Fiber Optic Cable Jacket with Extruded Discontinuities for Mid-Span Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fiber optic cables require mid-span access to internal fibers, which is cumbersome and dangerous with conventional cutting tools, and existing methods like rip cords are costly and require training.
Innovation Solution
A fiber optic cable with a jacket featuring extruded discontinuities that act as lines of weakness, allowing for easy separation and access to the core, using a cohesive composite polymer structure and tactile or visual indicators for precise location of the discontinuities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional cutting tools (box cutters, custom cutting tools) are used to access fibers mid-span, then access to internal fibers is achieved, but the process becomes cumbersome and dangerous to both operator and delicate optical fibers
Solution Approach 1:
The cable jacket is segmented into distinct regions with different material properties. The jacket includes a first portion with high tensile strength and a second portion with lower tensile strength, creating a controlled weakness that allows easy separation without requiring dangerous cutting tools or risking fiber damage.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the cable jacket are assigned different material qualities. The first portion uses a material with high tensile strength for robustness, while the second portion uses a material with lower tensile strength to enable easy tearing and access, eliminating the need for hazardous cutting operations.
2Ease of operation
If rip cords are used for cable access, then fiber access is enabled, but cost increases and requires time and training for proper usage
Solution Approach 1:
The cable jacket is designed to be self-accessing through its inherent material properties. The controlled weakness in the second portion allows the jacket to tear easily along a predetermined path when pulled, eliminating the need for specialized rip cords, tools, or training. Any person can access the fibers by simply pulling on the jacket ends.
3Ease of operation
If extensive cutting of the cable jacket is performed to enable access, then fiber access is achieved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cable jacket is pre-configured with a controlled weakness during manufacturing. The second portion is made with lower tensile strength to create a predetermined tear path, so that when access is needed, the jacket simply tears along this pre-established path rather than requiring extensive cutting operations that would otherwise be necessary.
Data Source
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AI summary
Cables jacket (30) are formed by extruding discontinuities (50) in a main cable jacket portion (55). The discontinuities allow the jacket to be torn to provide access to the cable core (20). The discontinuities can be longitudinally extending strips of material in the cable jacket, and can be introduced into the extrudate material flow used to form the main portion through ports in the extrusion head. The discontinuities allow a section of the cable jacket to be pulled away from a remainder of the jacket using a relatively low peel force.