of an optical transmission element with a shell made of an easily processed material that can be used at high temperatures,

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an optical cable with optical transmission elements which contain materials which allow easy processing and use of the cable at high temperatures,

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a production line for producing an optical transmission element which has materials which are easy to process and allow use of the optical transmission element at high temperatures,

4 shows a further embodiment of a production line for producing an optical cable, in which optical transmission elements are used, the

Contains materials that allow easy processing and use of the optical cable at high temperatures.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of an optical transmission element, in which a plurality of optical waveguides 10 are arranged as a bundle and are surrounded by a sheath 30. The optical waveguides 10 are designed, for example, as hard cores which contain a glass fiber 1 which is surrounded by a compact envelope 2. In a space 20, which is surrounded by the shell 30, a filling material 21 is included. The filling compound 21 contains gel-like plastics. she can For example, have a mixture of white or paraffin oil, rubber and aerosils.

The shell 30 of the optical transmission element contains a material made of a resin instead of the usual polymer blends. The shell 30 may contain, for example, acrylates. The acrylates used are preferably molecules of methacrylic acid. They contain short chain monomers and longer chain length oligomers. The mechanical properties of the acrylate resin, such as hardness,

Elongation at break and deformability are adjustable via the oligomer content of the acrylates. The higher the oligomer content, the harder the resin becomes, and thus the shell 30 of the optical transmission element.

In the material of the acrylates of the shell 30 further fillers may be mixed. Essentially, inorganic materials are used. For example, chalk or magnesium hydroxides are used. Furthermore, it is possible to additionally embed glass fiber sections 31 in the acrylates. The resin system of the shell 30 is preferably formed as an acrylate system, which forms a reticular structure upon irradiation with light, for example, with ultraviolet light, thereby curing. The same materials used for the sheath 30 of the optical transmission element can also be used for the sheath 2, which compactly surrounds the glass fiber 1.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of an optical cable containing a plurality of optical transmission elements corresponding to the so-called micromodules of Figure 1. The micro-modules contain a plurality of optical waveguides 10 which are arranged in a bundle and which are provided by a sleeve 30 which is made of the above-described called resin systems is made, are surrounded. Several such micromodules are disposed in a cable core 200 of the optical cable. To the cable core 200 is an outer shell, for example of a plastic such as polyethylene, extruded. The micromodules can be arranged to be movable within the cable core or surrounded by a filling compound. They can also be movably arranged within the filling compound.

FIG. 3 shows a production line for producing an optical transmission element of the optical cable. In this case, a plurality of optical waveguides 10 are supplied to a processing unit Vl. To the processing unit Vl a container Bl and a container B2 are connected. The filling compound 21 is located in the container B1. In the processing unit V1, the optical waveguides are surrounded by the heated filling compound 21. For example, mixtures of white or paraffin oils, rubber and / or aerosils are used as filling compounds.

Further, in the processing unit Vl, the shell 30 made of a material made of a resin is injected around the filling compound 21. For this purpose, the processing unit V1 is connected to a container B2, which contains the material from the resin (resin system). The resin system essentially contains an acrylate which may be mixed with a filler. As a filler, for example, inorganic materials are added to the acrylate. For example, fillers of chalk or magnesium hydroxide are used. Furthermore, glass fibers can also be added to the resin system in the processing unit V 1. The acrylate resins coated in the processing unit V 1 contain, for example, molecules of methacrylic acid. These contain monomers and O- ligomers. The mechanical properties of the acrylate resin, in particular the hardness, elongation at break and deformability of the shell 30, can be adjusted in the processing unit V1 via the oligomer fraction used. The more oligomers contained in the acrylate resin, the harder the shell 30 becomes.

The shell 30 and the filling compound 21 are applied, for example, in one operation. The application of the filling compound 21 to the optical waveguide 10 and the surrounding of the filling compound 21 with the micromodule casing 30 takes place for example by a double-layer wetting. In this case, the filling compound 21 and the resin systems of the micromodule casing 30 are applied, for example, through an annular gap nozzle D. The material of the resin of the container B2 when processed in the processing unit Vl is an aqueous solution which is applied by nozzle processes at room temperature.

By using resin systems that are applied as an aqueous solution, very high processing speeds can be achieved. The processing speeds are in the range between 500 and 700 m / min. This corresponds to 3 to 4 times the speeds which were possible in the extrusion of polymer materials which had hitherto been used as micro-module sheath. Furthermore, the cladding layer 30, which is applied as an aqueous solution by a wetting process, can be made particularly thin. When using the acrylate resin systems as materials for the cladding layer 30, a layer thickness of the cladding layer in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm can be achieved. After wetting the optical waveguides with the filling compound 21 and the resin systems of the shell 30, the aqueous layer of the shell 30 is irradiated with light, for example ultraviolet light. The material of the resin preferably contains photoinitiators which form a network structure upon irradiation with ultraviolet light within the resin material. When these UV resin systems are completely cross-linked, a thermoset or elastomeric state is created which does not dissolve even with high heat input. This makes it possible to use the optical transmission elements also in high temperature environments. The polymer materials used hitherto, which were generally designed as low-melting thermoplastics, have already melted at 70.degree. C. to 80.degree. By contrast, the UV-crosslinkable resin systems used for the shell 30 have a higher thermal stability. The viscosities of the filler 21 and the acrylate resins are preferably between 4,000 and 8,000 MPas. The use of resin systems for the sheath 30 has the further advantage that the material can be peeled or peeled off without much effort. This allows easy accessibility to the optical fibers.

