Compact optical fibre cable

摘要

A signal transmitting cable that has fibres 404 encapsulated by a UV curable layer 406 is described. Layer 406 has an outside diameter of 1010 microns. The UV curable material of the layer 406 does not penetrate into the gaps between the optical fibres and the outermost optical fibres 304 are restrained by the layer from moving axially. It is found that such an arrangement provides surprisingly favourable bending properties, making the cable particularly suitable for installation in a tube by means of blowing.