USRE41388E1 - Signal transmitting cable - Google Patents

Signal transmitting cable Download PDF

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Publication number
USRE41388E1
USRE41388E1 US12/105,859 US10585903A USRE41388E US RE41388 E1 USRE41388 E1 US RE41388E1 US 10585903 A US10585903 A US 10585903A US RE41388 E USRE41388 E US RE41388E
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
cable
tube
meters
layer
conduit
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.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US12/105,859
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English (en)
Inventor
George Henry Platt Brown
David John Stockton
Greig Iain McIlwraith
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.)
Emtelle UK Ltd
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Emtelle UK Ltd
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Priority claimed from GB0218624A external-priority patent/GB0218624D0/en
Priority claimed from GB0222256A external-priority patent/GB0222256D0/en
Application filed by Emtelle UK Ltd filed Critical Emtelle UK Ltd
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Publication of USRE41388E1 publication Critical patent/USRE41388E1/en
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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/46—Processes or apparatus adapted for installing or repairing optical fibres or optical cables
    • G02B6/50—Underground or underwater installation; Installation through tubing, conduits or ducts
    • G02B6/52—Underground or underwater installation; Installation through tubing, conduits or ducts using fluid, e.g. air
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
    • G02B6/4401—Optical cables
    • G02B6/4429—Means specially adapted for strengthening or protecting the cables
    • G02B6/4438—Means specially adapted for strengthening or protecting the cables for facilitating insertion by fluid drag in ducts or capillaries
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
    • G02B6/4401—Optical cables
    • G02B6/4429—Means specially adapted for strengthening or protecting the cables
    • G02B6/443—Protective covering
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
    • G02B6/4401—Optical cables
    • G02B6/4403—Optical cables with ribbon structure

