Page 96 - Optical Communications Essentials

Optical Fiber Cables

86 Chapter Five

■ Breakout or fanout cables for low- to medium-fiber-count applications where
it is necessary to protect individual jacketed fibers. One application is the ter-
mination of the individual fibers of a breakout cable in a protective patch-
panel box to permit connections to equipment.
■ Distribution cables for use in intrabuilding trays, conduit, backbone premise
pathways, and dropped ceilings. A main feature is that they enable groupings
of fibers within the cable to be branched (distributed) to various locations.

Outdoor cables come in a wide range of configurations. Some important
ones are

■ Aerial cable, which is intended for mounting outside between buildings or on
poles or towers.
■ Armored cable, which is designed for direct-burial or underground duct
applications.
■ Underwater cable, also known as submarine cable, that can be used in rivers,
lakes, and ocean environments.
■ Military cable, which is extremely strong, lightweight, rugged, survivable
tight-buffered cable designed for military tactical field use. These cables also
have found use in manufacturing, mining, and petrochemical environments.

Workers can install optical fiber cables by pulling or blowing them through
ducts (both indoor and outdoor) or other spaces, laying them in a trench out-
side, plowing them directly into the ground, suspending them on poles, or lay-
ing or plowing them underwater. Although each method has its own special
handling procedures, they all need to adhere to a common set of precautions.
These include avoiding sharp bends of the cable, minimizing stresses on the
installed cable, periodically allowing extra cable slack along the cable route for
unexpected repairs, and avoiding excessive pulling or hard yanks on the cable.

Further Reading

1. NFPA 70—National Electrical Code, Article 770, “Optical Fiber Cables and Raceways,” National
Fire Protection Association, Quincy, Mass., 2002.
2. Canadian Electrical Code, “Optical Fiber Cables,” Canadian Standards Association, 2002.
3. Underwriters Laboratories (http://www.UL.com).
4. ANSI/TIA/EIA-598-A, Optical Fiber Cable Color Coding, 1995.
5. Bob Chomycz, Fiber Optic Installer’s Field Manual, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2000.
6. BiCSI, Telecommunications Cabling Installation, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2001.
7. For an article by W. F. DeWitt, “Looking up: Selection criteria for fiber optic cables in the aerial
plant,” Outside Plant Magazine, June 2000, see http://www.ospmag.com/features/2000/looking
up.htm.
8. Special issue on “Undersea Communications Technology,” AT&T Technical Journal, vol. 74,
no. 1, January/February 1995.

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