Bicc Plc

Bicc Public Limited Company

Noel S Dean

Vincent A Yates

Kenneth L Lawton

Eric L Williams

Joseph E Chapman

Frank Lea

An optical cable comprises at least one optical bundle and/or at least one separate optical fibre housed loosely in at least one bore extending lengthwise in an extruded elongate body of rubber or plastics material and, embedded in the extruded elongate body and arranged side by side with the bore or bores, at least one separate elongate reinforcing member. Preferably the bore or bores and the reinforcing member or members extend substantially parallel to the axis of the extruded body and their axes lie in a substantially common plane. Alternatively, a single reinforcing member may extend centrally in the extruded body and a plurality of separate bores be arranged around, preferably helically around, the central reinforcing member.

Optical guides

An optical cable comprises a plurality of separately formed flexible tubes in each of some or all of which is or are loosely housed at least one optical bundle and/or at least one seprate optical fibre. The plurality of tubes is surrounded by an outer protective sheath in which preferably they are so loosely housed as to permit limited relative movement between the tubes when the optical cable is flexed. Where the optical cable is likely to be subjected to a tensile force, preferably at least one elongate reinforcing member is embedded in or surrounded by the outer protective sheath.

Optical cables with loosely housed optical guides

An optical cable comprises at least one optical cable element and, surrounding the optical cable element or elements, a flexible tube of rubber or plastics material, the bore of the tube being of such a transverse cross-section having regard to the transverse cross-section of the optical cable element or to the transverse cross-sections of the optical cable elements that there is at least one elongate space formed between the element or elements and the internal surface of the tube. The or each optical cable element comprises an extruded elongate body of rubber or plastics material having a transverse cross sectional shape of elongate form and having at least one bore extending lengthwise in the body, at least one optical bundle and/or at least one separate optical fiber housed loosely in the bore or in at least one of the bores and, embedded in said extruded elongate body and arranged side-by-side with said bore or bores, at least two separate elongate reinforcing members, the or each bore being positioned between two reinforcing members.

An optical cable comprises at least one optical bundle and/or at least one separate optical fibre housed loosely in and throughout the length of at least one bore extending lengthwise in an extruded elongate body of rubber or plastics material so that at any transverse cross-section of the cable throughout the whole of its length liimited relative movement between the optical fibre and the extruded elongate body can take place when the cable is flexed and, embedded in the extruded elongate body throughout the whole of the length of the body and arranged side by side with the bore or bores, at least one separate elongate reinforcing member. Preferably the bore or bores and the reinforcing member or members extend substantially parallel to the axis of the extruded body and their axes lie in a substantially common plane. Alternatively, a single reinforcing member may extend centrally in the extruded body and a plurality of separate bores be arrranged around, preferably helically around, the central reinforcing member.

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Wigan, United Kingdom

Noel S Dean