Bend radius control jacket

Abstract

A control jacket houses a line, such as a fiber optic ribbon cable or other conductor, and limits the amount of bending and twisting movement of the line. The jacket preferably includes a multi-dimensional matrix of engagement elements separated by a plurality of gaps and connected by an underlying web structure. As the jacket is bent or twisted, adjacent engagement elements move together into engagement with each other, limiting the bend radius or twist angle of the jacket, and thus of the fiber optic ribbon cable or other protected line. The jacket preferably includes at least one fastening mechanism, allowing the control jacket to be opened along its length for easy insertion and removal of the line as needed. Multiple jackets can be placed end-to-end along the line, to create a composite jacket of any desired length. Additionally, a control jacket according to the invention includes two slideable jacket portions. Locking structure locks the two portions of the control jacket together and prevents them from separating, but permits sliding movement in a longitudinal direction along the line. This accommodates the radius of curvature differential that occurs upon bending/twisting of the control jacket and consequently reduces strain in the locking structure.