The micromodules leaving the processing unit Vl are tumbled after irradiation with UV light and the curing process. For the production of a cable, as shown in FIG. 4, several of the drummed micro modules 100 are fed to a processing unit V2. In the processing unit V2, an outer sheath, for example a cable sheath made of polyethylene, is extruded around the micromodules. The enclosed space of the cable sheath can be formed without filling mass, or contain a filling material in which the micro modules are embedded.

Claims

claims

An optical transmission element comprising:

at least one optical waveguide (10) containing a glass fiber (1),

a shell (30) surrounding a space (20) in which the at least one optical waveguide (10) is contained,

- wherein the sheath (30) is formed of a material comprising a resin.

2. An optical transmission element according to claim 1, wherein the material of the resin of the sheath (30) contains an acrylate.

3. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein in the material of the resin of the shell (30), a filler (31) is mixed.

4. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the material of the resin of the shell (30) inorganic materials are mixed as fillers.

5. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 3 or 4, wherein in the material of the resin of the sheath (30) glass fiber portions (31) are mixed as a filler.

6. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein in the material of the resin of the shell (30) chalk is mixed as a filler.

7. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein in the material of the resin of the shell (30) magnesium hydroxide is mixed as a filler.

8. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein formed in the material of the resin of the sheath (30) upon irradiation of the material with light, a network structure.

9. An optical transmission element according to claim 8, wherein the material of the resin of the shell (30) contains photoinitiators, wherein in the material of the resin of the shell (30) forms a network structure upon irradiation of the photoinitiators with ultraviolet light.

10. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the material of the resin of the shell (30) comprises molecules of methacrylic acid.

11. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the at least one optical waveguide (10) in the space (20) which surrounds the sheath (30) is arranged to be movable.

12. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the space (20) which surrounds the sheath (30), a filling material (21).

13. An optical transmission element according to claim 12, wherein the filling compound (21) contains white or paraffin oils.

14. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 12 or 13, wherein the filling compound (21) contains a material made of rubber.

15. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the filling compound (21) contains Aerosil.

16. An optical transmission element according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the at least one optical waveguide (10) includes a sheath (2) which surrounds the at least one glass fiber (1) compact.

17. An optical transmission element according to claim 16, wherein the sheath (2) surrounding the at least one glass fiber (1) is formed of the material of the resin.

18. An optical cable comprising:

- At least one optical transmission element (100) according to one of claims 1 to 17, - a cable sheath (300) surrounding a space (200) in which the at least one optical transmission element (100) is included.

19. An optical cable according to claim 18, wherein the at least one optical transmission element (100) in the space (200) which is surrounded by the cable sheath (300) is arranged to be movable.

The optical cable according to one of claims 18 or 19, wherein the space (200) surrounded by the cable sheath (300) contains a filling compound (210).

21. A method for producing an optical transmission element, comprising the following steps:

Providing at least one optical waveguide (10) containing a glass fiber (1),

- Surrounding a space (20) in which the at least one optical waveguide (10) is included, with a sheath (30), wherein the sheath (30) is formed of a material comprising a resin.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein a material containing an acrylate is used as the material of the resin.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the acrylate used is a material which contains molecules of methacrylic acid.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein as material from the resin, a material is used, which contains inorganic fillers.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein glass fiber sections (31), chalk and / or magnesium hydroxide are used as inorganic fillers.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein the at least one optical waveguide (10) before the step of surrounding the at least one optical waveguide with the sheath (30) with a filling compound (21) is surrounded.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of surrounding the at least one optical waveguide (10) with the filling compound (21) and the step of surrounding the filling compound (21) with the sheath (30) take place at the same time.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of surrounding the at least one optical waveguide (10) with the filling compound (21) and the step of

Surrounding the filling compound (21) with the casing (30) takes place by wetting the at least one optical waveguide (10) with the filling compound (21) and wetting the filling compound (21) with the material from the resin at the same time.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein after the step of wetting the at least one optical waveguide (10) with the filling compound (21) and the material from the resin, the material is cured from the resin by irradiation with light.

30. A method of manufacturing an optical cable, comprising the following steps:

Producing at least one optical transmission element (100) according to one of Claims 21 to 29,

- Surrounding the at least one optical transmission element (100) with a cable sheath (300).