Prysmian S.p.a.

Pirelli General Plc

Prysmian Telecom Cables and Systems UK Limited

Draka Compteq France Sas

Ian Dewi Lang

Ralph Sutehall

Martin Vincent Davies

Paul John Roberts

Mark Richard Mason

Nathan Paddick

Lee Anthony Spicer

Richard John Pennell

Jean-Pierre Bonicel

Jason Pedder

Martin Davies

John Garth Lamb

John Andrew Bevis

George Stephen Lucas

Matthew John Todd

Daniel François De Villiers

Andrew Wynn

An armoured power cable () comprises a cable core () and an armour layer () comprising a plurality of armouring wires () laid around the cable core (), wherein at least 10% of the armouring wires () are wavy wires () having a zig-zag shape laying on the outer surface of the cable core ().

Armoured power cable

It is disclosed a process and an apparatus for manufacturing a figure of eight cable. An extrusion head has separate extrusion dies extruding in parallel a first and second outer sheath around a first and second core, respectively, so as to provide two separate cable elements having respective longitudinal axes laying in a first plane. While the outer sheaths are in a softened state, the cable elements are passed in parallel through a twisting die which causes their longitudinal axes to lay in a second plane forming a predetermined twisting angle with respect to the first plane. This twisting causes the outer sheaths to join together, thereby forming a figure of eight cable.

Process and apparatus for the manufacturing of a figure-of-eight cable

In one embodiment, an optical cable, which is a flat drop cable, includes a cavity shaped in the form of a stadium in a sectional view of the optical cable. The cable further includes an outer sheath enclosing the cavity, a first strength member, and a first optical fiber element disposed in the cavity. The first optical fiber element includes an optical fiber and has an oscillating pattern within the cavity on an oscillation plane parallel to a longitudinal plane of the cable. The height of the cavity in the sectional view substantially corresponds to a height of the first optical fiber element.

Flat optical drop cable

It is disclosed a figure of eight cable comprising a first cable element comprising a first core enclosed by a first outer sheath, a second cable element comprising a second core enclosed by a second outer sheath and a web joining the first and second outer sheaths so as to provide the cable with a major plane of symmetry X which comprises the longitudinal axes of the first and second cable elements. The cable also comprises at least one strength member embedded within the first or second outer sheath. All the strength members of the cable are substantially located on the major plane of symmetry X of the cable.

Figure-of-eight cable

An optical cable comprises a group of optical modules. Each of the optical modules comprises a strength member, a plurality of optical fibers arranged about the strength member, the plurality of optical fibers being arranged substantially on a circumference concentric with the strength member, and a retaining element arranged about the plurality of optical fibers. The strength member is covered by a coating, and the plurality of optical fibers are at least partly embedded within the coating. The optical cable comprises an outer sheath around the group of optical modules. The optical cable does not have a central strength member.

Optical cable for terrestrial networks

An optical cable comprising an optical core and an external sheath surrounding the optical core, wherein the external sheath comprises an inner layer circumferentially enclosing the optical core and an outer layer circumferentially enclosing the inner layer and comprising at least one longitudinal cavity accessible from outside the external sheath and extending through at least a portion of the outer layer thickness. The inner and outer layers of the external sheath are made of a first material having a first tensile strength, while the cavities in the outer layer are filled with a second material having a second tensile strength lower than the first tensile strength.

In one embodiment, an air-blown optical fiber unit includes one or more optical fibers, an inner layer substantially completely embedding the one or more optical fibers, and an outer layer radially external to the inner layer. The inner layer has a tensile strength of from 0.1 MPa to 1 MPa, and an elongation at break of from 10% to 80%.

Blown optical fiber unit and method of manufacturing

An optical cable includes an optical module which includes a strength member, a plurality of optical fibers arranged about the strength member, the optical fibers being arranged substantially on a circumference concentric with the strength member, and a retaining element arranged about the plurality of optical fibers.

A process for manufacturing an optical fibre unit for air-blown installations includes: providing a deposition chamber for applying particulate material, the deposition chamber having an inlet end and an outlet end and a longitudinal axis; passing through the deposition chamber an optical fibre assembly including at least one optical fibre embedded in an inner layer of cured resin material, and having an outer layer around the inner layer, the outer layer including uncured resin material; injecting a flow of fluid and particle material in the chamber in a direction substantially parallel to the chamber longitudinal axis, at an injection speed of 5 m/s at most; perturbing the flow when in the chamber, thus causing the particle material to impact and partially embed into the outer layer of the optical fibre assembly; and curing the outer layer.

Process and apparatus for manufacturing blown optical fibre units

An optical cable includes an optical module which includes first optical fibers and a first retaining element arranged about the first optical fibers. The module also includes second optical fibers arranged about the first retaining element, the second optical fibers being arranged on at least one circumference concentric with the first retaining element. The module also includes a second retaining element arranged about the second optical fibers, which is also substantially coaxial with the first retaining element. This optical module with coaxial retaining elements and fibers has a particularly high fiber density, while preserving the possibility to uniquely identify all the fibers.

An optical fiber unit for air-blown installations includes a number of optical conductors, a first layer of resin material, a second layer of resin material radially outer to the first layer of resin material and a sheath of a thermoplastic material, wherein the second layer of resin material has a secant modulus higher than a secant modulus of the first layer of resin material and wherein the sheath of thermoplastic material is over and in close contact with the second layer of resin material.

High installation performance blown optical fibre unit, manufacturing method and apparatus

An optical cable includes an optical core and an external sheath surrounding the optical core. The external sheath includes a first material having a first, higher fracture toughness and a second material having a second, lower fracture toughness. The first and second materials are arranged so that the second, lower fracture toughness material is accessible from outside the cable along at least one longitudinally extending area of the sheath outer surface. For accessing the optical core of the cable, a short longitudinal cut, namely, few centimeters, is made with a blade in the accessible second, lower fracture toughness material. Then, its cut edges are pulled apart by hand. The pulling force causes the lower fracture toughness material to fracture, thereby propagating the initial short cut longitudinally along the sheath through its whole thickness.

An optical cable includes an optical core and sheath enclosing the optical core. The optical core includes a number of optical units having respective colors and being wound about a longitudinal axis of the cable. The sheath includes at least one non opaque longitudinal section through which a sequence of colors of the optical units is visible from outside the cable. The color sequence acts as an identifier for the cable. The cable may therefore be easily identified (e.g. amongst other cables laid down within the same duct) by a simple visual inspection of the cable's inner structure through the non opaque section(s) of its external sheath.

A telecommunication cable includes at least one optical fiber unit surrounded by a low fire hazard halogen free polymeric inner sheath that is covered by and in contact with a peelable, environmentally resistant polymer outer sheath. At least two discrete strength members are embedded into the low fire hazard halogen free polymeric inner sheath. The cable is intended for outdoor and indoor use.

Multipurpose optical fibre drop cable

An optical fiber cable for blown installation has a tubular central strength member about which tubes loosely housing optical fibers are stranded. The jacket is preferably formed from a high density polyethylene material and is extruded over the core on which rip cords are positioned. A water blocking compound is provided in each tube in any spaces therein which would otherwise be void. Also a water blocking material is provided between the sheath and the layer defined by the helically wound wrapping tape or binding yam in any spaces between the tubes which would otherwise be void.

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Milan, Italy

Ian Dewi Lang