• TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO

LEARN
• THE BRIEF HISTORY OF FIBER OPTIC
• HOW FIBER OPTIC WORKS
• FIBER OPTIC APPLICATIONS
• COMMON TYPES OF CABLE AND CONNECTORS
• CABLE TERMINATION
• INSERTION LOSS AND TESTING.
Total Internal reflection is the basic idea of fiber optic
• 1870: An Irish physicist called John Tyndall (1820–
1893) demonstrated internal reflection at London's
Royal Society.

• 1930s: Heinrich Lamm and Walter Gerlach, two

German students, tried to use light pipes to make a
gastroscope—an instrument for looking inside
someone's stomach.
• 1950s: In London, England, Indian
physicist Narinder Kapany (1927–) and British
physicist Harold Hopkins (1918–1994) managed to
send a simple picture down a light pipe made
from thousands of glass fibers.
• 1957: Three American scientists at the University of
Michigan, Lawrence Curtiss, Basil Hirschowitz, and Wilbur
Peters, successfully used fiber-optic technology to make
the world's first gastroscope.

• 1960s: Chinese-born US physicist Charles Kao (1933–)

and his colleague George Hockham realized that
impure glass was no use for long-range fiber optics. Kao
suggested that a fiber-optic cable made from very pure
glass would be able to carry telephone signals over
much longer distances and was awarded the 2009
Nobel Prize in Physics for this ground-breaking discovery.
• 1960s: Researchers at the Corning Glass
Company made the first fiber-optic cable capable
of carrying telephone signals.

• 1970: Donald Keck and colleagues at Corning found

ways to send signals much further (with less loss)
prompting the development of the first low-loss
optical fibers.
• 1977: The first fiber-optic telephone cable was laid
between Long Beach and Artesia, California.

• 1997: A huge transatlantic fiber-optic telephone

cable called FLAG (Fiber-optic Link Around the
Globe) was laid between London, England and
Tokyo, Japan.
• A fiber optic is a flexible and a transparent fiber,
which is made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic.

• Fiber optics have diameter slightly thicker that that of

human hair.
Internet
Cable Television
Telephone
Computer Networking
Surgery and Dentistry
Lighting and Decorations
Mechanical Inspections
Military and Space Applications
Automotive Industry
 Fiber optic communication system consists of three main components:
optical transmitter, fiber optic cable and an optical receiver.
 The optical transmitter converts electrical signal to optical signal;
 The fiber optic cable carries the optical signal from the optical
transmitter to the optical receiver;
 The optical receiver reconverts the optical signal to electrical
signal.
 The most commonly used optical transmitter is semiconductor
devices like LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and laser diodes.
 Photodetector is the key part of an optical receiver. It converts
light into electricity using photodetector effect.
 Optical fibers are used as a medium for telecommunication and
networking because it is flexible and can be bundled as cables.
 It is especially advantageous for long-distance communications,
because light propagates through the fiber with little attenuation
compared to electrical copper cables.
• A fiber optic data link sends input data through fiber optic components and
provides this data as output information. It has the following three basic
functions: • To convert an electrical input signal to an optical signal • To
send the optical signal over an optical fiber • To convert the optical signal
back to an electrical signal A fiber optic data link consists of three parts -
transmitter, optical fiber, and receiver. Figure 1 is an illustration of a fiber optic
data-link connection. The transmitter, optical fiber, and receiver perform the
basic functions of the fiber optic data link. Each part of the data link is
responsible for the successful transfer of the data signal. A fiber optic data
link needs a transmitter that can effectively convert an electrical input signal
to an optical signal and launch the data-containing light down the optical
fiber. A fiber optic data link also needs a receiver that can effectively
transform this optical signal back into its original form. This means that the
electrical signal provided as data output should exactly match the electrical
signal provided as data input.
• A fiber optic cable is cable that contains optical
fibers (usually glass) coated in plastic that are used
to send data by pulses of light.

