The Fundamentals of Fiber Optic Cable Management

by www.fiber-mart.com
Fiber optic cables are used frequently for today’s telecommunication network because of their high bandwidth, high reliability and relatively low cost. To maximize the network performance, a good cable fiber management system must be in place. There are four fundamental principles for a good fiber cable management system:
 
1. Bend radius reduction
 
Fiber bends beyond the specified minimum bending radius can cause signal loss or even break the fiber, causing service disruption. Today, industry standards for traditional singlemode jumpers typically specify a minimum bend radius of ten times the outside diameter of the jacketed cable or 1.5″ (38 mm), whichever is greater. This new breed of flexible singlemode optical fiber has the potential to significantly reduce these minimum bend radius requirements to values as low as 0.6″ (15 mm), depending on the cable configuration, without increasing attenuation.
 
A reduced bend radius fiber is able to withstand tighter bends within frames, panels and pathways. It also enhances the reliability of a network and reduces network down time.
 
2. Well defined cable routing paths
 
The major reason of optical fiber cable minimum bend radius violation is improper routing of fibers by fiber installation technicians. Routing paths should be clearly pre-defined and easy to follow. In fact, these paths should be designed so that the technician has no other option than to route the cables properly. If an option is given to technician, inconsistent human decision could cause improper routing, and causes bend radius violation. Well defined routing paths can standardize fiber optic installation process, and less training time is required for fiber technicians.
 
Simplex OS1 9/125 Singlemode Fiber Optic Patch Cable
 
3. Easy access to installed optical fibers
 
Allowing easy access to installed fiber cable is essential for maintaining proper bend radius protection. The system should be designed to ensure that individual fibers can be installed or removed easily without negative effects on nearby fiber cable.
 
4. Physical protection of installed optical fibers
 
The management system must provide measures to physically protect fiber cables from accidental damage by technicians and equipments. Otherwise, the network reliability and performance will be adversely affected.

评论

发表评论

此博客中的热门博文

Common Armored Fiber Optic Cables

  Armored fiber optic cables are often installed in a network for added mechanical protection, as they have extra reinforcing in the cable housing to prevent damage. Two types of armored fiber optic cables exist: interlocking and corrugated. Interlocking armor is an aluminum armor that is helically wrapped around the cable and found in indoor and indoor/outdoor cables. It offers ruggedness and superior crush resistance. Corrugated armor is a coated steel tape folded around the cable longitudinally. It is found in outdoor cables and offers extra mechanical and rodent protection.   The Structure of an Armored Fiber Optic Cable In basic armored fiber cable designs, the outer sleeve provides protection against wind, solvents, and abrasion. This outer sleeve is usually made of plastic such as polyethylene. The next layer between the sleeve and the inner jacket is an armoring layer of materials that are difficult to cut, chew, or bu
阅读全文

what the Differences Between FBT Splitter and PLC Splitter

  In FTTx and PON architectures, optical splitter plays an increasingly significant role to create a variety of point-to-multipoint fiber optic networks. But do you know what is a fiber optic splitter? In fact, a fiber optic splitter is a passive optical device that can split or separate an incident light beam into two or more light beams. Basically, there are two types of fiber splitter classified by their working principle: fused biconical taper splitter (FBT splitter) and planar lightwave circuit splitter (PLC splitter). You may have one question: what’s the difference between them and shall we use FBT or PLC splitter?   What Is FBT Splitter? FBT splitter is based on a traditional technology to weld several fiber together from side of the fiber. Fibers are aligned by heating for a specific location and length. Because the fused fibers are very fragile, they are protected by a glass tube made of epoxy and silica powder. And then a stainless steel tube covers the inner glass tu
阅读全文

Introduction of Optical Fiber Couplers and How Do They Work?

 What are optical fiber couplers? A fiber optic coupler can be defined as an optical component used with one or more input fibers and several output fibers in fiber optic systems. A coupler essentially puts two or more cores of fibers together to connect. The simple coupler is the fused fiber 2x2 coupler. Couplers are used as multiplexers that are resistant to certain wavelengths. A fiber output depends on the wavelength of light and the frequency of polarization. The fiber refractive index also plays a significant role in the performance. Let’s checkout how do optic couplers work to understand this better. How do fiber optic couplers work? Either fiber optic couplers separate optical signals into multiple paths or combine multiple signals in one direction. Optical signals are more complicated than electrical signals, making it more difficult to design optical couplers than their electrical copy. Unlike electrical currents, the optical signal consists of a stream of signal carriers, in
阅读全文