Communication cable having loops of a retainer element at successive locations, a method and apparatus for forming the cable

A method of holding together a plurality of transmission elements selected from electrical and optical transmission elements to form an elongated core for use in continuous manufacturing of an endless communication cable, said method comprising steps of continuously hauling-off a bundle of the transmission elements along a path extending along a longitudinal axis of the bundle and continuously moving the bundle in a haul-off direction to form a continuously moving bundle, continuously supplying a plurality of elongated retainer elements to positions being circumferentially located around the continuously moving bundle, forming the plurality of retainer elements in chronological succession into loops at different circumferential positions on an outside circumference of the bundle and successively chaining the loops of the retainer elements together by forming a loop out of a first of the retainer elements at a respective circumferential position, grabbing the loop to hold the loop open and drawing the opened loop of the first retainer element in a circumferential direction to a second retainer element at a second circumferential position, passing a newly-formed loop of the second retainer element through said opened loop of the first retainer element, releasing said loop of the first retainer element being held open as soon as said loop of the second retainer element has been grasped and passed through the loop of the first retainer element, said released loop of the first retainer element being conveyed by the continuously moving bundle in the haul-off direction and being cinched so that a non-releasable chaining of said loops of the first and second retainer elements is effective making an undoing of said loops difficult by pulling on the first and second retainer elements, and successively implementing the loop-forming and chaining of retainer elements around the circumference of the moving bundle to successively surround the moving bundle with a loop structure by successively chaining loops obliquely proceeding with respect to the longitudinal bundle axis, conveying each loop chain around the bundle by a haul-off motion of the bundle in the haul-off direction and thus being cinched by the haul-off motion of the bundle thereby constricting radially inward and exerting a radially inward retaining force on the bundle so that a loop structure, which is a component part of the bundle, is formed by loops of the retainer element at successive, discrete locations over the entire length of the moving bundle with at least 60% of the total surface of the bundle remaining uncovered by the respective retainer element but the loop structure is able to hold the elements of the bundle together to prevent unraveling of the bundle, and then applying said bundle with said loop structure as the core of said communication cable.