• The coating helps protect the fibers from heat, cold,

electromagnetic interference from other types of
wiring, as well as some protection from ultraviolet
rays from the sun.
• Fiber optics allow for a much faster data transmission
than standard copper wires, because they have a
much higher bandwidth.

• They are common amongst corporate networks or

world-wide networks, such as Internet backbones,
because of the capabilities of the cable.
CORE

• The fiber core is made of silica glass and is the

central part of the fiber optic cable that carries the
light signal.

• They are hair-thin in size and the diameter of the

fiber core is typically 8 µm for single mode fiber, and
50 µm or 62.5 µm for multi mode fiber.
CLADDING

• The cladding is also made of glass, and is the layer

that surrounds the fiber core.

• Together, they form a single solid fiber of glass that

is used for the light transmission. The diameter of the
cladding is typically 125 µm.
PRIMARY COATING

• Also known as the primary buffer.

• This layer provides protection to the fiber core and
cladding.
• They are made of plastic and only provide
mechanical protection.
• They do not interfere with the light transmission of
the core and the cladding.
STRENGTHENING FIBERS

• They are strands of aramid yarn, or better known

as Kevlar.

• They are added to the fiber optic cable to

prevent the breakage of the fiber glass during
installation.
CABLE JACKET

• The last layer is the cable jacket, which are

comprised of different materials depending on
the choice of the end user and the application in
use.

• Like the primary coating, they serve only as a

mechanical protection to the fiber core and
cladding inside.
Common types of fiber optic cable jacket ratings
are:

• OFNP (Optical Fiber, Nonconductive, Plenum)

• OFNR (Optical Fiber, Nonconductive, Riser)

• LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen)

• LOOSE-TUBE CABLES

• TIGHT-BUFFERED CABLES
 In loose tube cables, color-coded plastic buffer tubes
house and protect optical fibers, a gel filling compound
impedes water penetration.

 The main feature is that the fiber is available to be freely

moved.
 This is beneficial as there is less strain and allows fiber to
expand and contract with respect to the changes in
temperature.

 In addition, they have better bending performances as the

fiber inside can wander inside the loose tube cable.

 Finally, they are also beneficial during installation where

they can be stretched more without stressing the optical
fiber.
• In contrast to loose-tube cables, tight buffered cables have
the buffering material in direct contact with the fiber and
tightly wraps around the optical fiber.

• They provide a rugged cable structure for better

mechanical protection of fibers during handling and
installation.

• The strength members or aramid yarn Kevlar are placed

either after the outer cable jacket or around each individual
fiber optic jacket, often referred to sub jackets.
• Single-mode Step-index Fiber Cable

• Multimode Step-index Fiber Cable

• Multimode Graded-index Fiber

• Sometimes called a single-mode fiber cable

• Single-mode fiber cables have extremely small core

diameters, ranging from 5 to 9.5 um.

• The core is surrounded by a standard cladding diameter

of 125 um. The jacket is applied on the cladding to
provide mechanical protection, are made of one type of
polymer in different colors for color-coding purposes.
• Single-mode fibers have the potential to carry signals
for long distances with low loss, and are mainly used
in communication systems.

• Single-mode operation begins when the wavelength

approaches the core diameter.
• Sometimes called a multimode fiber cable.

• Multimode fiber cables have bigger diameters than

the single-mode, with core diameters ranging from
100 to 970 um.

• They are available as glass fibers (a glass core and

glass cladding), plastic-class silica (a glass core and
plastic cladding), and plastic fibers (a plastic core
and cladding).
• They are also the widest ranging, although not the
most efficient in long distances, and they experience
higher losses than the single-mode fiber cables.

• Multimode fiber cables have the potential to carry

signals for moderate and long distance with low loss
(when optical amplifiers are used to boost the signals
to the required power).
• Sometimes called graded-index fiber cables (GRIN).
• Graded-index and multimode fiber cables have
similar diameters.
• Common graded-index fibers have core diameters
of 50,62.5, or 85 um, with a cladding diameter of 125
um.
• The core consist of numerous concentric layers of
glass, somewhat like the annular rings of a tree or a
piece of onion.
• This type of fiber optic cable is popular in applications that
require a wide range of wavelengths, in particular
telecommunication, scanning, imaging, and data
processing systems.

