| 摘要 |
A method of manufacturing a stranded assembly of flexible elements for example an electrical or optical cable in which the lay of the elements is repeatedly reversed along the length of the assembly, comprises: (i) feeding the elements (X) into one end of a guide, the guide having an upstream region in which one internal lateral dimension thereof constrains the strands to lie in side-by-side relationship and in which an orthogonal internal lateral dimension is greater than the total width of the elements, and a downstream region in which the elements are forced into a generally cylindrical geometry; and (ii) removing the elements from the other end of the guide in the form of a stranded assembly (Y). The elements are fed into the guide at a higher speed than they are removed from the guide so that they are forced into a serpentine configuration in the guide, and in the downstream region the serpentine configuration is converted into a generally helical one in which the lay of the elements is repeatedly reversed. |
