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How Far can you Bend?
Singlemode Reduced Bend Radius Optical Fibre Patch Cords
ADC KRONE’s family of singlemode reduced bend radius optical fibre patch cords has a bend radius that is half that of standard singlemode patch cords without changing attenuation characteristics of the cable. While these cables offer the benefit of tighter bends, a complete system of fibre cable management—defined routing paths, ample access to connectors and cable, complete physical protection, and bend radius protection against macro bends and micro bends—is still required to maintain network reliability, ensure maximum throughput and control operating costs.
ADC KRONE’s singlemode reduced bend radius patch cords have a bend radius of 15 mm, are stringently tested for insertion loss and return loss at the factory and are backwards compatible with standard single mode fibre. ADC KRONE offers ultra physical contact (UPC) polish on the SC, FC, and LC connector styles or angled physical contact (APC) on the LC and SC connector styles. (APC should be used in applications that require better control of return loss) ADC KRONE maintains tight tolerances regarding the rotation of the ferrule to maintain low insertion loss values.
Proper Applications for Reduced Bend Radius Optical Fibre
Singlemode reduced bend radius optical fibre offers benefits for applications that including the
- Central office
- FTTX deployments
- Data centre
- OEM solutions.
Singlemode reduced bend radius optical fibre is best suited for environments where little or no bend radius protection is available. It is also ideal for applications where space is an issue.
Specific applications that make sense for this type of fibre are described below:
Space is tight
For drop cable or termination of pigtails in multiple dwelling unit (MDU) and optical network terminal (ONT) boxes for FTTX deployments—where there is no space and often no cable management—reduced bend radius optical fibre offers less chance of increased attenuation during field installation and maintenance.
No fibre management is available
The front of frames and routers—where moves/adds/changes occur—is ideal for use of reduced bend radius patch cords and multifibre breakout assemblies. Many OEM active components do not have bend radius limiters or protection on the front of the equipment
Space is at a premium
Patch cords and multifibre breakout assemblies that can bend more tightly enable increasing density of active equipment in racks and cabinets without sacrificing access. For manufacturers of active equipment, reduced bend radius optical fibre can help reduce size of electronics, improving density and airflow. However, in these applications, even more consideration must be paid to the elements of proper cable management.
Tighter bend radius also offers OEMs the chance to increase the functionality of active equipment by utilizing less chassis space.
A key advantage of reduced bend radius optical fibre is use in high bandwidth applications.
For standard optical fibre, the 1625 nm to 1550 nm wavelengths are the first to go when the cable is wrapped around a mandrel. Preserving these wavelengths around tighter bends offers benefits for OEMs seeking to improve functionality of network equipment or network managers looking for the efficiency of having all wavelengths available on a given optical link.
Conclusion
Singlemode reduced bend radius optical fibre has generated quite a buzz, and is a great step forward in optical fibre construction. It makes the much-handled patch cords and multifibre assemblies less susceptible to macro bends that affect attenuation and limit bandwidth of optical fibre links.
It is crucial for the health and performance of your network to be aware that reduced bend radius fibre does not, in any case, mean that the fundamentals of proper fibre management are to be ignored. In fact, as this fibre is used in higher density applications, factors such as connector access and cable routing paths become even more crucial. Reduced bend radius optical fibre is just one aspect of a complete strategy for efficient, future-proofed network management.
Bending of singlemode fibre has everyone talking these days. Technicians should be aware that the new breed of reduced bend radius fibres can reduce minimum bend radius requirements significantly, but they can also still become damaged or even broken if mishandled or stressed beyond their limitations. The fibres are designed to reduce the minimum bend radius from the traditional 10 times the outside diameter of the jacketed cable (about 38 mm) to as low as 5 mm with negligible added attenuation.
ADC KRONE uses the term “reduced bend radius,” because this title best describes what the product actually delivers.
For more details on ADC KRONE fibre solutions visit www.adckrone.com
Dileep Kumar
Director Product Management
Carrier & Enterprise Business