CN119556409A - Light submarine cable and production method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides a light submarine cable and a production method thereof, which relate to the field of optical cable manufacturing technology. The light submarine cable comprises: an optical fiber unit, comprising at least one optical fiber; at least one armor layer, surrounding the outer side of the optical fiber unit; the armor layer comprises a plurality of spirally twisted plastic-coated steel wires, the plastic-coated steel wires comprising a steel wire core and a plastic layer wrapped around the steel wire core. The light submarine cable provided by the present application can meet the requirements of high tensile strength, and has the characteristics of light weight and strong corrosion resistance, and is easy to lay and transport.

Description

Light submarine cable and production method thereof

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of optical cable manufacturing, in particular to a light submarine cable and a production method thereof.

Background

Submarine cables are a key infrastructure for international communication, bear 95% of communication services worldwide, and are a main carrier for information transmission. With the continuous development of information technology, the construction and maintenance of submarine cables are becoming more important to meet the increasing communication demands.

Conventional submarine cables are typically composed of a multi-layer structure including a fiber core, armor layers, jacket layers, and the like. These structures can protect the optical fiber from the subsea environment, ensuring high quality signal transmission.

However, although the multi-layered protection structure increases the strength of the submarine cable, the flexibility of the submarine cable is also reduced, and the weight of the submarine cable is increased. Therefore, the conventional submarine cable is generally large in size and heavy in weight, so that the submarine cable is not easy to bend and install, and the submarine ecology can be damaged in the laying process, so that the survival and the reproduction of marine organisms are affected.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, embodiments of the present application provide a lightweight submarine cable and a method for producing the same. The light submarine cable can meet the requirement of high tensile strength, has the characteristics of light weight and strong corrosion resistance, and is convenient to lay and transport.

In order to achieve the above object, the embodiment of the present application provides the following technical solutions:

an aspect of the present application provides a lightweight submarine cable including an optical fiber unit including at least one optical fiber. The optical fiber unit comprises at least one armor layer, wherein the armor layer surrounds the outer side of the optical fiber unit and comprises a plurality of helically stranded plastic-sleeved steel wires, and each plastic-sleeved steel wire comprises a steel wire core and a plastic layer wrapping the steel wire core.

In one possible embodiment, the plastic layer is a fiber reinforced composite layer.

In one possible embodiment, the armor layer comprises at least two layers, each armor layer being sequentially stacked from inside to outside.

In one possible embodiment, the gaps between the plastic-steel filaments are filled with a water-blocking material.

In one possible embodiment, the optical fiber unit includes a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber is helically stranded, and the optical fiber unit further includes a loose tube sleeved outside all the optical fibers;

the gaps between the optical fibers and the loose tubes are filled with water-blocking fiber paste.

In one possible embodiment, the fiber optic cable further includes an inner jacket disposed between the fiber unit and the armor.

In one possible embodiment, the device further comprises at least one outer protective layer surrounding the outer side of the armor layer.

In one possible embodiment, the cable further comprises a wrap disposed between the armor and the outer jacket.

Another aspect of the present application provides a method of producing a situation submarine cable, comprising:

an optical fiber unit is formed, the optical fiber unit including at least one optical fiber.

At least one armor layer surrounds the outside of the fiber unit.

Wherein forming the armor layer includes providing a wire core.

And wrapping a plastic layer outside the steel wire core to form the plastic-covered steel wire.

And helically twisting a plurality of plastic steel wires outside the optical fiber unit to form an armor layer.

In one possible embodiment, after the armor layer is formed, the method further comprises filling the gaps between the sheathing plastic steel filaments with a water blocking material.

In one possible embodiment, the optical fiber unit includes a plurality of optical fibers, and forming the optical fiber unit includes:

each fiber is pulled.

And sleeving loose tubes outside all the optical fibers, and filling water-blocking fiber paste in gaps among the optical fibers and gaps between the optical fibers and the loose tubes.

In one possible embodiment, after surrounding the armor layer on the outside of the optical fiber unit, further comprising:

Winding the armor layer to form a wrapping layer, and winding the wrapping layer to form at least one outer protective layer.

