Ribbed and grooved cable having embedded strength member with water blocking coating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11619796-B2
Application number	US-202117347080-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2021
Priority date	Jun 13, 2020
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

A ribbed and grooved fiber cable ( 100 ) includes a core with a plurality of optical fibers, a sheath ( 102 ) enveloping the core and one or more strength members ( 108 ) embedded in the sheath ( 102 ). The strength members ( 108 ) are coated with a water blocking coating material having at least one of an ultraviolet (UV) curable water swellable resin composition and a layer of ethylene acrylic acid (EAA). Particularly, the water blocking coating material applied over the strength members ( 108 ) has a thickness of 50±10 microns. The sheath ( 102 ) of the cable ( 100 ) has at least one of a plurality of ribs ( 104 ) and grooves ( 106 ) on an external surface of the sheath ( 102 ), and a plurality of ribs ( 104 a ) and grooves ( 106 a ) on an internal surface of the sheath ( 102 ). The plurality of ribs ( 104 ) have variable height.

First claim

What is claimed for:

1. A ribbed and grooved fiber cable ( 100 ) comprising:
a core with a plurality of optical fibers;
a sheath ( 102 ) enveloping the core; and the sheath ( 102 ) has an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the outer surface of the sheath ( 102 ) has a plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) and a plurality of external grooves ( 106 ), wherein the sheath ( 102 ) and the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) are made of different materials; and
at least one of one or more strength members ( 108 ) embedded in the sheath ( 102 ), a plurality of ribs ( 104 ) and grooves ( 106 ) on an external surface of the sheath ( 102 ), and a plurality of ribs ( 104 a ) and grooves ( 106 a ) on an internal surface of the sheath ( 102 ), wherein the plurality of ribs ( 104 ) have variable height, wherein the one or more strength members ( 108 ) are coated with a water blocking coating material having at least one of an ultraviolet (UV) curable water swellable resin composition and a layer of ethylene acrylic acid (EAA).

2. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) are arranged alternately throughout the outer surface of the sheath ( 102 ) of the optical fiber cable ( 100 ).

3. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) have at least two heights and the least two heights includes a first height and a second height.

4. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) having the first height and the second height are arranged in such a way that the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) having the first height and the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) having the second height are positioned diagonally opposite to each other.

5. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first height is in a range of 0.2 millimeters to 10 millimeters and the second height is in a range of 0.1 millimeters to 0.5 millimeters.

6. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) and the plurality of external grooves ( 106 ) has a width in a range of 1.2 millimeters to 2.5 millimeters.

7. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a shape of the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) and the plurality of external grooves ( 106 ) is anyone of a rectangular shape with rounded edges, a pointy triangle shape, a circular shape, or a curve-type shape.

8. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sheath ( 102 ) and the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) are made of a same material selected from polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene (such as High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Medium Density Polyethylene, and Low Density Polyethylene), polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber/elastomer, thermoplastic chlorinated polyethylene, thermoset polyolefins or combination thereof.

9. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the different materials for the sheath ( 102 ) and the plurality of external ribs ( 104 ) are selected from polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene (such as High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Medium Density Polyethylene, and Low Density Polyethylene), polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber/elastomer, thermoplastic chlorinated polyethylene, thermoset polyolefins or combination thereof.

10. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) has a diameter in a range of 11 millimeters to 13 millimeters and a blowing of more than 1100 meters in a duct with an inner diameter of 14 millimeters and an outer diameter of 18 millimeters.

11. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of internal ribs ( 104 a ) and the plurality of internal grooves ( 106 a ) are arranged alternately throughout the inner surface of the sheath ( 102 ).

12. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 11 , wherein a shape of the plurality of internal ribs ( 104 a ) and the plurality of internal grooves ( 106 a ) has anyone of a rectangular shape with rounded edges, a pointy triangle shape, a circular shape, or a curve-type shape.

13. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the plurality of internal ribs ( 104 a ) has a height in a range of 0.1 millimeter to 1.0 millimeter.

14. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the plurality of internal ribs ( 104 a ) and the plurality of internal grooves ( 106 a ) has a width in a range of 1.2 millimeter to 2.5 millimeters.

15. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the UV curable water swellable resin composition includes acrylic acid, phenyl bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phosphine oxide and oxybis(methyl-2,1-ethanediyl) diacrylate.

16. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the UV curable water swellable resin composition is applied directly on the one or more strength members ( 108 ) or above the layer of ethylene acrylic acid (EAA).

17. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the UV curable water swellable resin composition coated one or more strength members ( 108 ) are passed through one or more UV chambers to cure the UV curable water swellable resin composition.

18. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water blocking coating material applied over the one or more strength members ( 108 ) has a thickness of 50±10 microns.

19. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) passes a water penetration test at 0.1 bar pressure water-head applied to a 3 meter optical cable for at least 24 hours.

20. The ribbed and grooved optical fiber cable ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more strength members ( 108 ) are made of a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), or an aramid reinforced plastic (ARP).

Assignees

• Sterlite Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Kuhar Sharun
• Shukla Vikash
• Sharma Swapnil
• Sahoo Kishore

Classifications

• G02B6/44384

  the means comprising water blocking or hydrophobic materials (G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/443 Primary

  Protective covering · CPC title

• G02B6/4435

  Corrugated mantle · CPC title

• G02B6/4494 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic