What the differences between loose tube and tight buffered fiber optic cable What are the different applications they are typically used for?
Tight buffer fiber contains a thick coating of a plastic-type material which is applied directly to the outside of each individual fiber. Loose tube fiber optic cable is typically used for outside-plant installation in aerial, duct and direct-buried applications.
What is tight buffered?
Filters. A type of fiber optic cable with a protective material extruded directly on the acrylate coating of an optical fiber to further allow individual fibers to be handled easily during installation, while protecting them from physical damage.
What is a loose tube fiber?
Loose tube is a commonly used fibre optic cable that is well-suited for aerial lashed and direct bury installations. The abrasion-resistant sheath material and robust construction make it ideal for conduit pulls between buildings.
What fiber cable is always tight buffered?
Sheldon. Fiber optic cables are constructed in the loose tube and tight buffered. In the past two decades, tight-buffered fiber optic cable has been sufficiently proved to be suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.
In which application would you not normally use loose tube fiber?
Although loose-tube cables are subject to tough environmental conditions, they are not applicable when cables need to be submerged or where cables are routed around multiple bends.
What is the difference between OS1 and OS2 fiber?
The difference between OS1 and OS2 fiber optic cables is mainly in cable construction rather than optical fiber specifications. OS1 type cable is predominantly of a tight buffered construction whereas OS2 is a loose tube or blown cable construction where the cable designs applies less stress on the optical fibers.
What is ribbon fiber?
Ribbon fiber optic cable is a typical fiber optic cable. The cable ribbons are actually coated optical fibers placed side by side, encapsulated in Mylar tape, similar to a miniature version of wire ribbons used in computer wiring. A single ribbon may contain 4, 8 or 12 optical fibers.
Which cable type is mostly used for outdoor applications?
Loose tube or ribbon cable? Loose tube cables are the most commonly deployed outdoor cable design, featuring a central strength member, stranded buffer tubes containing loose optical fibers, and fiber counts up to 432 F.
What’s the difference between breakout style and distribution style?
Distribution-style cables have several tight-buffered fibers bundled under the same jacket with Kevlar or fiberglass rod reinforcement. Breakout-style cables are made of several simplex cables bundled together, making a strong design that is larger than distribution cables.
What are fan out kits used for?
Fan Out or Break Out Kits are used when terminating fiber optic cables that are made with subunits that contain color coded bare fibers rather than tight buffered fibers. The bare fibers are inserted into the tubing so that connectors can be installed.