Loose Tube Fiber

But there are two basic styles of fiber optic cable construction.

Loose tube fiber.

Loose tube cores are best suited for armored applications double jacketing for more severe environments and in figure eight and all dielectric self supporting designs. Each however is designed for very different environments. Since the tube does not have direct contact with the fiber any cable material expansion or contraction will not cause stress on the fiber. Their designs utilize 250µm fibers in both central multi loose tube constructions ranging in fiber counts from 2 to 288.

Multi loose tube cable construction consists of 108 to 144 250µm optical fibers in 12 fiber gel filled loose tubes with fillers where appropriate. From the picture below we can see that loose tube fiber holds more than one optical fiber each individually. Fiber optic cable is available in many physical variations such as single and multiple conductor constructions aerial and direct burial styles plenum and riser cables etc. Tight buffered and loose tube fiber are the two styles of constructions fiber optic cables offered.

In loose tube cables the coated fiber floats within a rugged abrasion resistant oversized tube which is filled with optical gel. Both contain a type of strengthening member such as aramid yarn stainless steel wire strands or gel filled sleeves. Loose tube fiber and tight buffered fiber. Fiber optic cables are constructed in two ways.

They protect the fiber core cladding and coating by enclosing everything within semi rigid protective sleeves or tubes. Between them there are several common denominators like the fact that both have in their interior a strengthening member of sorts that can be made of stainless steel in the form of wire strands aramid yarn or gel filled sleeves. Multi loose tube fiber optic cable 108f to 144f internal external. Loose tube and tight buffered.