An introduction to aquaBlok NG~(TM) - a higher standard in water-blocking technology

摘要

With the p0roliferation of fiber optic cables in the communications industry there has been a drive fo rthe production of dry or so-called "clean" cables. Facilitated by the use of dry water swellable polymer technology these dry cable designs allow for quicker and easier splicing during installation and repair. This water swellable polymer technology has been applied in a number of ways mainly through coating of existing components in the cable makeup. In 1996 Owens Corning introduced AquaBlok~(circle R) to the market, a water blocking tensile glass fiber strand. AquaBlok gave the customer the ability to apply water-blocking capability using existing equpment while only stocking one size of material for multiple cable sizes. With the develoment of new chemistries and new coating technology Owens Corning has been able to take the AquaBlock~(TM) concept a quantum leap beyond its original intention with AquoBlok NG~(TM), the next generation. The new chemistry of AquaBlok NG allows for some incredible performance increases over its predecessor and competitive products. Swelling in delonized water is instantaneous. In the first minute of exposure, swell is over two times faster than original AquaBlok~(circle R). Ultimately swell is up to 50 percent greater than our original product. AquaBlok NG uses a unique coating technology which uniformly applies the water swellable chemistry to each and every glass fiber in the bundle. The result is a very uniform, full bundle swelling rather than a swelling of the outside layers only, as seen in competitive products. Another benefit of this coating technology is the resulting soft feel of the strand. This soft pliable nature will allow for better processing capabilities and a more regular lay-down of the product around the cable providing for a more uniform protection from water penetration. Due to our unique new chemistry AquaBlok NG also demonstrates high performance in salt water. It has shown to have three times faster swelling in the first minute of exposure. Ultimately AquaBlok NG demonstrates 200 percent more swell in salt wate than competitive products do. Ths paper will go into further depth regarding the performance of AquaBlok NG. We will discuss its advantages over compettitive products and the new possibilities it opens for dry optical cable designs.