IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0424112
(2006-06-14)
|
등록번호 |
US-7515795
(2009-07-01)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Overton, Bob
- Cheatle, Wayne
- Dechristopher, Greg
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Summa, Additon & Ashe, P.A.
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
97 인용 특허 :
29 |
초록
▼
A water-swellable material is included for water-blocking inside a buffer tube in a cable design, and an adhesive material is provided in or on the water-swellable material. The adhesive material may function as a bonding agent between the water-swellable material and the inside wall of a buffer tub
A water-swellable material is included for water-blocking inside a buffer tube in a cable design, and an adhesive material is provided in or on the water-swellable material. The adhesive material may function as a bonding agent between the water-swellable material and the inside wall of a buffer tube, thus providing coupling of the water-swellable material to the buffer tube. In addition, or alternatively, a second adhesive material may be provided for bonding the optical fibers to the water-swellable material. The adhesive materials may be in the form of a bead or beads and may be foamed or unfoamed.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A buffer tube arrangement, comprising: a plurality of optical fibers; an extruded buffer tube enclosing said optical fibers; a water-swellable element disposed between the optical fibers and the extruded buffer tube and enclosing the optical fibers; and a curable adhesive mat
What is claimed is: 1. A buffer tube arrangement, comprising: a plurality of optical fibers; an extruded buffer tube enclosing said optical fibers; a water-swellable element disposed between the optical fibers and the extruded buffer tube and enclosing the optical fibers; and a curable adhesive material provided on the water-swellable element for bonding the water-swellable element to the buffer tube, the curable adhesive material being cured after the extruded buffer tube has substantially completed its post-extrusion contraction on cooling, thereby adhesively bonding the water-swellable element to the extruded buffer tube in a way that averts subjecting the optical fibers and/or the water-swellable element to unwanted contractive forces caused by the post-extrusion contraction of the extruded buffer tube. 2. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said curable adhesive material comprises a thermally curable material. 3. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 2, wherein said thermally curable material comprises a silicone. 4. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said curable adhesive material comprises a radiation-curable material. 5. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said curable adhesive material comprises a foamed curable adhesive material. 6. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 5, wherein the degree of foaming of said foamed curable adhesive material is from 1% to 95%. 7. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 5, wherein said foamed curable adhesive material fills from 1% to virtually 100% of the free space inside the water-swellable element. 8. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said curable adhesive material is provided as at least one bead. 9. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 8, wherein said at least one bead comprises a continuous bead. 10. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 8, wherein said at least one bead comprises an intermittent bead. 11. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said curable adhesive material is embedded in the water-swellable element. 12. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said optical fibers are bundled as a ribbon stack. 13. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said optical fibers are helically wound around each other. 14. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said water-swellable element is one of a tape or one or more yarns having water-absorbing particles, or a combination of the tape and one or more yarns. 15. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said water-swellable element comprises two layers and a water-swellable powder sandwiched between the two layers. 16. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, further comprising an additional adhesive material for bonding the optical fibers to the water-swellable element. 17. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material is provided on said optical fibers. 18. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material is provided on said water-swellable element. 19. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material is provided as at least one bead. 20. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 19, wherein said at least one bead comprises a continuous bead. 21. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 19, wherein said at least one bead comprises an intermittent bead. 22. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a thermoplastic adhesive material. 23. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a thermally curable material. 24. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a silicone. 25. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a radiation-curable material. 26. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 16, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a foamed adhesive material. 27. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 26, wherein the degree of foaming of said foamed adhesive material is from 1% to 95%. 28. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 26, wherein said foamed adhesive material fills from 1% to virtually 100% of the free space inside the water-swellable element. 29. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, wherein said buffer tube arrangement does not comprise an adhesive material for bonding the optical fibers to the water-swellable element. 30. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, comprising an adhesive bond between the cured adhesive material and the water-swellable element, the adhesive bond minimizing the unwanted contractive forces acting upon the optical fibers and/or the water-swellable element. 31. A method of forming the buffer tube arrangement of claim 1, comprising: conveying the plurality of optical fibers; providing the water-swellable element at least partially around the optical fibers; applying the curable adhesive material to the water-swellable element; and extruding the buffer tube around the optical fibers and water-swellable element, wherein said curable adhesive material cures after the extruding to bond the water-swellable element to the buffer tube. 32. A buffer tube arrangement, comprising: a plurality of optical fibers; an extruded buffer tube enclosing said optical fibers; a water-swellable element disposed between the optical fibers and the extruded buffer tube and enclosing the optical fibers; a fabric or web of fibrous material disposed between the water-swellable element and the extruded buffer tube, the fibrous material reducing bonding between the water-swellable element and the extruded buffer tube; and a curable adhesive material for bonding the fibrous material to the water-swellable element. 33. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said fibrous material comprises a fibrous synthetic resin. 34. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 33, wherein said fibrous synthetic resin comprises a polyester. 35. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material is provided on said water-swellable element. 36. