1. General

This specification covers the design requirements and performance standards for the supply of optical fiber cables as described below.  The features described in this document are intended to provide information on the performance of the optical cable and aid in handling and installation.  Please refer to the separate fiber specification for details regarding the optical fiber.

1.1 Cable Description

4SProducts Loose Tube Steel Messenger Figure-8 optical cables contains 2 to 288 optical fibers.  The color-coded fibers are housed in multiple color-coded plastic buffer tubes, which are stranded around a dielectric central strength member. Water blocking compound, filling the interstices within the core, provides protection against water ingress.  A ¼” stranded steel messenger is co-extruded with the cable core.  The cable sheath is composed of a smooth black medium density polyethylene (MDPE) jacket with, highly visible ripcords are placed underneath for quick sheath entry.

The Steel Messenger Figure-8 cable is designed for self-supporting outside plant installations with maximum typical span lengths of 500 feet under NESC heavy loading conditions.

1.2 Quality

To meet ISO 9000 standards.

1.3 Reliability

To meet industry standards organizations such as Bell Communications Research (Bellcore), Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Insulated Cable Engineers Association (ICEA), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Rural Utilities Service (RUS), and The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

2. Cable Design

4SProducts Figure-8 Loose Tube optical cables utilize Reverse Oscillating Lay (ROL) of the buffer tubes for quick and easy midspan entry.  The integrated steel messenger eliminates the timely step of installing a messenger before the fiber cable.

 

Armor Cut-away 36-fiber 48-fiber 72-fiber 96-fiber 120-fiber 144-fiber 216-fiber 288-fiber Figure-8 Sheath Single Jacket / Dielectric Core Core Cut-away Core Cut-away Core Cut-away Core Cut-away Core Cut-away Core Cut-away Core Cut-away Core Cut-away . Armor Cut-away Figure-8 Sheath Single Jacket / Dielectric Core

2.1 All-Dielectric Self Support

The All-dielectric Self Support  Loose Tube cable has a dual  inner and outer jacket.  The   non-metallic design makes this cable ideal for aerial applications.

APPLICABLE SHEATH TYPES
SHEATH TYPE	PART No.
All-Dielectric Self Support	FS-XXX*FSFnn

XXX	Denotes Fiber Count
*	Denotes Fiber Type
nn	Denotes Attenuation Values

2.2 Fiber Types

The following fiber types are available in this cable design.  Please refer to the appropriate fiber specification document for details on fiber design and performance.

APPLICABLE FIBER TYPES (*) Fiber Type Specification Designation Multi mode fiber 50/125 µm G.651 B Multi mode fiber 62.5/125 µm TIA-492AAA C Single mode Fiber G.652 S Non-Zero Dispersion Shifted (NZDS) G.655 H

APPLICABLE ATTENUATION VALUES (nn) Fiber Type Description Designation Single mode 0.35/0.25 db/km  1310/1550nm S1 0.40/0.30 db/km 1310/1550nm S2 Non-Zero Dispersion Shifted (NZDS) S3 Custom (Please specify values) S4 Multi mode 62.5/125um, 3.50/1.00 db/km 160/500 Mhz*km, 850/1300nm M1 62.5/125um, 3.50/1.00 db/km 220/500 Mhz*km, 850/1300nm M2 2.5/125um, 3.50/1.00 db/km 350/500 Mhz*km, 850/1300nm M3 62.5/125um, 3.50/1.00 db/km 500/500 Mhz*km, 850/1300nm M4 50/125um, 3.00/1.00 db/km 500/500 Mhz*km, 850/1300nm M5 50/125um, 3.00/1.00 db/km 400/400 Mhz*km, 850/1300nm M6

2.3 Optical Fiber Color Code

The UV acrylate coated fibers are color coded with highly distinguishable, vibrant colors according to the following table.  All colors meet Munsell standards as specified in TIA-359 and TIA-598.

FIBER COLOR CODE FIBER No. COLOR 01 Blue 02 Orange 03 Green 04 Brown 05 Slate 06 White 07 Red 08 Black 09 Yellow 10 Violet 11 Rose 12 Aqua

BUFFER TUBE COLORS TUBE No. COLOR 01 Blue 02 Orange 03 Green 04 Brown 05 Slate 06 White 07 Red 08 Black 09 Yellow 10 Violet 11 Rose 12 Aqua 13 Blue-Black Dash 14 Orange - Black Dash 15 Green - Black Dash 16 Brown - Black Dash 17 Slate - Black Dash 18 White - Black Dash 19 Red - Black Dash 20 Black 21 Yellow - Black Dash 22 Violet - Black Dash 23 Rose - Black Dash 24 Aqua - Black Dash

2.4 Buffer Tubes

Fibers are housed in groups of 6 or 12 within gel-filled buffer tubes.  The tubes, manufactured with industry standard polybutelene terathylate (PBT), are colored for easy identification according to the scheme shown above.  Water blocking gel fills each tube to prevent migration of water through the tube.  Industry standard tools and practices can be used to enter the buffer tubes.

BUFFER TUBE DIMENSIONS
TOTAL FIBER COUNT	FIBERS PER TUBE	TUBE DIAMETER
002 - 036	06	2.5 mm (0.10 in)
037 - 288	12	3.0 mm (0.12 in)