Overview of Fiber Optic Cable Specifications

Many questions tell us that it is important to protect the fibers.But how to protect the fiber cables,the first one is to know the fiber optic cable specifications,when we know it,we can protect it best. Cable's job is to protect the fibers from the hazards encountered in an installation. Will the cables be exposed to chemicals or have to withstand a wide temperature range? What about being gnawed on by a woodchuck or prairie dog? Inside buildings, cables don't have to be so strong to protect the fibers, but they have to meet all fire code provisions. Outside the building, it depends on whether the cable is buried directly, pulled in conduit, strung aerially or whatever.
Since the plan will call for a certain number of fibers, consider adding spare fibers to the cable - Cost of fiber optic cable is cheap! That way, you won't be in trouble if you break a fiber or two when splicing, breaking-out or terminating fibers. And request the end user consider their future expansion needs. Most users install lots more fibers than needed, especially adding single mode duplex fiber to multimode duplex fiber optic cable for campus or backbone applications.Now, let's go to know the standard fiber optic cable.
A standard fiber optic cable is comprised of four specific parts:
Core - A fiber optic's center is made of glass, and this tube carries the cable's light signals. Depending on the type of fiber optic cable (single mode or multi mode), the core varies in size. Single mode duplex fiber consist of a tiny glass core that typically has a diameter between 8.3 and 10 microns. This type of cable is usually installed for transferring high speed data over long distances. For multi mode fibers, the core is larger. Their core size ranges from 5 to 7 times larger than single mode cores. With a diameter ranging between 50 to 62.5 microns, multimode duplex fiber optic cable is perfect for high data applications. Multi mode cables are typically used over shorter distances than single mode fiber optic cables.FiberStore provide the hot seller multimode cable--OM4 multimode fiber and OM3 multimode fiber.
Cladding layer - Also constructed of glass, this "core cover" is used to keep the light in the core. When transmitting data (especially over long distances), light rays can reflect off each other and travel in different directions. The cladding keeps those signals straight.
Buffer - Also called the buffer coating, this sleeve protects the core and cladding from foreign material (FM) such as outside light, moisture, dirt and other substances. More often than not, the buffer is made of plastic.
Jacket - The fiber optic's cable exterior is typically made of tough, durable polyurethane. Its job is to protect the overall integrity of the fiber optic cable. The jacket is the first line of defense in a fiber optic cable. Routing cables can put stresses on a fiber optic cable (kinks, knots, etc.) and a jacket sometimes contains an extra layer to avoid these potential hazards.
Fiber Optic Cable Based on Fiber Types
Based upon fiber types in a cable, fiber optic cables can be categorized as three types.
Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable
All fibers in the cable are single mode fibers.
Multimode Fiber Optic Cable - Multi Mode Fiber Optic Cable
All fibers in the cable are multimode cables.
Hybrid Composite Cable
Both single mode and multimode fibers are packaged in one cable, such as 4 multimode fibers and 4 single mode fibers in a single cable.

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Different Types Of Single Mode And Multimode Duplex Fiber

Fiber optic cables are the medium of choice in telecommunications infrastructure, enabling the transmission of high-speed voice, video, and data traffic in enterprise and service provider networks. Depending on the type of application and the reach to be achieved, various types of fiber may be considered and deployed, such as single mode duplex fiber and multimode duplex fiber optic cable.
Fibers come in several different configurations, each ideally suited to a different use or application. Early fiber designs that are still used today include single-mode and multimode fiber. Since Bell Laboratories invented the concept of application-specific fibers in the mid-1990s, fiber designs for specific network applications have been introduced. These new fiber designs - used primarily for the transmission of communication signals - include Non-Zero Dispersion Fiber (NZDF), Zero Water Peak Fiber (ZWPF), 10-Gbps laser optimized multimode fiber (OM3 fiber optic cable), and fibers designed specifically for submarine applications. Specialty fiber designs, such as dispersion compensating fibers and erbium doped fibers, perform functions that complement the transmission fibers. The differences among the different transmission fiber types result in variations in the range and the number of different wavelengths or channels at which the light is transmitted or received, the distances those signals can travel without being regenerated or amplified, and the speeds at which those signals can travel.
There are two different types of fiber optic cable: multimode and single-mode(MMF and SMF). Both are used in a broad range of telecommunications and data networking applications. These fiber types have dominated the commercial fiber market since the 1970's. The distinguishing difference, and the basis for the naming of the fibers, is in the number of modes allowed to propagate in the core of a fiber. The "mode" is an allowable path for the light to travel down a fiber. A multimode fiber allows many light propagation paths, while a single-mode fiber allows only one light path.
In multimode fiber, the time it takes for light to travel through a fiber is different for each mode resulting in a spreading of the pulse at the output of the fiber referred to as intermodal dispersion. The difference in the time delay between the modes is called Differential Mode Delay (DMD). Intermodal dispersion limits multimode fiber bandwidth. This is significant because a fiber's bandwidth determines its information carrying capacity, i.e., how far a transmission system can operate at a specified bit error rate.
The optical fiber guides the light launched into the fiber core (Figure 1). The cladding is a layer of material that surrounds the core. The cladding is designed so that the light launched into the core is contained in the core. When the light launched into the core strikes the cladding, the light is reflected from the core-to-cladding interface. The condition of total internal reflection (when all of the light launched into the core remains in the core) is a function of both the angle at which the light strikes the core-to-cladding interface and the index of refraction of the materials. The index of refraction (n) is a dimensionless number that characterizes the speed of light in a specific media relative to the speed of light in a vacuum. To confine light within the core of an optical fiber, the index of refraction for the cladding (n1) must be less than the index of refraction for the core (n2).

