Corning Incorporated

Bicc Plc

Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

Plc and Fibres Optical

Alan A Sadler

Rodney J Davey

Robert A Head

John A Tansey

Aidan Patrick Cadden

Michael N Bell

Graham R Handley

Mark R Paterson

A duct is provided for receiving an optical fibre member by blowing. The duct is formed at least in part of a plastics material which is electrically conductive or has electrically conductive material such as carbon black held therein or has an electrically conductive material applied thereto preferably the duct has a radially inner layer defining an inside wall of the duct and at least one further layer positioned outwardly of the inner layer, the inner layer being formed of the plastics material which is electrically conductive or has electrically conductive material held therein or had an electrically conductive material applied thereto.

Duct for receiving an optical fibre member

A coated optical fibre assembly suitable for blowing through a microduct, said assembly comprising at least one optical fibre and having an external coating comprising a radiation-cured polymer containing particulate matter.

Coated optical fibres

An optical fibre cable comprises an inner sheath containing at least one optical fibre member, and an outer sheath containing the inner sheath. The inner sheath is of a material which is soft and has a low modulus of elasticity. The outer sheath of a material having bulk properties, such as density and stiffness, and surface properties, such as surface texture and friction such that the cable can be propelled along a duct by a flow of air travelling along the duct. An intermediate sheath may be provided between the inner and outer sheaths.

Propellable optical fiber cable

An optical fibre cable comprises a plurality of optical fibre structures each of which comprises an optical fibre surrounded by at least one sheath layer. The optical fibre structures are separably held together side-by-side. The optical fibre cable is propellable along a tubular pathway by fluid drag of a gaseous medium passing over the cable, and each of the individual optical fibre structures is preferably also so propellable when the said structures are separated from one another.

Propellable optical fiber cables

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Warrington, United Kingdom

Alan A Sadler