Fiber optic cable constructions are available in two main types:loose tube and tight buffered cable. Loose Tube Cable Buffered Cable. If you need a fibre optic cabling, get in touch with us either via our live chat or call and speak to one of our experts on 01604 422722. The cable protects the fiber by enclosing everything within semi-rigid protective sleeves or tubes. There are two ways fiber optic splicing can be done: Mechanical splices: this kind of splicing is normally used when a quick solution is needed. In a loose tube cable design, color-coded plastic buffer tubes house and protect optical fibers.
Pigtails can have either male or female connectors. It is worth noting that all three types are in widespread field and factory use. There are many more definitions than standards on tight buffer strip ability. Single fiber tight buffered cables are used as pigtails, optical patch cord or fiber jumpers to terminate loose tube cables directly into opto-electronic transmitters, receivers and other active and passive components. But, there are some limitations here. This can help to reduce the risk of fiber damage during installation or handling. These came on the scene in uses that required mechanical protection and flexibility, making a rigid loose tube design unacceptable. Each of these two designs have their own characteristics. A 900 um standard emerged shortly after the SMA optical connector was standardized. A loose tube fiber optic cable is a classic construction style that is ideal for harsh environments, particularly the outdoors.
The fire protection level of loose tube optical fiber cables usually does not meet the requirements of indoor applications, so the process of welding or terminal must be carried out before entering indoor. Distribution cable is the most popular indoor cable, as it is small in size and light in weight. But there are two basic styles of fiber optic cable construction: loose tube fiber and tight buffered fiber. Although tight buffered fibre cables can typically have a larger cable diameter than loose tube cables (depending on the outer protective jacket), they're often preferred for indoor use in tight spaces. Do some research about the entire installation process if you are not familiar with it. Last Updated: September 20, 2022. If armoring is required, a corrugated steel tape is formed around a single jacketed cable with an additional jacket extruded over the armor. If you want to go further down the rabbit hole here's a great video by the Fiber Optic Association doing an overview on fiber optic cable. Cons: - Not water resistant. It's more expensive to install since the tubes must be installed, special equipment and trained installers are needed but can be cost effective for upgrades. The more rigid construction caused by the strength member and the material used for the outer protective jacket of loose tube cables also makes loose tube fibre cables less suitable for shorter runs.
This was exacerbated with the movement to PVC and Low Smoke Zero Halogen buffer materials which were generally softer (< 75A shore hardness). Buffer tubes also provide a smooth surface for the fibers to slide against, which helps to reduce friction and the potential for damage during installation and handling. The second type of tool uses parallel blades that meet with a predrilled hole sized for the optical fiber coating size. The loose tube design needed a termination enclosure such as a splice case or termination rack. Tight tube optical cables are generally used for indoor applications, while loose tube optical cables are often used for outdoor applications.
But other cable may be pulled thorough 2-5 km or more of conduit. For help planning your next fibre project or details about our pre-terminated fibre cables, contact us below. Tight buffer constructions are able to withstand much greater crush and impact forces without fiber breakage. One is the soft plastic that allows deformation and reduces forces endured by the fiber. Not usually reach the fiber. It is mainly used in indoor and field communications, ships, aircraft and other special applications. Loose tube cable is used for outside-plant installation in the aerial, duct, and direct-buried applications, local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN), wide area networks (WAN), long-haul and broadband networks, telecommunications, campus backbone, shorter runs, data center, CATV, broadcast, computer network systems, subscriber network systems, and 10, 40, 100Gbps ethernet. The difference lies in that the acrylate coating never allows the core to be exposed when it's bent or compressed underwater since it tightly wraps the plastic fiber layer that covers it. As terminations improved and thermal performance evolved, many manufacturers of tight buffer cables had difficulty maintaining the appropriate stress levels between the coated fiber and the buffer materials.
One such technique is the use of local injection and detection (LID). Still suitable for internal cable routing. All cables are comprised of layers of protection for the fibers. These high fiber count cables are very high density and often use regular or flexible ribbons since ribbon splicing is necessary to splice these cables in any reasonable time. Actually, when talking about optical fiber cables, you may be confused about their several standards of classifications, such as connector construction standard and transmission media standard. Aramid Yarns—The most popular aramid yarns used in fiber optic cables are e-glass. With fibre being such a common choice of backbone cabling, it's no surprise there's a requirement for specialist fibre optic cables. Longer times to install and terminate. This results in a smaller overall diameter of the entire cable and one that is.
Instead, the core is protected by a two-layer or double coating, consisting the first of plastic and the second of waterproof acrylate. Every manufacturer has it's own specialties and sometimes their own names for common cable types, so it's a good idea to get literature from as many cable makers as possible. Items such as splicing and splice slack storage were common needs and in many cases, large scale field installers using existing equipment for fusion splicing and mechanical field connector termination needed to have a standard medium (size coating) to terminate and train to. Inside that tube lays the fibre optic cores, the fibre cores lay within a water repellent gel that serves as a barrier against the elements. The various environments that such cables and terminations are expected to function in are also in need of clearer definition. They are also used in submarine communications and in harsh industrial environments. Into cables with much higher density since the fibers are. However, their main differences lie in the cable construction.