Fibers are classified in part by their core and cladding dimensions. Single mode duplex fiber have a much smaller core diameter than multimode duplex fiber optic cable. However, the Mode Field Diameter (MFD) rather than the core diameter is used in single-mode fiber specifications. The MFD describes the distribution of the optical power in the fiber by providing an "equivalent" diameter, sometimes referred to as the spot size. The MFD is always larger than the core diameter with nominal values ranging between 8-10 microns, while single-mode fiber core diameters are approximately 8 microns or less. Unlike single-mode fiber, multimode fiber is usually referred to by its core and cladding diameters. For example, fiber with a core of 62.5 microns and a cladding diameter of 125 microns is referred to as a 62.5/125 micron fiber. Popular multimode product offerings have core diameters of 50 microns or 62.5 microns with a cladding diameter of 125 microns. Single-mode fibers also have 125 micron cladding diameters.
A single-mode fiber, having a single propagation mode and therefore no intermodal dispersion, has higher bandwidth than multimode fiber. This allows for higher data rates over much longer distances than achievable with multimode fiber. Consequently, long haul telecommunications applications only use single-mode fiber, and it is deployed in nearly all metropolitan and regional configurations. Long distance carriers, local Bells, and government agencies transmit traffic over single-mode fiber laid beneath city streets, under rural cornfields, and strung from telephone poles. Although single mode duplex fiber has higher bandwidth, multimode fiber supports high data rates at short distances. The smaller core diameter of single mode duplex fiber also increases the difficulty in coupling sufficient optical power into the fiber. Relaxed tolerances on optical coupling requirements afforded by multimode fiber enable the use of transmitter packaging tolerances that are less precise, thereby allowing lower cost transceivers or lasers. As a result, multimode duplex fiber optic cable has dominated in shorter distance and cost sensitive LAN applications.

Overview Single Mode Duplex Fiber Cable

Duplex Fiber Optic Cables:
Duplex fiber cables consist of two fibers, either single mode duplex fiber or multimode duplex fiber optic cable, having their jackets conjoined by a strip of jacket material, usually in a zipcord (side-by-side) style. Use duplex multimode or singlemode fiber optic cable for applications that require simultaneous, bi-directional data transfer(One fiber transmits data one direction; the other fiber transmits data in the opposite direction). Duplex fiber is available in singlemode and multimode.
Duplex Fiber Optic Cables have two tight-buffered, up to 900 fibers surrounded by an aramid yarn strength member with a flame retardant outer jacket. The cable allows for flexibility and reliability for use in interconnect. The cable is designed to meet or to exceed the requirements of today's premise wiring systems.
Duplex multimode fiber optic cable and singlemode duplex fiber cable alike are used for two-way data transfers. Larger workstations, switches, servers, and major networking hardware tends to require duplex fiber optic cable. Duplex cables can be more expensive than Simplex cables, and are compatible with any HDMI extender.
Single Mode Duplex Fiber Cable:
Single-mode duplex fiber optic cable is meant to transmit data over long distances with reliability and high speed. Single-mode cables only carry one ray of light at a time, which is what makes them better for long-distance transmissions. A duplex fiber cable consists of two fibers for simultaneous, bi-directional data transfers, earning the nickname of zip cord fiber optic cable systems.
Single mode duplex fiber is very similar to a multi-mode fiber cable in many ways, with the biggest difference being that the glass center of single-mode cables is significantly smaller, at about 10 microns in diameter. The smaller size is what allows these cables to transmit data across a distance of up to 40 miles with a bandwidth of 1Gbs. However, single-mode cables are usually more expensive than their multi-mode counterparts, so they're not always a viable option.
As opposed to single-mode cables, which are smaller and are aimed at carrying data across longer distances, multimode cable is better for transmitting data across shorter distances. These cables are larger, and therefore have more bandwidth than their smaller counterparts. It's important to note that you are capable of running multi-mode cable across a long distance, however, it can limit the bandwidth from 10Mhz to 30Mhz.
Choose the single-mode or multimode duplex fiber cable:
When deciding whether you should install single-mode or multi-mode cable, the first question to address is how far will the data be transmission? This may help in narrowing which optical fiber cable is needed for the project.
If you need to transmit data over a long distance, then single-mode bulk fiber cable is your best bet. With a core between 8 and 10 microns in diameter, these cables can transmit data up to 40 miles with a bandwidth of 1Gb's. However, single mode transmitters typically use solid-state laser diodes.The higher cost of these optical emitters means that single-mode equipment can be anywhere from two to four times as expensive as multi-mode equipment. Multi-mode equipment will not launch (inject) enough light into a single-mode fiber since the light carrying core of this fiber is only 9 microns in diameter compared to 62.5 microns in diameter for multi-mode fiber. Multi-mode fiber optic cable bulk, which are larger and have more bandwidth, are capable of transmitting data over a few miles, but running the cable that far will limit the bandwidth from 10Mhz to 30Mhz. It's important to consider all of these factors before you decide which type of fiber optic cable is best for you.
FiberStore is your fiber optic cable specialists. We provide a full range of fiber optic cable,such as a fantastic selection of singlemode duplex 9/125 fiber optic cable - ideal for low-loss, high bandwidth transmissions over long distances.Do you want to know more info about cost of fiber optic cable or fiber optic cable specifications,pls focus on our blog or our company .