Abstract: An overhead electric conductor comprises a central tubular metal core, at least one layer of helically wound bare metal wires surrounding the core and, loosely housed in the bore of the core, at least one optical fibre element. The optical fibre element comprises a flexible tube of elongate transverse cross-section in which is loosely housed an optical fibre ribbon structure and which is resiliently set in such a form that it follows a path of smoothly curved undulations, the axes of curvature of which lie parallel to one another and normal to the axis of the tube.

Abstract: In an optical fibre element comprising a flexible tube in which optical fibres are loosely housed, the tube is resiliently set in such a form that it follows a longitudinally extending path which, between any two longitudinally spaced positions, is greater in length than the rectilinear distance between the two positions. Preferably, the tube is resiliently set to follow a path of smoothly curved undulations, the axes of curvature of which lie parallel to one another and normal to the axis of the tube. When the resiliently set tube is subjected to a longitudinally applied tensile force, the tube will tend to straighten against the action of its resilient set, thereby to reduce the tensile force applied to the optical fibres.