The application provides a light submarine cable and a production method thereof. The optical fiber unit includes at least one optical fiber. The armor layer surrounds the outer side of the optical fiber unit and is formed by helically twisting a plurality of plastic steel wire sleeves. Wherein, the plastic steel wire is formed by wrapping a plastic layer outside the steel wire core. The steel wire core in the plastic-covered steel wire can strengthen the mechanical strength of the armor layer, and ensure the stability of the armor layer in the submarine environment. Meanwhile, the plastic layer in the plastic-covered steel wire can reduce the weight of the armor layer, and the armor layer has excellent corrosion resistance and flexibility. Therefore, the plastic steel wire is used as the armor layer of the light submarine cable, and the weight of the light submarine cable can be effectively reduced under the condition that the light submarine cable can meet the requirement of high tensile resistance. In addition, the light submarine cable has excellent corrosion resistance and flexibility, can effectively resist physical abrasion and chemical erosion of the seabed, and prolongs the service life of the light submarine cable.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions of the prior art, the following description will briefly explain the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aluminum core submarine cable according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of steps of a method for producing a lightweight submarine cable according to an embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals illustrate:

10-light submarine cable;

100-optical fiber units, 200-armor layers, 300-wrapping layers, 400-inner protective layers and 500-outer protective layers;

210-sheathing plastic steel wires;

211-steel wire core and 212-plastic layer.

Detailed Description

As described in the background, sea cables are the central nerves of the global communication network responsible for transmitting most international data traffic across the ocean. Plays a key role in daily communication, international financial market and scientific research, ensures the rapid flow of global information and promotes international cooperation and economic development. With the global increasing demand for high-speed internet and data transmission, submarine cable construction and maintenance is becoming increasingly important.

The traditional submarine cable mostly adopts galvanized steel wires as armor layers, the galvanized steel wires have excellent mechanical strength, necessary tensile strength and compressive resistance can be provided for the submarine cable, and the submarine cable is not easy to break or deform in laying and use.

However, the galvanized steel wires have a large weight, which easily results in a large overall weight of the submarine cable. This weight burden not only makes sea lines dependent on large professional laying vessels and heavy equipment during the laying process, but also limits their flexibility in shallow water and complex terrain. When paving, the larger bending radius requires wider operation space, and construction difficulty and time are increased.

Second, large equipment and vessels used in the laying process can only cause damage to the subsea ecosystem. The operation of mechanical equipment may disturb the seabed, affecting the habitat of the marine organisms and thus their survival and reproduction.

In addition, the bulk and weight of galvanized steel wires also results in high transportation costs. More resources and more complex logistics arrangements are required in the transportation process, which not only increases the cost, but also increases the difficulty of storage.

In view of the above, the embodiments of the present application provide a lightweight submarine cable and a method for manufacturing the same, wherein the lightweight submarine cable includes an optical fiber unit and at least one armor layer. The optical fiber unit includes at least one optical fiber. The armor layer surrounds the outer side of the optical fiber unit and is formed by helically twisting a plurality of plastic steel wire sleeves. Wherein, the plastic steel wire is formed by wrapping a plastic layer outside the steel wire core. The steel wire core in the plastic-covered steel wire can strengthen the mechanical strength of the armor layer, and ensure the stability of the armor layer in the submarine environment. Meanwhile, the plastic layer in the plastic-covered steel wire can reduce the weight of the armor layer, and the armor layer has excellent corrosion resistance and flexibility. Therefore, the plastic steel wire is used as the armor layer of the light submarine cable, and the weight of the light submarine cable can be effectively reduced under the condition that the light submarine cable can meet the requirement of high tensile resistance. In addition, the light submarine cable has excellent corrosion resistance and flexibility, can effectively resist physical abrasion and chemical erosion of the seabed, and prolongs the service life of the light submarine cable.

