Polyethylene-insulated telephone cable

The physical properties of polyethylene are such as to make it attractive for many wire-insulating applications, particularly in multiconductor communications cables. This article presents certain factual information relating to new types of multiconductor cables having extruded polyethylene insulation, and describes briefly their initial installation in the working telephone plant. The literature is replete with information on the physical and chemical properties and the behavior of polyethylene, and so no attempt is made to explore the quality of the material per se. Polyethylene insulation extruded in the form of both solid material and foam to impart certain desired electrical properties is discussed. In a broad sense, this article may be considered as announcing an important new insulating material for telephone cables, which may be expected eventually to have very extensive applications in the Bell System plant.