Due to the rapid development of telecommunication, fiber optic cable, as one of the most important components has drawn more and more attention. Most people were quite familiar with the classification of single-mode fiber optic cable and multimode fiber optic cable. Today, I will present a new type of fiber optic cable to you—armored fiber optic cable.
Definition of Armored Fiber Optic Cable
Armored fiber optic cable is a kind of fiber optic cable, which uses flexible stainless steel tube inside the outer jacket as the armor to protect the fiber glass inside. It remains all the features of standard fiber optic cable, but it is much stronger. And it will not get damaged even if stepped by an adult and they are rodent-resistant.
Structure of Armored Fiber Optic Cable
In the structure of the armored fiber optic cable, the outer sleeve offers protection against rodent, abrasion, twist, etc. It is usually made of plastic such as polyethylene. The next layer between the sleeve and the inner jacket is an armoring materials, such as kevlar, steel, aluminum foil, which is mainly to protect the fiber cable from being stretched during installation. Next the ripcord, ripcords are usually used to splice the cable to connectors or terminators. Then the inner jacket is a flame retardant material to support the inner fiber cable bundle that is made up of strength members, fillers and other structures. The strength members are usually aramid yarn to support the whole fiber cable. This structure is featured by an overall black medium density polyethylene jacket with ripcords.
Types of Armored Fiber Optic Cable
Armored fiber optic cable is usually classified as indoor and outdoor version. Three different kinds of cable armoring are commonly used: double armored, single armored, and non armored. The double armored cables are used at shallow depths near the shore, and the non armored cables are used for most of the ocean floor. The single armored cable is used between these extremes. Usually, the non armored fiber optic cable is cheaper than armored fiber optic cable.
1. Outdoor Armored Fiber Optic Cable
Light armor and heavy armor are the two versions of outdoor armored fiber optic cable. The light armored fiber optic cable, constructed with protective plastic jacket, are crush resistant, bend limiting and water resistant, thus letting these cables suitable for a myriad of applications from interconnects to industrial and semi-harsh environment conditions. While the heavy armored fiber optic cables are usually applied in river bed and the bottom of the sea.
2. Indoor Armored Fiber Optic Cable
Indoor armored fiber optic cable includes simplex armored and duplex armored fiber optic cable. The main difference is that simplex armored fiber optic cable does not contain stainless steel wire woven layer, yet duplex armored fiber optic cable contains stainless steel hose and stainless steel wire woven which are of compressive property, resistance to deflection, rodent resistance, anti-torque.
Armored fiber optic cable is mostly used in direct-buried outside plant applications, which plays an important role in the telecommunication industry. After going through this passage, you will understand that they are the ideal choice for customer who is looking for fiber optic cable with additional durability and protection as well as light weight.