In order to make the above objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more comprehensible, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent that the described embodiments are only some, but not all, embodiments of the application. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the application without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the application.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aluminum core submarine cable according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 1, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight submarine cable 10, which is lightweight and easy to lay and maintain, and which can be laid in a complex submarine environment. The lightweight sea cable 10 may be used in the fields of transoceanic communications, subsea observation systems, marine resource exploration, etc., or the lightweight sea cable 10 may be used in connection with offshore wind farms and offshore oil platforms to ensure smooth and unimpeded communication and data exchange between these facilities and land infrastructures.

The lightweight submarine cable 10 includes an optical fiber unit 100 and at least one armor layer 200. The optical fiber unit 100 includes at least one optical fiber (not shown) for realizing high-rate and high-capacity data transmission. The armor 200 surrounds the outside of the optical fiber unit 100 and may provide an important physical barrier to the optical fiber unit 100 from external mechanical damage such as scraping and impact of submarine rock, fishing gear or anchors. Also, the armor layer 200 may provide the necessary tensile strength during the laying and maintenance of the lightweight submarine cable 10, ensuring that the optical fibers are not damaged during stretching and bending, and ensuring that the lightweight submarine cable 10 can operate reliably for a long period of time in a complex marine environment.

Specifically, the optical fiber unit 100 may include a plurality of optical fibers (not shown), each of which is helically stranded together, and a loose tube (not shown) is provided around the optical fibers. The loose tube can be made of stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal materials, and can provide a buffer space for the optical fiber, so that the optical fiber is allowed to have a certain movement space when being subjected to external impact or vibration, and the direct mechanical damage to the optical fiber is reduced.

In addition, the gaps between the optical fibers and the loose tube may be filled with a water-blocking paste (not shown in the drawing). The water-blocking fiber paste can form a waterproof barrier, prevent water from entering the optical fiber under the conditions of high pressure and high humidity, ensure the stability of signal transmission and help to prolong the service life of the light submarine cable 10.

Referring to fig. 1, in the present embodiment, the armor layer 200 is composed of a plastic-covered steel wire 210, and the plastic-covered steel wire 210 includes a steel wire core 211 and a plastic layer 212 wrapped around the steel wire core 211. The wire core 211 can enhance the mechanical strength of the armor 200, and ensure the stability thereof in the submarine environment. The plastic layer 212 may reduce the weight of the armor 200 and may provide the armor 200 with excellent corrosion resistance and flexibility, and may be effective against physical abrasion and chemical attack on the seafloor.

Compared with the traditional submarine cable which generally uses galvanized steel wires as an armor layer, the armor layer 200 material of the light submarine cable 10 of the embodiment adopts the plastic-covered steel wires 210, so that the overall weight of the light submarine cable 10 can be effectively reduced, the light submarine cable 10 can be more flexible in laying, the light submarine cable can adapt to complex submarine topography, and the influence on marine ecology is reduced. In addition, the plastic layer 212 has excellent corrosion resistance, can prolong the service life of the light submarine cable 10 in seawater, reduces the frequency of maintenance and replacement, is beneficial to reducing the cost and improving the production efficiency.

In one possible embodiment, the plastic layer 212 may be provided as a fiber-reinforced composite layer, which is composed of a fiber-reinforced composite material. By adding fibrous materials, such as glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, etc., to the plastic, the strength, rigidity, and heat resistance of the plastic layer 212 can be further improved while maintaining its lightweight characteristics. The fiber reinforced composite layer can provide higher tensile strength and bending rigidity than the pure plastic layer 212, can effectively resist chemical erosion and physical abrasion in the marine environment, further improves the stability of the armor in the chemical environment, and prolongs the service life of the armor.

Of course, the plastic layer 212 may be replaced by polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., as long as it has good strength, flexibility, abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance, and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In addition, the ratio of the steel wire core 211 and the plastic layer 212 in the plastic-covered steel wire 210 can be set according to actual production requirements, and the embodiment is not particularly limited, and the thickness of the plastic layer 212 can be set between 0.4mm and 0.6 mm.

The plurality of plastic-steel-covered wires 210 are helically twisted to form the armor layer 200, and the twisting pitch can be set to 15-20 times of the outer diameter. The twisting pitch refers to the axial distance required for the spiral shaped plastic coated steel wire 210 to complete one complete 360 degree rotation in the twisted structure. In this way, the armor layer 200 can be ensured to provide the light submarine cable 10 with sufficient tensile and lateral pressure resistance, and at the same time, the round shape of the light submarine cable 10 can be maintained, preventing the light submarine cable 10 from being deformed under the action of external force.