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to signal transmitting cables, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to optical cables to be installed in ducts by blowing.
  • EP0108590 discloses a process by which optical fibre cables are installed in ducts by means of fluid drag using the blowing method. This process now represents the most significant method by which optical fibres are installed and there has been a great deal of development work aimed at optimizing both the installation performance and the signal carrying performance of such cables.
  • the stiffness of the cable is important since the installation force is partly generated by pushing, the surface finish of the cable is important because it affects the viscous drag characteristics of the cable, and the pressure of the air and hence the volume of air flow generated in the tube affect the installation force generated from viscous drag.
  • GB2156837 discloses a method for improved insertion and withdrawal of an optical fibre member by propelling the fibre member by means of fluid drag through a pathway of a conduit which is obtained by the addition to the conduit material, or the sheath material of the fibre member, of an adherence substance such as an antistatic agent, slip agent, or anti-block agent, or a combination of these.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,053 describes an optical fibre cable comprising an inner sheath which may comprise a coating applied to the optical fibres or may be formed by an extrusion about the fibres.
  • the inner sheath holds a plurality of optical fibres locked together in a unitary matrix. This has the benefit of providing stiffness, useful for pushing the cable into the duct in the initial phase of the process of blowing the cable into a duct.
  • the outer sheath comprises cellular material of low density and substantially greater cross sectional area than the inner sheath.
  • the material of the outer sheath may advantageously be chosen to accept antistatic, antifriction agents and the like, and the outer sheath is conventiently directly adhered to the inner sheath.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,021 discloses a similar arrangement to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,053 above, but also discloses that the antistatic and antifriction agents can be incorporated in both the tube and the outermost layer of the cable.
  • seven individual fibres are first coated with a solid layer of nylon to an outside diameter of 1 mm and then a foamed low density polyethylene outer layer is applied to achieve a final outside diameter of 2 mm.
  • Low density polyethylene is generally selected because it foams more easily than high density polyethylene and creates a relatively soft outer layer which can be easily removed to expose the individual fibres.
  • foam outer layer provides a large increase in diameter for a small increase in weight.
  • a foam polyethylene is usually the polymer of choice and typically the density of the material might be reduced from 0.93 gms/cc to 0.5 gms/cc. This creates a large increase in diameter for a relatively small gain in weight and also produces a slightly rough surface. Both these create an increase in viscous drag which is directly related to the diameter of the object and also to the surface roughness.
  • EP0521710 discloses an alternative design for a fibre optic cable which is much more compact and is designed to provide significantly improved installation performance and in particular allow the use of smaller tubes.
  • This document discloses a fibre optic cable consisting of more than one layer, where the outer surface or layer has been modified to obtain the benefit of increased fluid drag and reduced friction.
  • a rough surface has the benefit of increasing the effective outside diameter without increasing the weight to the same extent as a cable of the same diameter having a smooth external surface. Increasing the effective diameter increases the fluid drag.
  • rough surfaces intrinsically have higher fluid drag coefficients.
  • rough surfaces reduce the number of contact points between the cable and the tube and therefore reduce friction between the cable and the tube. All of these factors improve installation characteristics and blowing distances.
  • EP 646818 discloses a method for overcoming some of the disadvantages of this manufacturing technique by means of the application of three separate layers, making the process relatively complex, expensive and more difficult to control.
  • the different layers of the coating are bonded to each other or at least in intimate contact with each other.
  • the individual fibres are quite delicate and the coating layers are in intimate contact with the fibres. It is therefore important that the coating layers are relatively soft and easy to remove.
  • a disadvantage of such soft materials is that they tend to have poor friction properties compared to harder materials and are more easily damaged, in particular by abrasion during installation.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,021 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,053 disclose arrangements in which all the layers of the coating are in intimate contact with neighbouring layers.
  • the outer layer is conveniently directly adhered to the inner sheath.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,053 states that the inner sheath is formed from a relatively high density material having a high modulus of elasticity, and also a relatively hard and tough material.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,021 describes a cable in which seven fibres are first coated with a nylon layer, a relatively hard and tough material.
  • Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the above disadvantages of the prior art.
  • a cable assembly comprising a plurality of flexible signal transmitting members surrounded by a first layer such that axial movement of at least the outermost signal transmitting members relative to said first layer is restricted, and a continuous thermoplastic polymer second layer arranged outwardly of said first layer such that the hardness of the polymer of the second layer is greater than or equal to a Shore D hardness of 60.
  • the present invention is based on the surprising discovery that lightweight fibre optic cables with excellent optical and blowing properties can be manufactured by providing an outer layer of the cable formed form at least one polymer material, even in the case of a smooth outer layer, if the hardness of the outer layer is insufficient.
  • the polymer may be conveniently modified to provide suitable antistatic and antifriction properties. This avoids the complex production problems associated with the production of a rough outer surface by the application of glass microspheres, foamed thermoplastics, and the like.
  • This result is surprising firstly because the high fluid drag provided by a rough outer surface is generally regarded as persons skilled in the art as essential to providing good blowing performance.
  • the friction characteristics of the outer layer of the invention are good relative to some polymers, they are inferior to the prior art arrangements, for example as described in EP 0521710. Very surprisingly the blowing performance significantly exceeds the performance of these prior art cables.
  • the hardness of the polymer of the second layer may be greater than or equal to a Shore hardness of 60 as measured by means of ISO R868.
  • the thickness of the second layer may be less than 400 microns around at least 10% of the circumference of the cable assembly.
  • the outer layer has been found to be beneficial for the outer layer to be relatively thin and certainly thinner than the 0.5 mm of foamed low density polyethylene in the arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,021. This has the benefit that a harder material can be used without adversely affecting the bending properties of the cable.
  • Harder materials provide more robust cables with better resistance to abrasion during installation and improved protection of the fragile signal transmitting members. It is also the case that harder materials such as nylon or high density polyethylene have intrinsically better friction properties than other polymers comprising the outer layer of outer prior art cables such as low density polyethylene and acrylate polymer. Thus it may not be necessary to modify the polymer with antifriction agents considerably reducing the cost of the material of the outer layer and the cost of the process.
  • the second layer preferably has a thickness of less than 200 microns around at least 10% of the circumference of the cable assembly.
  • the second layer preferably has a thickness of less than 125 microns around at least 10% of the circumference of the cable assembly.
  • the second layer is adapted to be removed from said first layer by sliding over said first layer.
  • the outer layer has also been found to be beneficial for the outer layer not to be bonded to the inner layer. Indeed it is preferable that a small gap be provided between the two layers. This has the benefit that the outer hard polymeric material can be cut and removed from the inner layer by sliding it over the inner layer, providing easy access to the signal transmitting members for termination or splicing. This avoid the need for rip cords to longitudinally cut and remove the hard polymeric sheath.
  • a second advantage of the small gap between the layers is that it provides an increase in diameter with no increase in weight, a desirable property for providing increased fluid drag and improved installation performance.
  • a cable assembly comprising a plurality of felxible signal transmitting members surrounded by a first layer such that axial movement of at least the outermost signal transmitting members relative to said first layer is restricted, and a continuous thermoplastic polymer second layer arranged outwardly of said first layer and having a thickness of less than 400 microns around at least 10% of the circumference of the cable assembly.
  • the second layer preferably has a thickness of less than 200 microns around at least 10% of the circumference of the cable assembly.
  • the second layer preferably has a thickness of less than 125 microns around at least 10% of the circumference of the cable assembly.
  • a cable assembly comprising a plurality of flexible signal transmitting members surrounded by a first layer such that axial movement of at least the outermost signal transmitting members relative to said first layer is restricted, and a continuous thermoplastic polymer second layer arranged outwardly of said first layer and adapted to be removed from said first layer by sliding over said first layer.
  • the inner periphery of said second layer may be longer than the outer periphery of said first layer to enable removal of said second layer from the assembly.
  • the second layer may have a shore hardness greater than 60.
