Heat treatment of twisted ripcords to improve armor tear performance

A communication cable comprising:

• a cable core including at least one communication element;
• an armor layer surrounding said cable core;
• and
• a ripcord being disposed radially inward of said armor layer for ripping said armor layer when a sufficient pulling force is applied to said ripcord, wherein said ripcord is formed by the process of:
• twisting a plurality of first textile yarns together to form a first strand;
• twisting a plurality of second textile yarns together to form a second strand;
• twisting the first and second strands together to form said ripcord;
• and
• heating said ripcord to a predefined temperature for a predetermined period of time, wherein a combination of the predefined temperature and the predetermined period of time ensures that all portions of the interior and exterior of said ripcord reach at least 70 degrees Celsius.

A method of forming a ripcord for a cable comprising:

• twisting a plurality of first textile yarns together to form a first strand;
• twisting a plurality of second textile yarns together to form a second strand;
• twisting the first and second strands together to form the ripcord;
• and
• heating the ripcord to a predefined temperature for a predetermined period of time, wherein a combination of the predefined temperature and the predetermined period of time ensures that all portions of the interior and exterior of the ripcord reach at least 70 degrees Celsius.