JO1418B1 - an improved overhead flexible electric conductor - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric conductor suitable for use in an overhead electrical and optical transmission system comprises a layer or layers 35 of helically wound wires, at least one elongate compartments 36 within and extending throughout the length of the conductor and, loosely housed in the elongate compartment, at least one optical fibre ribbon structure 37 comprising a plurality of optical fibres 1 and flexible elongate reinforcing elements 2 of resilient material arranged side by side and embedded in an elongate body 3 of plastics material, each resilient reinforcing element being set in such a form that the ribbon structure follows a path of smoothly curved undulations whose axes of curvature lie parallel to one another and normal to the longitudinal axis of the ribbon structure, if, when the conductor is installed or in service , the undulating ribbon structure 37 is subjected to a tensile force, the ribbon structure will straighten in a lengthwise direction against the action of the undulating resilient reinforcing elements 2 thereby reducing the tensile force otherwise applied to the optical fibers 1 and , when the tensile force is removed, the ribbon structure will return towards its original undulating form