Hello everyone!
Today, I continue to write about optical cables. In the last article about this topic, I explained ribbon and high fiber count cables. Now, I will write about microcables, armored cables, and aerial cables (ADSS, Fig8, OPGW, etc).
Microcables
Microcables are optical cables that are lightweight and small in diameter and possess a large number of optical fibers. Insensitive-band fibers are used to achieve this. The diameter of the optical fiber with the primary buffer coating is less than 200 μm.
Figure 1. Microcables
If we compare a standard optical cable with a capacity of 144 optical fibers and a microcable of the same capacity, a standard optical cable has a diameter of about 15-16 mm, while a microcable has a diameter of about 8 mm. The weight of the microcable is 1/3 less than a standard optical cable. They are used for both indoor and outdoor applications. They are generally used installed in microtubes.
Armored cables
This type of optical cable is used for direct burial and in situations where there is a risk of rodents. Between the two jackets, there is a metal or non-metallic layer that prevents damage to the fibers from rodents or rocks/stones. It is also used in data centers when these cables are installed on the floor. The armor can also be non-metallic. If it is metal, proper grounding is mandatory.
Figure 2. Armored cable
Aerial cables
Aerial optical cables are used for installation on poles. They must provide the optical fibers with a constant tensile force, as well as snow and ice. Of course, as with all, it is mandatory to protect the optical fibers from water and moisture. Special elements or messenger wire are used for installation on poles. There are several different aerial optical cables: ADSS (All Dielectric Self Support), Fig8 (Figure 8) and OPGW (Optical Power Ground Wire).
Figure 3. OPGW
In ODN, ADSS optical cables are often used for feeder and distribution optical cables, while Fig8 is often used as drop optical cables. OPGW is a special optical cable that contains optical fibers and high voltage electrical conductors. They are installed on overhead power lines. In figure 3, we can see this type of optical cable.
This is the end of this topic. I hope you learned something new.
Thank you!
