Armored Optical Fiber Cable Structure for Easy Sheath Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical fiber cables face challenges in protecting fibers from water and physical stress, and the separation of the sheath and metallic layer during termination is inefficient, leading to extra manufacturing steps and costs.
Innovation Solution
An armored optical fiber cable design featuring a metallic layer with corrugations and a sheath with orthogonal ribs and grooves, eliminating the need for additional adhesion controlling materials, allowing easy separation without additional tools or materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a separation layer (oil, tape, or coating) is placed between the sheath and metallic layer, then easy separation during termination is achieved, but extra manufacturing steps and costs are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the separation layer from the cable structure, relying instead on the inherent low-adhesion properties of the metallic layer material itself to provide separation functionality, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining ease of termination
Solution Approach 2:
The metallic layer is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: providing mechanical strength, acting as a moisture barrier, and enabling easy separation through its intrinsic low-adhesion characteristics, eliminating the need for a dedicated separation layer
2Ease of operation
If conventional adhesion controlling materials are used between sheath and armor, then separation is facilitated, but supply availability and manufacturing consistency become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic layer material inherently provides the separation function through its own low-adhesion properties, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating dependency on external separation layer materials that may have supply or consistency issues
3Strength
If the metallic layer overlap is increased, then mechanical strength and protection are improved, but adhesion to the sheath increases making separation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates different local properties within the metallic layer structure: areas with sufficient overlap for mechanical strength while maintaining overall low adhesion to the sheath through the inherent properties of the metallic material, enabling both strength and separability
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an optical fiber cable (102) including a plurality of optical transmission elements (104), and a metallic layer (108) surrounding the plurality of optical transmission elements (104). Further, the optical fiber cable (102) includes a sheath (114) surrounding the metallic layer (108), wherein the sheath (114) is at least in partial contact with the metallic layer (108). An inner surface of the sheath (114) has a first set of ribs (110) that are deformed at substantial regular intervals along the length of the sheath (114). The arrangement of the optical fiber cable (102) allows an easy separation/peel off of the sheath (114) from the metallic layer (108) in a cost-effective manner as it does not require any additional material or tool. The structure of the optical fiber cable (102) reduces bonding between the sheath and the metallic layer.