Optical fiber cable

• US 7,171,087 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Cable Limited (Proterial Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Cable Limited (Proterial Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Font; Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mooney; Michael P.
• Application Number:
  US11/085,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20050238299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 385100-115, 385/123, 385/125
• US Class Current: 385/106
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4432 with fibre reinforcements

Abstract

An optical fiber cable has an optical fiber core wire and a tension member. The tension member is formed of a glass fiber reinforced resin linear material with glass fibers and a matrix resin, and satisfies the following requirements: (1) (EfVf+EmVm)d²≧8.3/n wherein Ef represents the modulus of elasticity of glass fibers, GPa; Vf represents the content of glass fibers, %/100; Em represents the modulus of elasticity of matrix resin, GPa; Vm represents the content of matrix resin, %/100; d represents the diameter of tension member, mm; and n represents the number of tension members used in optical fiber cable; (2) (Ef/Em)≧22; (3) Vf=0.6 to 0.88; and (4) an elongation at break of glass fibers of not less than 5% and an elongation at break of matrix resin of not less than 5%.

Claims

1. An optical fiber cable, comprising:

an optical fiber core wire; and

a tension member, said tension member being formed of a glass fiber reinforced resin linear material comprising glass fibers and a matrix resin, said glass fiber reinforced resin linear material satisfying the following requirements;

(1) (EfVf+EmVm)d²≧

8.3/n

wherein Ef represents the modulus of elasticity of glass fibers, GPa;

Vf represents the content of glass fibers, %/100;

Em represents the modulus of elasticity of matrix resin, GPa;

Vm represents the content of matrix resin, %/100;

d represents the diameter of tension member, mm; and

n represents the number of tension members used in optical fiber cable;

(2) (Ef/Em)≧

22;

(3) Vf=0.6 to 0.88; and

(4) an elongation at break of glass fibers of not less than 5% and an elongation at break of matrix resin of not less than 5%.

2. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein:

Em is not less than 2 GPa.

3. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein:

the ratio of the elongation at break of the matrix resin to the elongation at break of the glass fibers (elongation at break of the matrix resin/elongation at break of the glass fibers) is 0.93 to 1.27.

4. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein:

the ratio of the minimum bending diameter D of the glass fiber reinforced resin linear material to the diameter d of the glass fiber reinforced resin linear material, D/d, is not more than 20.

5. The optical fiber cable according to claim 4, wherein:

d is not more than 0.6 mm.

6. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein:

in said glass fiber reinforced resin linear material, the glass fibers have an elongation at break of not less than 5%, and the matrix resin has been prepared by curing, with a thermal cationic polymerization catalyst or an acid anhydride, a liquid epoxy resin having a viscosity of not more than 15000 mPa·

s at 25°

C. before curing.

7. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein;

the optical fibers in the optical fiber core wire are single mode fibers having a mode field diameter of 8.0 to 8.8 μ

m.

8. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein:

the optical fibers in the optical fiber core wire have a plurality of holes in the periphery of the core.

9. An optical fiber cable, comprising:

an optical fiber core wire; and

a tension member, said tension member being a glass fiber reinforced resin linear material comprising glass fibers having an elongation at break of not less than 5% and a matrix resin prepared by curing, with a thermal cationic polymerization catalyst or an acid anhydride, a liquid epoxy resin having a viscosity of not more than 15000 mPa·

s at 25°

C. before curing.