In addition, in order to prevent moisture penetration, the gaps of the plurality of plastic-coated steel wires 210 may be filled with a water blocking material. Illustratively, modified asphalt with high viscosity can be used to coat the gaps of the sheathing plastic steel wire 210 to ensure stability and reliability of the lightweight submarine cable 10 during use, and to extend the service life of the lightweight submarine cable 10.

In one possible embodiment, armor 200 can be provided in multiple layers according to actual production requirements. Referring to fig. 1, armor layers 200 may be sequentially layered from inside to outside to further increase the tensile strength of the lightweight submarine cable 10.

Referring to fig. 1, a wrapping layer 300 may be disposed on the outer side of the armor layer 200, and the wrapping layer 300 may prevent the armor layer 200 from loosening or shifting during use by tightly wrapping the armor layer 200, thereby ensuring structural integrity of the lightweight submarine cable 10. For example, the wrap 300 may employ a high strength tape having excellent tensile strength and abrasion resistance, and be firmly fastened to the outside of the armor 200 to improve the activity strength and stability of the lightweight submarine cable 10. For example, the high-strength cloth bag can be made of aramid fiber cloth belt or polyester fiber cloth belt.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the lightweight submarine cable 10 further includes an inner jacket 400, the inner jacket 400 being disposed between the optical fiber unit 100 and the armor layer 200 to prevent moisture penetration and to prevent abrasion of the optical fiber unit 100. The inner sheath 400 may be made of a polymer plastic material having excellent waterproof and abrasion-resistant properties, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc.

In one possible embodiment, an inner cushion layer may be disposed between the inner sheath 400 and the armor 200. Because the armor 200 is relatively rigid, the inner cushion layer can provide an additional barrier between the inner sheath 400 and the armor 200, reducing direct friction between the inner sheath 400 and the armor 200, and preventing the armor 200 from wearing the inner sheath 400 and the fiber unit 100. Accordingly, the material of the inner pad layer needs to have good flexibility, and illustratively, the inner pad layer may be wound around the outside of the inner sheath 400 using polypropylene ropes.

Of course, the outer surface of the inner mat layer may also be coated with a high viscosity modified asphalt in order to increase the corrosion resistance and water resistance of the lightweight submarine cable 10.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the lightweight submarine cable 10 further includes an outer sheath 500, where the outer sheath 500 is disposed outside the wrapping layer 300, and the outer sheath 500 may be provided with multiple layers, which may play a role in buffering external impact and abrasion resistance, and protect the internal structure from damage. For example, the outer sheath 500 may be wound using a polypropylene rope that is soft and has good chemical and abrasion resistance, or the outer sheath 500 may be formed using polyethylene extrusion. This embodiment is not particularly limited.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of steps of a method for producing a lightweight submarine cable according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 2, the present embodiment also provides a method for producing the lightweight submarine cable 10 described above.

Specifically, the production method comprises the following steps:

s100, forming an optical fiber unit, wherein the optical fiber unit comprises at least one optical fiber.

In forming the optical fiber unit 100, first, an optical fiber for high-quality, low-loss, high-bandwidth communication is selected to ensure the transmission quality of signals. To further protect the optical fibers and enhance their performance in wet environments, the gaps of the optical fibers are filled with a water blocking material, and illustratively, a water blocking paste may be applied to the gaps of the optical fibers.

Stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal materials are selected as basic materials to manufacture the loose tube. Illustratively, the metallic material is cut into strips of suitable width and placed in a forming die, which is bent into a tubular shape by mechanical or hydraulic means. And the two side gaps of the tubular structure are welded by adopting a laser welding technology, so that the continuity and the tightness of the welding seams are ensured, and the invasion of external substances is prevented.

After the welding is finished, a proper polishing tool such as a grinding wheel or a polishing machine is used for polishing the surface of the welding part so as to smooth the welding surface and eliminate burrs or irregular sharp parts which may exist.

Thereafter, the optical fiber is drawn into the loose tube. And by controlling parameters on production line equipment to adjust the paying-off tension of the optical fiber during production and the length of the loose tube during molding, the optical fiber can keep a certain movable space inside the loose tube. Therefore, the loose tube can effectively absorb external stress and vibration, protect the optical fiber from mechanical impact and environmental factors, and ensure the stability and reliability of the signal of the optical fiber in the transmission process.

It can be appreciated that, in order to achieve better water blocking effect, the inner wall of the loose tube can also be coated with a layer of water blocking fiber paste to prevent water from penetrating.

S200, surrounding at least one armor layer on the outer side of the optical fiber unit. The method comprises the steps of providing a steel wire core, wrapping a plastic layer outside the steel wire core to form plastic-covered steel wires, and helically twisting a plurality of plastic-covered steel wires outside the optical fiber unit to form the armor layer.

After the optical fiber unit 100 is formed, an inner protection layer 400 is coated on the outside of the optical fiber unit 100. In order to prevent moisture from entering the optical fiber unit 100 and thus to prevent the optical fiber from being wetted to cause signal attenuation and performance degradation, the inner sheath 400 needs to have excellent waterproof performance and abrasion resistance. Illustratively, the inner sheath 400 may be formed by extruding a layer of polyethylene material over the outside of the fiber unit 100 through an extruder. The thickness of the inner sheath 400 may be determined according to the overall tensile strength requirement of the lightweight submarine cable 10, and is typically between 2.5 mm and 4 mm.

In one possible embodiment, an inner pad layer may be coated outside the inner sheath 400 to reduce direct friction between the inner sheath 400 and the armor 200, preventing the armor 200 from wearing the inner sheath 400 and the optical fiber unit 100. For example, a polypropylene rope may be wound around the inner sheath 400 as an inner pad layer. The polypropylene rope has light weight, high strength and corrosion resistance characteristics, which can provide additional cushioning and protection to the inner jacket 400 and the fiber unit 100 without significantly increasing the weight of the light weight submarine cable 10.

Then, a steel wire core 211 is provided, and a plastic layer 212 is wrapped outside the steel wire core 211 to obtain a plastic-covered steel wire 210. By way of example, an extruder may be used to uniformly extrude and coat molten plastic on the exterior of the wire core 211. The thickness of plastic layer can be selected according to actual production demand, and the thickness of plastic layer can set up between 0.4~0.6mm generally. The plastic layer 212 may be a fiber reinforced composite layer, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like, which is not particularly limited in this embodiment.

In addition, in order to ensure the roundness of the lightweight submarine cable 10 and to prevent the corrosion of seawater to the plastic-covered steel wire 210, a water blocking material may be filled in the gaps of the plastic-covered steel wire 210. For example, a coating apparatus may be used to coat modified asphalt, which is a material having excellent waterproof and adhesive properties, in the gaps of the plastic-coated steel filaments 210, so as to form a strong barrier in the gaps of the plastic-coated steel filaments 210, effectively preventing seawater from penetrating into the inside of the plastic-coated steel filaments 210. And, the modified asphalt can also slow down the corrosion rate of substances such as seawater and the like to the steel wire core after the plastic layer 212 of the plastic-steel sheath wire 210 is damaged.

Then, a plurality of plastic-covered wires 210 are manufactured according to the above method, and the plurality of plastic-covered wires 210 are twisted to form the outer side of the inner cushion layer, thereby forming the armor layer 200. Specifically, a cage stranding machine can be used for stranding. The twisting pitch can be set to be 15-20 times of the outer diameter of the twisting pitch. In this way, the armor 200 can be ensured to have both good lateral pressure resistance and excellent tensile resistance.

Of course, to further enhance the mechanical strength and tensile properties of the lightweight submarine cable 10, the multi-layer armor 200 structure may be employed. Referring to fig. 1, the multi-layered armor layers 200 are sequentially layered and coated on the outer side of the inner mat layer, so that the multi-layered armor layers 200 can provide higher safety and reliability when the lightweight submarine cable 10 faces a complex marine environment.

