Abstract: The invention relates to an optical fiber cable including an outer sheath containing a plurality of optical fibers separated into at least two optical fiber modules, each of said modules consisting of a module sheath surrounding a respective group of optical fibers. According to the invention, the module sheath is formed by a film of plastics material. The film is, for example, wrapped widthwise around the group of optical fibers, a first face of the film being superposed on and fixed to a second face of the film over a portion of given width of said film.

Abstract: The method includes axially modulating at least one plasma build-up pass in order to improve the opto-geometrical properties of the preform. The modulation preferably takes place during the final passes of plasma build-up and takes place by modulating the build-up grain flow rate. The diameter of the preform is evaluated (6), and a build-up control device (8) regulates grain flow rate (11, 5) in application of the above method.

Abstract: An optical conductor comprises a fiber, in particular a glass fiber, surrounded by a protective polymer material of the UV-curable type. The protective polymer material contains a water-absorbing additive, preferably a carbodiimide, a poly-carbodiimide, or a polyurea. When the additive is based on carbodiimide, it opposes photodegradation.

Abstract: A sealed cable joint box has a body closed by a lid, cable apertures between the body and the lid, a first flexible and deformable seal for sealing the cables in each aperture and a second flexible and deformable seal between the body and the lid, this second seal being rendered discontinuous by the apertures and formed of independent segments between the apertures. Each segment of the second seal has each of its terminal portions embedded in the first seal in the aperture at this level and has a greater hardness than the first seal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical fiber (1) comprising an optical core (2) for guiding the majority of the lightwaves transmitted by the fiber, and surrounded by optical cladding (3), itself surrounded by a protective covering (4) of a plastics material, characterized in that the plastics material (4) is a reversibly cross-linked material.

Abstract: The method of laying and clamping an elastic tubular covering on an element consists in using a rigid tubular support mounted on the element and previously provided with said covering expanded thereon. In the laying method and the corresponding assembly, flexible associated auxiliary means that are strong in traction and not stretchable are provided for temporarily mechanically securing the expanded covering on said support to said element on which said covering is thus mounted and positioned. The invention is applicable to use at an end of an electric cable or at a junction thereof.

Abstract: The present invention aims to obtain a simplified connection system for high voltage power cables having ratings up to 400 KV and above. There is obtained a common cable connection system for all accessories and interconnection. The connection system uses a generally applicable interface (4, 5, 6; 13, 14, 15; 30, 40) for interconnection with a number of different apparatus and includes a cable termination (30) consisting of an elastomeric body (36), integrated therein a stress relief device (34), a connector shield (35), an insulation having a conical interface surface (37) and an outer conductive screen (39) and a rigid insulator (41) having a conical interface surface (42) corresponding to the interface surface (37) of the cable termination (30).

Abstract: An optical fiber multi-ribbon including at least two initial optical fiber ribbons having individual first sheaths for assembling the fibers of each ribbon together side by side and in a common plane. The initial optical fiber ribbons are disposed side by side and in a common plane and a common exterior second sheath surrounds the initial ribbons. The individual first sheaths of the initial ribbons and the common exterior second sheath are made from the same resin. This resin is advantageously relatively hard. Applications include high-density optical telecommunication cables.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus for curing an object by using UV radiation, the object being made, at least in part, of a material that is cross-linkable under UV radiation, said apparatus including: UV radiation sources (2); a tube (3) made of a material that is permeable to UV radiation, the tube being surrounded by the UV radiation sources (2), and being designed to receive at least a portion of the object to be cured; and gas feed means for generating a gas flow (15) through the tube (3) along a general flow axis (9). According to the invention, the apparatus further includes channeling means (4) for causing a portion (16) of the gas flow (15) to constitute a gas screen sweeping the inside sidewall (5) of the tube (3).

Abstract: The power cable splice includes two cables, the stripped respective end portions of which are interconnected by a metal connector and are covered by a splice body and by electrical shielding. The splice further includes a flexible composite plate including a first layer that is semiconductive, and a second layer that is not electrically conductive, the plate being wrapped around the connector and around the ends of the stripped insulation of the cables, with the semiconductive layer of the plate being in contact with the connector.

Abstract: A connection strip for high data rate lines includes an elongate insulating body and two rows of successive sets of insulation-displacement contacts mounted in the body so that they face one another. The connection strip includes a single one of the end contacts of each set, assigned to constituting a grounding screen referred to as a grounding contact in the set, and a grounding collector connected to an external ground, and provided with tongues connected to the various grounding contacts inside said body. Application to connecting 100 Mhz lines.

