fiber optics cable or Optical fibre cable

Structure of fiber optics cable

The same way as copper cables, fiber cables vary in specifications, mainly depending on the applications they are designed for. Variations might affect core diameter, materials used, and environment cable could be used in. In order to better understand how fiber cable works, one should have a look at its components (see Figure 1). When stripping optical fiber cable of its layers, following components can be observed:

Outer jacket;
Optional protection from physical damage;
Strength members;
Buffer;
Optical fiber stand.

Each optical fiber stand has three components inside:

Core;
Cladding;
Coating.

Size of the core is varying between 8 and 63 microns. Pieces of the strand are so tiny they can easily penetrate skin and in some cases travel through human body with blood vessels. This is one more reason why installation should be done by professionals using specially intended gear.

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Fiber Optical Cables Structure and Production Materials

Optical Fiber Structure In the initial stage, glass or silica material was utilised to create an optical fiber. Advancements in technology though, called for the use of plastic material to make the optical fiber. There are actually three different kinds of materials utilized to construct optical fibers. Here they are: Fiber Optic Cable made of glass material This kind of material has a centre and cladding that is constructed out of premium quality and durable silica. An advantage of this glass material is that the attenuation losses are very low, which is an attribute that makes it one of the top options for remote telecommunication systems. A high quality and pure glass optic fiber cable has both a core and cladding made of glass for offering the least amount of attenuation/extinction losses. The glass FOC is made of Silicon Dioxide and Fused Quartz. Figure 1: Silicone Dioxide Some other complementary materials like titanium, ...

Structure of optics cable – Part 2

Buffer is the protective layer of the fiber cable that cushions fiber from itself from the outside stress. There are two types of buffers – tight and loose tube. Tight buffer is usually made of PVC or Nylon and is applied directly on top of the optical fiber or fibers. Tight buffer makes termination and installation process easier. However it is only used indoors, due to inability to work in temperature changing environment. Temperature changes expand buffer which transmits expansion and contraction forces to the fiber. Constant force is damaging the fiber strand creating transmission errors or disrupting transmission completely. Nevertheless, cable manufacturers offer special outdoor solutions with tight buffer that are able to work in rough environments. Loose-tube buffer is a plastic pipe that accomodates one or several fibers inside. Empty space in the tube is filled with protective material that would ensure cables strength. Protective materials include different water block...

Optical Fibre Cable and its applications

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