COMPOSITE FIBER OPTIC AND ELECTRICAL CABLE AND ASSOCIATED FABRICATION METHOD

摘要

A composite fiber optic and electrical cable having a core which loosely contains at least one optical fiber, a pair of copper clad steel electrical conductors having an outer polymer insulating layer, and a polymer jacket. The jacket is made of a polymer material having a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the insulating material of the electrical conductors. As a result, the polymer jacket does not bond with the insulating material during production of the cable. The jacket can thus be easily stripped from the electrical conductors during installation of the cable to facilitate the attachment of the electrical conductors to a signal repeater, or power source, or other electrical device. The cable is manufactured by advancing the core and electrical conductors through an extruder which forms the jacket around the core and electrical conductors. The core may be supplied from a storage reel or may be fabricated just prior to extruding the jacket around the buffer tube and electrical conductors, by extruding a buffer tube loosely around the optic fibers and then surrounding the buffer tube with a reinforcing layer.