Abstract: An optical fiber splice tray is in the form of two tray members that assemble together. The tray includes coiling arrangements, butt joint splice fixing arrangements and optical cable receiving arrangements. The coiling arrangements and butt joint splice fixing arrangements are carried by one of the two tray members. The optical cable receiving means are carried by the other tray member. This other tray member further includes branch connection splice fixing arrangements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for covering a ribbon of optical fibers with a resin. The resin is polymerizable under the effect of UV radiation and forms a protective covering surrounding and holding the fibers. The method includes a pre-polymerization step during which the coated fibers advance through a UV irradiating chamber having a pre-polymerization ultraviolet radiation power of less than one fourth of the total power required to polymerize the resin, which is just sufficient to initiation polymerization. This step is followed by a polymerization finishing step during which the pre-polymerized ribbon is subjected to UV radiation of higher power than the radiation produced during the pre-polymerization step, which completes the polymerization process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical unit for an optical fiber telecommunications cable, the unit comprising a tube of a plastics material in which at least one optical fiber is loosely received, wherein the thickness of said tube is less than or equal to 0.5 mm, and wherein said material has a modulus of elasticity less than 1500 MPa at 20.degree. C. and a stress/elongation curve without a yield point.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method of manufacturing an optical-fiber module including a plurality of optical fibers assembled and held together by a flexible resin, said method including a resin-application step in which said flexible resin is applied to the entire set of said fibers which are disposed parallel to one another so that their longitudinal axes lie in substantially the same plane;wherein said resin-application step is followed by the following steps:partially cross-linking said resin so as to obtain a ribbon;rolling up said ribbon by bringing together its longitudinal edges so as to give it a shape that is substantially cylindrical; andfully cross-linking said resin so as to maintain the cylindrical shape of the rolled-up ribbon.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an optical fiber cable containing a plurality of optical fibers split up into modules, each module being covered with a supporting sheath in contact with the outer optical fibers of the module so as to hold the optical fibers contained in said module tightly so that they are mechanically coupled to one another, the entire set of modules being disposed inside a covering made of an insulating material, which covering is in contact with the outer modules of the set of modules so as to form a compact assembly comprising all of the modules;wherein each optical fiber has a cut-off wavelength of not more than 1,350 nm, and, at a wavelength in the vicinity of 1,550 nm, has a mode field diameter lying in the range 7 .mu.m to 9 .mu.m, and wherein each optical fiber is provided with a substantially hermetic coating on its optical cladding.

Abstract: A device for holding at least one optical fiber cable includes one fastening support per cable. The device including a cylindrical thimble inside which a plurality of identical fastening supports can be mounted once the corresponding cables are held stationary on them, an end wedge fixed to each support inside said thimble and locked in an open front end of said thimble, and a sealed closure for closing the rear portion of the thimble in sealed manner around each cable. Application to splice boxes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of detecting and/or measuring changes in a physical magnitude by means of a distributed sensor, changes being detected and/or measured at a plurality of "measurement" points along said sensor, said sensor comprising an optical fiber having an optical core for guiding the majority of light waves, said optical core including a plurality of diffraction gratings distributed along said optical fiber, each situated at one of said measurement points, said diffraction gratings all having substantially the same central reflection wavelength in the absence of strain, the method comprising the following steps: injecting a "detection" light signal into an "inlet" end of said optical fiber, the wavelength of the light signal being close to said central reflection wavelength; determining the power of one of the reflected signals, referred to as the "detected reflected power", as a function of time; comparing said detected reflected power as a function of time with the power reflect

Abstract: The present invention concerns an optical-fiber cable containing at least one optical-fiber module including a plurality of optical fibers assembled and held together by a flexible resin so as to define a ribbon, the ribbon inside the cable being rolled up so that its longitudinal edges substantially touch each other, and so that it is substantially cylindrical in shape, wherein the flexible resin is applied asymmetrically relative to the midplane of the ribbon in the unrolled state, which midplane contains all of the longitudinal axes of the fibers, and wherein the ribbon is rolled up by bringing its longitudinal edges together so that the majority of the resin is located inside the convex volume defined, when the ribbon is in the rolled-up state, by the surface that contains all of the longitudinal axes of the fibers.

Abstract: Dispersion-shifted monomode optical fibers have an effective mode surface area greater than 65 &mgr;m2 by optimization of the geometrical characteristics that characterize the fibers.