Western Electric Company, Inc.

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

At&t Technologies, Inc.

Benjamin C Ellis, Jr

Candido J Arroyo

An optical fiber cable includes a fluted strength member core (22) which comprises a plurality of ribs (26--26) extending radially from a center portion and a plurality of grooves (28--28), each groove being disposed between two adjacent ribs. The fluted core is such that the ratio of the diameter of a circle (41) which passes through an outermost surface of each rib to the diameter of a circle (44) through the inverts of the grooves does not exceed a predetermined value and cooperates with a reference width of each rib to allow a plurality of optical fibers to be disposed in each groove. Further, the geometry of the fluted core is such that the optical fibers are capable of longitudinal and lateral movement in the grooves. A core wrap (50) which may be made of a flame retardant material encloses the fluted core and a jacket (60) which is made of a plastic material encloses the core wrap.

Optical fiber cable having fluted strength member core

In the manufacture of a cable unit (30), which comprises a center portion and a plurality of layers of twisted conductor pairs, the pairs in the center portion and in each layer are oscillated in alternately opposite directions after which the unit is bound and taken up in a stationary container (62) by a system (100) which distributes the unit in a predetermined pattern of varying size convolutions. This distribution, which results in a dense package of a cable unit having a free end that facilitates testing of the unit during takeup, is accomplished while the speed at which the unit is being advanced and distributed into the varying size convolutions is maintained substantially constant.

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Snellville, GA, United States of America

Benjamin C Ellis, Jr