摘要 |
A junction for joining the ends of two under water optical fiber cables, each cable comprising an optical core (1, 1') inside a protective arch of helically wound steel wires (2, 2'), with a copper tube (3, 3') swaged down on the arch, and an insulating outer sheath (4, 4') covering the copper tube, then a return conductor (14, 14') of aluminum, and an outer insulating protective covering (16, 16'). The junction comprises two cable-receiving end portions (8, 8') for receiving respective ends of the two cables to be joined, and a central portion (5, 6) for interconnecting said end portions. The end portions provide mechanical connection to their respective cable ends and are themselves mechanically interconnected by an outer metal tube (6). The optical fibers (22) are stripped to leave a considerable amount of slack. They are inserted into the ends of a mandrel (5) and then threaded out through holes near its ends for end to end joining with corresponding fibers in the other cable. The joins are protected by individual sleeves (26) and the slack is taken up by winding the fibers around the mandrel. The mandrel is held fast against axial movement or rotation relative to the end portions (8, 8'). The outer layers of the cable are reconstituted around the junction as described above. |