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material is embedded in said water-swellable element. 37. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material is provided on said fibrous material. 38. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material is embedded in said fibrous material. 39. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material comprises a thermally curable material. 40. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 39, wherein said thermally curable material comprises a silicone. 41. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material comprises a radiation-curable material. 42. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material comprises a foamed curable adhesive material. 43. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said optical fibers are bundled as a ribbon stack. 44. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said optical fibers are helically wound around each other. 45. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said water-swellable element is one of a tape or one or more yarns having water-absorbing particles, or a combination of the tape and one or more yarns. 46. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said water-swellable element comprises two layers and a water-swellable powder sandwiched between the two layers. 47. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, further comprising an additional adhesive material for bonding the optical fibers to the water-swellable element. 48. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material is provided on said optical fibers. 49. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material is provided on the water-swellable tape. 50. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material is provided as at least one bead. 51. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 50, wherein said at least one bead comprises a continuous bead. 52. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 50, wherein said at least one bead comprises an intermittent bead. 53. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a curable adhesive material. 54. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a thermally curable material. 55. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a silicone. 56. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a radiation-curable material. 57. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 47, wherein said additional adhesive material comprises a foamed adhesive material. 58. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 57, wherein the degree of foaming of said foamed adhesive material is from 1% to 95%. 59. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 57, wherein said foamed adhesive material fills from 1% to virtually 100% of the free space inside the water-swellable element. 60. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said buffer tube arrangement does not comprise an adhesive material for bonding the optical fibers to the water-swellable element. 61. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, wherein said curable adhesive material has been cured, and said cured adhesive material bonds said water-swellable element to the fibrous material. 62. A method of forming the buffer tube arrangement of claim 32, comprising: conveying the plurality of optical fibers; providing the water-swellable element at least partially around the optical fibers; applying the curable adhesive material to the water-swellable element; providing the fibrous material at least partially around the water-swellable element; and extruding the buffer tube around the optical fibers, the water-swellable element, and the fibrous material, wherein said curable adhesive material cures after the extruding to bond the water-swellable element to the fibrous material. 63. A buffer tube arrangement, comprising: a plurality of optical fibers; an extruded buffer tube enclosing said optical fibers; and a water-swellable element disposed between the optical fibers and the buffer tube and enclosing the optical fibers, wherein said water-swellable element comprises (i) an outer layer and (ii) at least one inner layer possessing a melt profile that is substantially similar to that of the extruded buffer tube, and wherein a seam of at least one inner layer of said water-swellable element is exposed to said buffer tube for bonding the water-swellable element to the buffer tube. 64. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, wherein said buffer tube arrangement does not comprise an adhesive material for bonding the water-swellable element to the buffer tube. 65. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, wherein said water-swellable element comprises the outer layer, two inner layers, and a water-swellable powder sandwiched between the two inner layers. 66. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, wherein each of the inner layer and the buffer tube independently comprises a polypropylene, and the outer layer comprises a fibrous synthetic resin. 67. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 66, wherein the fibrous synthetic resin comprises a polyester. 68. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, wherein said optical fibers are bundled as a ribbon stack. 69. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, wherein said optical fibers are helically wound around each other. 70. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, further comprising an adhesive material for bonding the optical fibers to the water-swellable element. 71. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material is provided on said optical fibers. 72. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material is provided on said water-swellable element. 73. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material is provided as at least one bead. 74. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 73, wherein said at least one bead comprises a continuous bead. 75. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 73, wherein said at least one bead comprises an intermittent bead. 76. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material comprises a curable adhesive material. 77. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material comprises a thermally curable material. 78. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material comprises a silicone. 79. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material comprises a radiation-curable material. 80. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 70, wherein said adhesive material comprises a foamed adhesive material. 81. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 80, wherein the degree of foaming of said foamed adhesive material is from 1% to 95%. 82. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 80, wherein said foamed adhesive material fills from 1% to virtually 100% of the free space inside the water-swellable element. 83. The buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, wherein said buffer tube arrangement does not comprise an adhesive material for bonding the optical fibers to the water-swellable element. 84. A method of forming the buffer tube arrangement of claim 63, comprising: conveying the plurality of optical fibers; providing the water-swellable element at least partially around the optical fibers; and extruding the buffer tube around the optical fibers and the water-swellable element, wherein said water-swellable element has been provided at least partially around the optical fibers such that a seam of the inner layer of said water-swellable element remains exposed to said buffer tube for bonding the water-swellable element to the buffer tube.
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