Tight-buffered optical fiber having improved fiber access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017285291-A1
Application number	US-201615086137-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tight-buffered optical fiber cable includes an improved method of accessing the coated optical fiber. The cable can include an optical fiber having a glass core and a cladding layer. One or more coating layers can be applied about the cladding layer. A buffer jacket material can be applied onto an outer surface of the outer coating layer as a buffer jacket outer layer. The buffer jacket outer layer can have distinctive features including a low tear strength, low elastic modulus, high elongation percentage, and low peeling force. This can allow a user of the optical fiber cable to separate at least a portion of the coated optical fiber from the buffer jacket outer layer by grasping a free end of the coated optical fiber and pulling it through the outer wall of the buffer jacket outer layer, thereby tearing through the outer wall of the buffer jacket outer layer.

First claim

1 . A buffered optical fiber comprising:
an optical fiber comprising:
a glass core;
a cladding layer surrounding the glass core;
at least one coating layer surrounding the cladding layer, wherein the glass core, the cladding layer, and the at least one coating layer collectively comprise a coating optical fiber; and
a buffer jacket outer layer surrounding an outer surface of the coated optical fiber, wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises a low elastic modulus and a high elongation percentage.

2 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer is constructed of a buffer jacket material comprising polyurethane acrylate.

3 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer further comprises a low tensile strength.

4 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 3 , wherein the low tensile strength for the buffer jacket optical fiber is in the range of substantially 1 MPa to substantially 20 MPa.

5 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the low elastic modulus is in the range of substantially 20 MPa to substantially 90 MPa.

6 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the high elongation percentage of the buffer jacket outer layer is in the range of substantially 20 percent and substantially 80 percent.

7 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises an outer wall and wherein the coated optical fiber is configured to be torn through the outer wall with a peeling force in the range of substantially 5 grams to substantially 50 grams.

8 . A method for removing at least a portion of an optical fiber from a buffer jacket outer layer comprising:
providing a tight-buffered optical fiber cable comprising:
a coated optical fiber comprising:
a glass core comprising a first outer surface:
a cladding layer comprising a second outer surface, the cladding layer surrounding the outer surface of the glass core; and
at least one coating layer surrounding the second outer surface of the cladding layer;

a buffer jacket outer layer comprising an outer wall, the buffer jacket outer layer surrounding the coated optical fiber
accessing a terminating end of the coated optical fiber; pulling the coated optical fiber through the outer wall of the buffer jacket outer layer with a peeling force; and pulling the coated optical fiber along a longitudinal axis of the tight-buffered optical fiber cable and through an additional portion of the outer wall of the buffer jacket outer layer with the peeling force.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises an elongation percentage in a range of substantially 20 percent and substantially 80 percent.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises an elastic modulus in a range of substantially 20 MPa to substantially 90 MPa.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises a tensile strength in a range of substantially 1 MPa to substantially 20 MPa.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the peeling force is in a range of substantially 5 grams to substantially 50 grams.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises an elongation percentage in a range of substantially 40 percent to substantially 60 percent and an elastic modulus in a range of substantially 50 MPa to substantially 70 MPa.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises an elongation percentage in a range of substantially 45 percent to substantially 55 percent and a tensile strength in a range of substantially 1 MPA and substantially 10 MPa.

15 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises an elongation percentage in a range of substantially 40 percent to substantially 60 percent and an elastic modulus in a range of substantially 50 MPa to substantially 70 MPa.

22 . The buffered optical fiber of claim 3 , wherein the buffer jacket outer layer comprises an elongation percentage in a range of substantially 45 percent to substantially 55 percent and a tensile strength in a range of substantially 1 MPA and substantially 10 MPa.

Assignees

• Ofs Fitel Llc

Inventors

• Ly Heng
• Weimann Peter A

Classifications

• G02B6/02395

  Glass optical fibre with a protective coating, e.g. two layer polymer coating deposited directly on a silica cladding surface during fibre manufacture (G02B6/02052, G02B6/02057, G02B6/024, G02B6/032, G02B6/105, G02B6/14 take precedence; coating on fibre gratings G02B6/02104; multilayer core or cladding G02B6/036; reinforcing splice joints G02B6/2558; optical cables, i.e. comprising protective structures external to the protective coating such as a jacket or plural coated optical fibres G02B6/44; coating of glass to obtain optical fibres C03C25/104) · CPC title

• G02B6/443

  Protective covering · CPC title

• G02B6/4495 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02B6/4431 Primary

  with provision in the protective covering, e.g. weak line, for gaining access to one or more fibres, e.g. for branching or tapping (break-out terminations G02B6/4471) · CPC title