  • the second layer may comprise at least one polymer material.
  • At least one said polymer material may be a thermoplastic material.
  • At least one said polymer may be high-density polyethylene.
  • the flexible signal transmitting members may be embedded in said first layer.
  • FIG. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fibre optic cable of a first embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fibre optic cable of a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fibre optic cable of a third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fibre optic cable of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of apparatus for manufacturing the cables of FIGS. 1A to 1 D;
  • FIG. 3 is a drawing of the test equipment used to measure the coefficient of friction between cables and a tube suitable for installation of cables by blowing.
  • FIG. 4a illustrates the speed of installation and the total installed distance of the fibre optic cable of FIG. 1C into a duct, compared with the performance of a prior art cable constructed with the surface embodiment described in EP 0521710 and EP 646818, also containing 8 fibres;
  • FIG. 4b illustrates the speed of installation and the total installed distance of the fibre optic cable of FIG. 1 B into a duct, compared with the performance of a prior art cable constructed with the surface modification described in EP 052170 and EP 616818, also containing 12 fibres;
  • FIG. 5 illustrates optical attenuation characteristics of the cable of FIG. 1B over a wide range of temperatures.
  • a fibre optic cable 1 includes a core of primary coated optical fibres 2 , which will be familiar to persons skilled in the art, embedded in an inner layer 3 of acrylate material having sufficient tensile strength when cured to lock at least the outermost fibres 2 in place and still allow the fibres to be easily broken out of the assembly for termination and splicing purposes.
  • Suitable materials for this application are DSM Cabelite 950-706 and DSM Cabelite 3287-9-41. These materials are available from DSM Desotech BV.
  • the hardness of the acrylate layer 3 is such that at least the outermost fibers 2 of the bundle are restricted from moving axially relative to the inner layer 3 .
  • the inner layer 3 is then surrounded by a loose thin jacket 4 formed from a mixture of high density polyethylene having a Shore hardness greater than or equal to 60 as measured by means of ISO R868 and a generally uniformly distributed slip agent, including a polyether modified poly (dimethylsiloxane) material such as polyether modified hydroxy functional poly (dimethylsiloxane) material.
  • a polyether modified poly (dimethylsiloxane) material such as polyether modified hydroxy functional poly (dimethylsiloxane) material.
  • the mixture from which the outer layer 4 is formed is compacted by means of heat and pressure.
  • the outer layer 4 may also contain a mineral filler, such as calcium carbonate and/or titanium dioxide, in order to improve the stability of the dimensions of the outer layer 4 as the temperature changes.
  • the primary coated optical fibres 2 are supplied from a bank of payoff reels (not shown), the number of reels being equal to the number of fibres 2 to be included in the cable 1 .
  • the fibres 2 are unwound with a generally constant traction force.
  • the fibres 2 are then bundled together into a bundle of suitable shape, and are passed through a resin application station, where an acrylate resin forming the inner layer 3 is applied to the bundle of fibres 2 , the acrylate resin being a UV-curing resin.
  • the coated assembly of fibres 2 is then pulled through a series of curing ovens which cure the inner layer 3 to the desired dimensions.
  • the above process can be carried out, for example, using a modified fibre ribbon line provided by Nextrom, Vantaa, Helsinki, Finland.
  • the external coating 4 formed from a mixture of polymer and friction reducing material which has previously been compounded by means of heat and pressure, is applied to the inner layer 3 of the coated optical fibre bundle described above by pulling the coated fibre bundle through a thermoplastic extrusion line as shown in FIG. 2 .
  • a thermoplastic extrusion line is available from Nextrom Technologies, Nextrom S A, Route du Bois, 37 PO Box 259, CH-1024 Ecublens-Lausanne, Switzerland.
  • the thermoplastic extrusion line 10 has a payoff stand 11 which allows the coated fibre bundle to be paid off a reel 12 at a generally steady rate.
  • a tensioning device 13 ensures that the coated bundle is taut before entering an extrusion crosshead 14 , which applies the mixture of high-density polyethylene incorporating the suitable silicon slip agent to the coated bundle at a temperature between 190 degrees C. and 230 degrees C.
  • the polyethylene coated cable is then pulled through a vacuum tank 15 which applies a vacuum to the outer coating 4 by surrounding it with water, the vacuum being between 100 mbar and 50 mbar, and also cools the fibre unit as it leaves the extrusion crosshead 14 . Additional cooling is provided by pulling the cable through a water trough 16 , the water being at a temperature of approximately 20 degrees C.
  • a caterpillar unit 17 pulls the fibre unit through the entire thermoplastic extrusion line 10 , the cable 1 then being coiled into a pan 18 by means of a coiler 19 . It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the two processes described above could be arranged in a single manufacturing line and the process completed in a single stage.
  • this shows an apparatus for measuring the friction characteristics of the cables.
  • Two cables, the first embodying the present invention and the second a commercially available cable with the surface modification described in EP 0521710 and EP 646818 were tested to measure their coefficient of friction relative to a tube manufactured commercially for use in blown cable applications.
  • the test method comprises attaching a weight of 10 grammes to one end of the cable and threading the other end through tube 101 , around pulley 102 , through tube 103 and then through a length of tube 104 .
  • the tube 104 is a commercially available tube with outside diameter 5 mm and internal diameter 3.5 mm manufactured for receiving installation of cables by blowing.
  • the tube 104 is wrapped around a wheel 105 to provide a total of 450 degrees of wrapping. After the cable has been threaded through the tube 104 it is then inserted into a haul off 106 , which pulls the cable at a constant speed of 10 metres per minute.
  • the tube 104 is clamped at both ends by clamps 107 , and as the cable is pulled through the tube 104 , the friction of the cable on the tube imposes a turning moment on the wheel 105 and rotates a lever 108 which imposes a load on a mass balance 109 .
  • the cable of the invention had a coefficient of friction of 0.27 whilst the cable of the prior art had a coefficient of friction of 0.21.
  • the fiction characteristics of the invention are therefore inferior compared to those of the prior art.
  • the blowing performance of the cable, manufactured according to the above process is assessed by measuring the speed of installation and the total distance installed of the fibre unit into a suitable duct.
  • the comparison involves an industry standard test in which 500 metres of a commercially available tube with outside diameter 5 mm and internal diameter 3.5 mm manufactured for receiving installation of cables by blowing, is wound onto a drum with barrel diameter of 500 mm.
  • FIG. 4a the blowing performance of the two cables is compared. It can be seen that the prior art product started to slow down after only 250 metres had been installed. At 430 metres the installation speed had declined to only 10 m/min.
  • the cable of the invention completed the test route at a constant speed of 24 m/min.
  • FIG. 4b the comparison is repeated except that this time the cables each contained 12 fibres, i.e. the cable of the invention is the cable of FIG. 1 B.
  • the prior art cable (curve D) installed just 24 metres before stopping completely whilst the cable of the invention (curve C) completed a distance of 375 metres before stopping.
  • FIGS. 4a and 4b represent a substantial and unexpected improvement compared to the prior art, particularly so in view of the fact that the cable of the invention has inferior friction properties and has a surface which had not been physically modified in any way to enhance fluid drag.
  • FIG. 5 the signal low over a wide temperature range associated with cables manufactured according to the above process is shown.
  • the different curves show signal attenuation in the individual fibres 2 of the cable of FIG. 1 B. It can be seen that the cable 1 can withstand exposure to a wide temperature range. This is a surprising result.
  • Prior art cables as described in EP0157610 incorporating polyethylene outer layers display poor optical performance below approximately B20 ⁇ C. This is usually attributed to a change of phase in polyethylene at around this temperature and for this reason polyethylene is not normally selected for the tight jacketing of fibre optic elements.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Light Guides In General And Applications Therefor (AREA)
  • Optical Fibers, Optical Fiber Cores, And Optical Fiber Bundles (AREA)
  • Surface Treatment Of Glass Fibres Or Filaments (AREA)
  • Insulated Conductors (AREA)
US12/105,859 2002-08-10 2003-06-26 Signal transmitting cable Expired - Lifetime USRE41388E1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (7)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0218624A GB0218624D0 (en) 2002-08-10 2002-08-10 Signal transmitting cable
GB021864 2002-08-10
GB0222256 2002-09-26
GB0222256A GB0222256D0 (en) 2002-08-10 2002-09-26 Signal transmitting device
GBGB0313018.4A GB0313018D0 (en) 2002-08-10 2003-06-06 Signal transmitting cable
GB0313018 2003-06-06
PCT/GB2003/002762 WO2004015475A2 (en) 2002-08-10 2003-06-26 Optical cable for installation by blowing

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/486,674 Reissue US7136556B2 (en) 2002-08-10 2003-06-26 Signal transmitting cable

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
USRE41388E1 true USRE41388E1 (en) 2010-06-22

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US12/105,859 Expired - Lifetime USRE41388E1 (en) 2002-08-10 2003-06-26 Signal transmitting cable
US10/486,674 Ceased US7136556B2 (en) 2002-08-10 2003-06-26 Signal transmitting cable

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/486,674 Ceased US7136556B2 (en) 2002-08-10 2003-06-26 Signal transmitting cable

Country Status (14)

Country Link
US (2) USRE41388E1 (hu)
EP (5) EP1499917A2 (hu)
KR (2) KR100894073B1 (hu)
CN (3) CN101174009B (hu)
AU (1) AU2003251135B8 (hu)
CA (1) CA2453885A1 (hu)
DK (4) DK1600801T3 (hu)
ES (3) ES2644948T3 (hu)
GB (2) GB0313018D0 (hu)
HU (3) HUE036964T2 (hu)
NZ (3) NZ546107A (hu)
PT (1) PT3270203T (hu)
SG (2) SG136840A1 (hu)
WO (1) WO2004015475A2 (hu)

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