The armor 200 is covered with a wrapping 300, and the wrapping 300 is fastened to the outside of the armor 200 using a high strength tape having excellent tensile strength and abrasion resistance to prevent the armor 200 from being loosened or displaced when in use. For example, an aramid fiber cloth tape or a polyester fiber cloth tape may be used as the wrap 300.

The outer sheath 500 is coated around the cladding 300 to provide buffer protection to the lightweight submarine cable 10 during circulation, transportation, and construction. The outer sheath 500 may be formed using polypropylene rope winding. Alternatively, the outer jacket 500 may be extruded over the surface of the armor 200 using an extrusion process. This embodiment is not particularly limited.

The outer protective layers 500 can be provided with a plurality of layers, and water-blocking asphalt can be coated between every two adjacent outer protective layers 500, so that the waterproof performance of the light submarine cable 10 can be effectively improved, the overall corrosion resistance of the light submarine cable 10 is enhanced, and the service life of the light submarine cable 10 is prolonged.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the drawings are merely for convenience in describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present application.

It should be noted that references in the specification to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., indicate that the embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It should be noted that the above embodiments are merely for illustrating the technical solution of the present application and not for limiting the same, and although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solution described in the above embodiments may be modified or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced, and these modifications or substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solution deviate from the scope of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims (12)

1. A lightweight submarine cable comprising:

An optical fiber unit (100) comprising at least one optical fiber;

The optical fiber unit comprises at least one armor layer (200) surrounding the outer side of the optical fiber unit (100), wherein the armor layer (200) comprises a plurality of helically stranded plastic-covered wires (210), and each plastic-covered wire comprises a steel wire core (211) and a plastic layer (212) wrapping the steel wire core (211).

2. The lightweight submarine cable according to claim 1, wherein said plastic layer (212) is a fiber-reinforced composite layer.

3. The lightweight submarine cable according to claim 1, wherein said armor layers (200) comprise at least two layers, each of said armor layers (200) being layered one on top of the other from inside to outside.

4. The lightweight submarine cable according to claim 1, wherein the gaps between the plastic-covered wires (210) are filled with a water-blocking material.

5. A lightweight submarine cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said optical fibre unit (100) comprises a plurality of said optical fibres, each of said optical fibres being helically stranded, and said optical fibre unit (100) further comprises a loose tube which is sleeved over all of said optical fibres;

and the gaps between the optical fibers and the loose tubes are filled with water-blocking fiber paste.

6. A lightweight submarine cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

an inner sheath (400) disposed between the optical fiber unit (100) and the armor layer (200).

7. The lightweight submarine cable according to claim 6, further comprising:

At least one outer sheath (500) surrounds the outer side of the armor (200).

8. The lightweight submarine cable according to claim 7, further comprising:

And a wrapping layer (300) arranged between the armor layer (200) and the outer protective layer.

9. A method for producing a lightweight submarine cable as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:

Forming an optical fiber unit (100), the optical fiber unit (100) comprising at least one optical fiber;

Surrounding at least one armor layer (200) on the outside of the fiber unit (100);

wherein forming the armor (200) comprises:

providing a wire core (211);

Wrapping a plastic layer (212) around the steel wire core (211) to form a plastic-covered steel wire (210);

-helically stranding a plurality of said sheathing plastic steel filaments (210) outside said optical fiber unit (100) to form said armor layer (200).

10. The method of producing of claim 9, further comprising, after forming the armor (200):

and filling water-blocking materials in gaps among the plastic-covered steel wires (210).

11. The production method according to claim 9, wherein the optical fiber unit (100) includes a plurality of optical fibers, and forming the optical fiber unit (100) includes:

pulling each of the optical fibers;

And sleeving loose tubes outside all the optical fibers, and filling water-blocking fiber paste in gaps among the optical fibers and gaps between the optical fibers and the loose tubes.

12. The production method according to claim 9, further comprising, after surrounding the armor layer (200) outside the optical fiber unit (100):

forming a wrapping layer (300) by winding the armor layer (200);

at least one outer protective layer (500) is wound around the wrapping layer (300).