• In particular telecommunication, Multimode OM4 fiber

optic cable is used in any data center looking for high
speeds of 10G or even 40G or 100G. OM4 multimode fiber
are ideal for using in many applications such as Local Area
Networks (LAN) backbones, Storage Area Networks (SAN),
Data Centers and Central Offices.
• Extremely High Bandwidth
• Longer Distance
• Resistance to Electromagnetic Interference
• Low Security Risk
• Small Size
• Light Weight
• Low Power Loss
• Interference
• Fragility
• Difficult to Install
• Attenuation & Dispersion
• Cost Is Higher Than Copper Cable
• Difficult to Splice
• Special Equipment Is Often Required
• Highly Susceptible
• Can’t Be Curved
• Fiber optic splicing involves joining two fiber optic cables
together. The other, more common, method of joining
fibers is called termination or connectorization.

• Fiber splicing typically results in lower light loss and back

reflection than termination making it the preferred
method when the cable runs are too long for a single
length of fiber or when joining two different types of
cable together, such as a 48-fiber cable to four 12-fiber
cables. Splicing is also used to restore fiber optic cables
when a buried cable is accidentally severed.
• Mechanical Splicing Method

• Fusion Splicing Method

• Mechanical splices are simply alignment devices,
designed to hold the two fiber ends in a precisely
aligned position thus enabling light to pass from one
fiber into the other. (Typical loss: 0.3 dB)
• Step 1: Preparing the fiber - Strip the protective coatings, jackets, tubes, strength members, etc. leaving only the
bare fiber showing. The main concern here is cleanliness.
Step 2: Cleave the fiber - Using a good fiber cleaver here is essential to a successful fusion splice. The cleaved
end must be mirror-smooth and perpendicular to the fiber axis to obtain a proper splice. NOTE: The cleaver does
not cut the fiber! It merely nicks the fiber and then pulls or flexes it to cause a clean break. The goal is to produce
a cleaved end that is as perfectly perpendicular as possible. That is why a good cleaver for fusion splicing can
often cost $1,000 to $3,000. These cleavers can consistently produce a cleave angle of 0.5 degree or less.
Step 3: Fuse the fiber - There are two steps within this step, alignment and heating. Alignment can be manual or
automatic depending on what equipment you have. The higher priced equipment you use, the more accurate
the alignment becomes. Once properly aligned the fusion splicer unit then uses an electrical arc to melt the
fibers, permanently welding the two fiber ends together.
Step 4: Protect the fiber - Protecting the fiber from bending and tensile forces will ensure the splice not break
during normal handling. A typical fusion splice has a tensile strength between 0.5 and 1.5 lbs and will not break
during normal handling but it still requires protection from excessive bending and pulling forces. Using heat shrink
tubing, silicone gel and/or mechanical crimp protectors will keep the splice protected from outside elements
and breakage.
• Fusion splicing is a permanent connection of two or
more optical fibers by welding them together using
an electronic arc.

• It is the most widely used method of splicing as it

provides for the lowest loss, less reflectance,
strongest and most reliable joint between two fibers.
• When adopting this method, fusion splicing
machines are often used.

• Generally, there are four basic steps in fusion splicing

process as illustrating in following one by one.
• A mechanical splice is a junction of two or more
optical fibers that are aligned and held in place by a
self-contained assembly.

