Fiber
Optic Cable Bend Radius or Diameter MiniCourse
Fiber
U MiniCourses are courses on a specific topic that you can
take in about an hour or less. They are based on questions
people ask FOA all the time, so the topics are recommended
by our readers.
Level: Intermediate
Intended For:
Contractors
and techs who install, operate and maintain fiber optic
cable plants
Designers
of fiber optic communications networks
Users
of fiber optic communications networks
.
Objectives:
From this self-study program you should learn:
What
harm can come to fiber optic cables that are bent too
tightly
How bend radius and diameter are defined
How
manufacturers specify minimum bend radius or diameter
Where problems typically occur during underground and
aerial installation
How to avoid beding problems
- Prerequisites
When
you finish, you can take an online test on this course to
qualify for a "Fiber U Certificate of Completion." The
test cost for a Fiber U MiniCourse is $10US.
Introduction
All fiber optic cables have specifications
that must not be exceeded during and after installation to
prevent irreparable damage to the cable. This includes
pulling tension, minimum bend radius or diameter and crush
loads. Installers must understand these specifications and
know how to install cables without damaging them. Bending
of a fiber optic cable can damage the cable if the
curvature of the bend is too small. Damage may not always
be obvious, like a kink in the cable, but may include
broken fibers, fibers with higher loss due to stress and
cable structural damage that may lead to reliability
problems.
Bend
Radius or Diameter?
The common term for the curvature of the cable is "bend
radius" but sometimes "bend diameter" may be more useful.
For example when a cable is bent around a corner, bend
radius may be appropriate, but if the cable is used with
pulleys or capstans during pulling, then left stored in
loops, the diameter of the pulley, capstan or storage loop
may be more descriptive. Thus we
will define and use both terms.
Assignments
For this lesson plan you will be instructed to watch the
videos, read the references and take a quiz (Test Your
Knowledge) to complete the course.
Lesson Plans
Watch
the videos, read the section in the FOA Guide and take
the quiz. For this course, we recommend watching the
videos first and then reading the FOA Guide page on
Restoration. There is a short quiz you can use to check
your comprehension. The Certificate of Completion test
is based on those materials.
Videos
FOA
Lecture 56, Fiber Optic Cable Bend Radius
FOA Guide
Fiber
Optic Cable Bend Radius or Diameter
Test Your Comprehension
Fiber
Optic Cable Bend Radius Quiz.
When
you finish all the assignments you can take an online test
on this course to qualify for a "Fiber U Certificate of
Completion." The test cost is $10US.
Go here to take the Fiber
U "Fiber Optic Cable Bend Radius" Certificate of
Completion test. Here
are detail directions if this is your first time
taking a Fiber
U Certificate of Completion exam.
This information is
provided by The Fiber Optic Association, Inc. as a
benefit to those interested in teaching, designing,
manufacturing, selling, installing or using fiber optic
communications systems or networks. It is intended to be
used as an overview and/or basic guidelines and in no
way should be considered to be complete or
comprehensive. These guidelines are strictly the opinion
of the FOA and the reader is expected to use them as a
basis for learning, as a reference and for creating
their own documentation, project specifications, etc.
Those working with fiber optics in the classroom,
laboratory or field should follow all safety rules
carefully. The FOA assumes no liability for the use of
any of this material.
|
