Dielectric Aerial Drop Cable Predictable Break Load Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Aerial optical fiber cables face issues with high tensile strength leading to infrastructure damage and safety risks during vehicle strikes, as they do not break at critical points, causing structural collapse and potential injury or property damage.

Innovation Solution

A dielectric predictable break load aerial drop cable design featuring optical transmission elements, strength yarns, and an outer sheath with embedded strength members arranged in equilateral positions, allowing for a predefined break load between 1300 to 2100 N, neutral bending performance, and enhanced crush resistance, ensuring the cable breaks before support structures, minimizing collateral damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If aerial cables are designed with superior tensile strength to resist breakage, then cable reliability is improved, but support structures may collapse causing safety hazards and increased repair costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecable reliabilityVSAvoidsupport structure collapse

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The cable is segmented into multiple functional layers with distinct strength characteristics. The inner core provides optical transmission while the outer strength members provide mechanical support. This segmentation allows the cable to break in a controlled manner at predetermined points rather than causing uncontrolled structural collapse.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cable employs strength members with controlled tensile strength parameters (1300-2100 N break load) that are deliberately designed to be lower than the support structure's failure load. This parameter change ensures the cable fails before the support structure, transforming the failure mode from structure collapse to cable breakage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Strength

If aerial cables use high strength materials to prevent breaking, then cable strength is improved, but repair costs and time increase when infrastructure damage occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecable strengthVSAvoidrepair cost and time

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The cable is designed as a disposable protective element with controlled strength. When the cable reaches its predetermined break load, it breaks rather than damaging expensive support structures. This approach treats the cable as a sacrificial component that protects more valuable infrastructure, reducing overall repair costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The cable's strength is converted from a potential hazard (causing structure collapse) into a protective feature. By designing the cable with controlled break strength, the harmful effect of excessive strength is transformed into a beneficial safety mechanism that prevents infrastructure damage while maintaining adequate cable strength for normal operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If aerial cables are designed with predictable break load, then safety is improved, but cable design complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety hazardsVSAvoidcable design complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cable uses composite construction with different materials serving specific functions: optical fibers for transmission, strength members for mechanical support, and protective layers for environmental resistance. This composite approach allows predictable break load characteristics while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes using standard materials and techniques.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the cable have different quality characteristics optimized for their specific functions. The strength members have controlled tensile strength for predictable breaking, while the optical core and protective layers have properties optimized for signal transmission and environmental protection. This local differentiation achieves safety without requiring complex design throughout the entire cable structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11619797B2Dielectric predictable break load aerial drop cable

Publication Date: 2023.04.04 STERLITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD

AI summary

The present invention discloses a dielectric predictable break load aerial drop cable comprising one or more optical transmission elements, a first layer surrounding the one or more optical transmission elements, a plurality of strength yarns surrounding the first layer, an outer sheath surrounding the plurality of strength yarns. In particular, the outer sheath has a plurality of strength members embedded in an equilateral position. Moreover, the dielectric predictable break load aerial drop cable breaks at a predefined break load with a neutral bending performance.