• A typical example of this method is the use of

connectors to link fibers. This method is most popular
for fast, temporary restoration or for splicing
multimode fibers in a premises installation. Like fusion
splice, there are also four basic steps in mechanical
splice.
• Which Method is Better?
• Both fusion splicing and mechanical splicing method have their advantages
and disadvantages. Whether choosing fusion splice or mechanical splice
depends on the applications.
• The fusion one provides a lower level of loss and a higher degree of
permanence than mechanical splicing. However, this method requires the
use of the expensive fusion splicing equipment. In view of this, fusion splice
tends to be used for the long high data rate lines that are installed that are
unlikely to be changed once installed.
• The mechanical splicing is used for applications where splices need to be
made very quickly and where the expensive equipment for fusion splices
may not be available. Some mechanical fiber optic splice easily allows both
connection and disconnection. In this way, a mechanical splice may be
used in applications where the splice may be less permanent.
• trip fiber cable jacket. Strip back about 3 meters of fiber cable
jacket to expose the fiber loose tubes or tight buffered fibers.
Use cable rip cord to cut through the fiber jacket. Then
carefully peel back the jacket and expose the insides. Cut off
the excess jacket. Clean off all cable gel with cable gel
remover. Separate the fiber loose tubes and buffers by
carefully cutting away any yarn or sheath. Leave enough of
the strength member to properly secure the cable in the splice
enclose.
• Strip fiber tubes. For a loose tube fiber cable, strip away about
2 meters of fiber tube using a buffer tube stripper and expose
the individual fibers.
• Clean cable gel. Carefully clean all fibers in the loose tube of
any filling gel with cable gel remover.
• Secure cable tubes. Secure the end of the loose tube to the
splice tray and lay out cleaned and separated fibers on the
table. Strip and clean the other cable tube’s fiber that is to be
spliced, and secure to the splice tray.
• Strip first splicing fiber. Hold the first splicing fiber and remove
the 250um fiber coating to expose 5cm of 125um bare fiber
cladding with fiber coating stripper tool. For tight buffered
fibers, remove 5cm of 900um tight buffer first with a buffer
stripping tool, and then remove the 5cm of 250um coating.
• Place the fusion splice protection sleeve. Put a fusion splice
protection sleeve onto the fiber being spliced.
• Clean the bare fiber. Carefully clean the stripped bare fiber
with lint-free wipes soaked in isopropyl alcohol. After cleaning,
prevent the fiber from touching anything.
• Fiber cleaving. With a high precision fiber cleaver, cleave the
fiber to a specified length according to your fusion splicer’s
manual.
• Prepare second fiber being spliced. Strip, clean and cleave
the other fiber to be spliced.
• Fusion splicing. Place both fibers in the fusion splicer and do
the fusion splice according to its manual.
• Heat shrink the fusion splice protection sleeve. Slide the fusion splice protection
sleeve on the joint and put it into the heat shrink oven, and press the heat button.
• Place splice into splice tray. Carefully place the finished splice into the splice tray
and loop excess fiber around its guides. Ensure that the fiber’s minimum bending
radius is not compromised.
• Perform OTDR test. Perform a OTDR test of the splice and redo the splice if necessary.
• Close the splice tray. After all fibers have been spliced, carefully close the splice tray
and place it into the splice enclosure.
• Bidirectional OTDR test (or power meter test). Test the splices with an OTDR or power
meter from both directions.
• Mount the splice enclosure. Close and mount the splice enclosure if all splices meet
the specifications.
• https://www.fiberoptics4sale.com/blogs/archive-posts/95149894-fiber-optic-cable-
splicing
• Cleaver
• Wipes+ fixed length device
• Visual fault locator
• Alcohol bottle
• Fiber stripper
• Optical power meter
• Drop cable slitter
• Armored cable slitter
• optical light source
• Optical fusion splicer AV6471
• https://www.fs.com/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fiber-optic-transmission-
aid-431.html
• https://www.fs.com/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fiber-optic-transmission-
aid-431.html
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-advantages-disadvantages-optical-fiber-
cable-max-liao
• https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/connectivity/fibre-optics/fibre-
splicing.php\
• http://www.fiber-optic-solutions.com/fiber-optic-splicing%EF%BC%9Atwo-
methods.html
• https://www.blackbox.co.uk/gb-gb/page/27222/Resources/Technical-
Resources/black-box-explains/Fibre-Optic-Cable/Fibre-optic-cable-construction
• https://store.cablesplususa.com/fiber-optic-cable-construction.html
• http://www.cables-solutions.com/three-common-types-of-fiber-optic-cables.html