Tension member for optical fiber cable, optical fiber cable using the tension member, and production of the tension memb er

摘要

There is provided a tension member for an optical fiber cable in which the tension member is constituted of a rod (10) that is mainly made up from a fiber reinforced plastic and that is coated and joined with coating layer (2) which is adapted to support an optical fiber (4), characterized in that a fine recess and a fine projection are formed and distributed on a peripheral surface of the said tension member. There is also provided an optical fiber cable which incorporates such tension member therein. There is further provided a method of making such a tension member, which method comprises the steps of: impregnating a bundle of fibers (17) continuously introduced with a thermoset resin; winding a belt (19) having fine recesses and projections randomly and uniformly distributed thereon on a peripheral surface of the said bundle of fibers that has been impregnated with the said thermoset resin; heating and thermally setting the said bundle of fibers on which the said belt has been wounded; and stripping the said belt from the said peripheral surface of the said bundle of fibers that has been thermally set, and in which fine recesses and projections are caused to develop and distribute randomly and yet uniformly on an outer surface of the said rod by continuously repeating the above mentioned steps.