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AssigneeSumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp.
InventorsWilliam E. Beasley, Jr., Taichiro Nagao
Estimating the term…
A method of midspan or end entry accessing of one or more selected optical fibers carried by an optical ribbon fiber. The top and bottom surfaces of a first selected span of the optical ribbon fiber are friction abraded to initiate delamination of the bond between the optical fibers and the matrix encapsulant. The delamination is completed by applying a rolling force to the circumference of the first selected span, and the delamination is then propagated by introducing the first selected span into the bore of a die element and urging the die element along a relatively longer second selected span of the optical ribbon fiber. With the delamination completed, the tip of an elongated tool is inserted through the encapsulant within the second selected span and between one or more selected optical fibers and the remaining optical fibers within the optical ribbon fiber. Next, the tip of the elongated tool is lifted from within the encapsulant so as to remove the one or more selected optical fibers from the encapsulant, and the elongated tool inserted between the encapsulant and the one or more selected optical fibers. Finally, the elongated tool is slidably urged along the length of the delaminated second selected span to lift the optical fibers out of the encapsulant for access as necessary.
An optical ribbon fiber comprising a common encapsulant and a plurality of optical fibers contained within said common encapsulant and characterized in that it is particularly well suited for a friction abrading-type delamination midspan entry procedure, said optical ribbon fiber having a peel strength between about 4.0 and 33.0 gm and an encapsulant tensile modulus greater than 38.2 kg/mm.sup.2, wherein said peel strength is less than said encapsulant strength.
A method of removing the common encapsulant from a selected span of optical ribbon fiber to provide access to one or more selected optical fibers within said optical ribbon fiber comprising initiating friction abrading-type delamination of the common encapsulant from the optical fibers and propagating the delamination along at least a portion of the remaining span length of the optical ribbon fiber wherein the optical ribbon fiber has a peel strength between about 5.0 and 33.0 gm and an encapsulant modulus tensile greater than 38.2 kg/mm.sup.2, and wherein said peel strength is less than said encapsulant modulus.
A method of removing encapsulant from a selected span of optical ribbon fiber and accessing one or more selected optical fibers carried within said optical ribbon fiber, said method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.