Glass manufacturing – Processes – With shaping of particulate material and subsequent fusing...
Patent
1980-11-19
1983-02-15
Fisher, Richard V.
Glass manufacturing
Processes
With shaping of particulate material and subsequent fusing...
65 111, 65 13, 118672, 118674, 156167, 156180, 156441, C03B 37025
Patent
active
043739431
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a multiple fibre forming machine permitting a simultaneous drawing of a plurality of optical fibres and then a linear multifibre stranding. It is used in the construction of cables intended for optical telecommunications.
Two stages are involved in the production of a multifibre cable. Firstly, an optical fibre is drawn and stored temporarily on reels or drums and then the stranding operation is performed with the same number of storage reels or drums as there are to be fibres in the cables.
More specifically, in a conventional optical fibre drawing installation, a preform made from a suitable material (e.g. silica) is formed into fibres at a speed of approximately 30 m/minute. The fibre obtained is then coated with a covering product and stored on a drum.
Every effort is made to store the maximum fibre lengths so as to be to appropriately supply the stranding machine. However, the obtaining of very great fibre lengths would appear to be not easily compatible with the presently available drawing processes, so that in practice splicing operations are necessary to obtain great lengths.
Moreover, a stranding machine generally comprises an extruder, which supplies a cable support having recesses which are able to receive the fibres, an assembly and connecting means which appropriately places the fibres in the recesses and finally a means for covering the cable with a protective sheath. The cable is produced at a speed of approximately a few meters per minute.
The operating procedure according to the prior art has a number of disadvantages. It involves a number of stages and raises the problem of the compatibility of the fibre formation and stranding speeds. In order to make the best possible use of the assembly and connecting means of the stranding machine, it is necessary to have a plurality of drawing machines upstream of the stranding machine, so that costs are high and the installation is of a complex nature.
This difficulty is a handicap for optical fibres in competition with conventional electrical cables. The situation is in fact much more favourable for the latter because the basic wire can be produced at speeds of approximately 1,200 to 1,600 m/minute over very considerable length (50 to 100 km) and only a single drawing machine is required for supplying the stranding installation.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a machine which obviates this disadvantage. Thus, it provides means for the simultaneous drawing of a plurality of optical fibres in such a way that a linear stranding is then possible, all the drawing and stranding operations taking place in a continuous manner. In this way, the intermediate storage of individual fibres is obviated, the necessity of having very considerable fibre lengths no longer occurs and the different parts of the installation acquire speed compatibility. Thus, the machine according to the invention leads to optical cable manufacturing speeds which are close to those of conventional cables, which increases the commercial interest in the optical fibres.
More specifically, the invention relates to a multiple fibre forming machine permitting a simultaneous drawing of a plurality of N optical fibres and then a linear multifibre stranding, wherein it successively comprises: assembly being constituted by: lowering means; preform and supplying a fibre; opening spinnerets or extrusion dyes supplied by a coating product and traversed by the fibres; controlled in rotation by an appropriate means; and formation speed of said first assembly; and least one fibre; the recesses of the support; the cable; and
The preform support system used in the first assembly of the machine according to the invention may comprise a single control means for lowering the preforms into the fibre forming furnace or oven. The lowering speed is then regulated as a function of the average diameter of the group of preforms used. This presupposes a prior sorting of the preforms, so that at the same time only preforms havi
REFERENCES:
patent: 2929738 (1960-03-01), Bateson et al.
patent: 3014453 (1961-12-01), Bateson et al.
patent: 3301932 (1967-01-01), Chisholm
patent: 4204852 (1980-05-01), Watts et al.
Gouronnec Alain
Regreny Andre
Treheux Michel
LandOfFree
Multiple fiber forming machine does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Multiple fiber forming machine, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Multiple fiber forming machine will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1799178