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Installing underground fiber optic cable

Installing underground fiber optic cable, a few of the most tough conditions for the set up of optical fibre cables
are in underground ducts. The situation and geometry of duct routes is of nice significance. The place the
infrastructure consists of ducts in poor situation, comprises extreme curvature, consists of ducts already containing
cables or entry factors with abrupt adjustments of course, the utmost pull distance shallbe decreased accordingly.
Provision of lengthy cable lengths in underground duct conditions could contain set up strategies that require entry
to the cable at intermediate factors for the applying of further winching drive or figure-of-eight methods, and these
websites must be chosen with care. Consideration must also be given to elements of time and disturbance. Set up
gear could alsobe required to run for lengthy durations of time and the time of day,< noise ranges, and visitors
disruption mustbe taken into consideration.
Underground ducts

As a result of the situation of underground ducts supposed for installing underground fiber optic cable is <of
explicit significance, care ought to all the timebe taken to <make sure that ducts are in sound situation and as clear
and clear as potential.
Consideration may alsobe given to the supply of a subduct system, <both in single or a number of type, to supply a
great setting for set up, segregation of cables, <additional mechanical safety and improved upkeep procedures.
Subducts willbe tougher to rope and cabled than regular dimension duct, significantly <over lengthy lengths, and
the diameter ratio between the cable and subduct must be thought-about. Strategies havebeen developed that set up
cables into small dimension ducts by <blowing, which leaves the cable primarily stress free
Cable set up stress prediction for cables pulled into ducts

The potential for offering very lengthy lengths of optical fibre cable can result in the necessity <for confidence
explicit set up operation shallbe efficiently achieved, significantly <in underground ducts, and a great indication
willbe offered, in some circumstances, by calculating the utmost cable stress. This most stress willbe in contrast
with the acknowledged <mechanical efficiency of the cable, and the place <these values areshut, consideration
will begiven to strategies for offering a larger security margin such in its place cable design, shortening the route,
altering the route or course of cabling, provision of intermediate winches, or by taking particular precautions at
explicit places. Calculation concerns areindicated. Right here the cableis approximated as versatile, and the route
between deviations and inclinations istaken into account straight. When bearing in mind cable stiffness and
undulations within the trajectory, the outcomes could differ.
Cable overload safety strategies

The place all actions and precautions have been taken to guard the cable and its fibres from <extreme load so far
as suitability of route, guiding, and so forth. is worried, then there nonetheless stays< the chance, within the
dynamics of an set up operation for prime masses to be utilized to the cable and it’s <subsequently vital to supply
a cable overload prevention mechanism. There are two courses of gadget to supply this safety: <these located on
the main or intermediate winch and people on the cable/rope interface.
These on the winch embrace (relying on winch sort) mechanical clutches, stalling motors and hydraulic bypass
valves which will be set to a predetermined load and the dynamometer/cable stress monitoring sort methods to
supply suggestions for winch management. These on the cable/rope interface embrace mechanical fuses (tensile or
shear) and sensing gadgets to supply winch management data. All these methods have a standard goal of limiting
or stopping the winching operation when masses utilized on the cable method a harmful degree.
Winching gear and ropes

Offered the necessity for overload safety is borne in thoughts, most <conventional velocity managed cable
winching gear and methods are appropriate for putting in optical fibre cables in ducts. These embrace end-pull
winches, with varied sorts of main mover, intermediate <winches for longer size schemes and the place vital,
powered cable feeding gear.
The place intermediate winches (capstan or caterpillar) and/or powered cable <feeding gear areused, a way of
synchronization, to stop extreme fibre pressure, mustbe employed; it must be borne in thoughts that some
intermediate capstan sort winches can introduce a twist into the cable. Ropes or strains of low particular weight
and a excessive modulus of elasticity are vital for optical fibre cabling. Putting lengthy strains or ropes will be
tough, however can often be <completed through the use of regular set up strategies successively. Strains or ropes
shouldbe positioned utilizing care, the place there are already optical fibre cables in a duct; knots within the strains
or ropes should beaverted.
Guiding methods and cable bending

Bending optical fibre cable underneath stress throughout set up must beundertaken with care. Guiding methods
and gear must beexamined for his or her suitability for function <and keep in mind cable producers’
acknowledged bending standards. Normally, a minimal bending radius of round twelve instances the cable
diameter is taken into account <acceptable, however when being put in underneath stress, it’s prompt that this
ratio must be doubled. Most guiding gear canbe utilized for each optical fibre and metallic cables, however the
laying of <lengthy cable lengths could require many guiding parts and they need to all have <the properties of
lightness and low friction.
Cable friction and lubrication

Particular consideration mustbe paid to friction and lubrication when putting in optical fibre cables. The friction
forces which should beovercome areassociated <to a number of elements, primarily the supplies and finishes of
the cable sheath.
Cable dealing with strategies to maximise put in lengths by pulling

The place it isn’t potential, due to load limitations, to put in lengthy size optical fibre <cables utilizing a single
end-pull, it might be essential to make use of a way of dividing the< load alongside the cable size and this maybe
finished, relying on circumstances, by both static or dynamic strategies.
The most typical static techniqueis called the “figure-of-eight system”. This process requires the cable drum tobe
positioned at an intermediate <level and cable drawn in a single course of the route by regular end-pull methods.
The remaining cableis then faraway from the drum and laid out on the bottom in a figure-of- eight sample. The
winch isthen moved to the opposite finish of the part and the laid out cable <isdrawn in utilizing the identical end-
pull technique. This technique requires acceptable area on the figure-of-eight level.
Dynamic

Dynamic load sharing is extra difficult and requires extra gear and organising; nonetheless, it has the benefit of
permitting set up in a single course straight from the drum. On this course of particular cable winches
areemployed at intermediate factors and the utmost. Load on the cable isexpounded to the gap between these
intermediate factors. It must be borne in thoughts that with intermediate winching all of the putting in forces are
transmitted by the cable sheath and the design of a specific cable being positioned by this technique ought to take
this into consideration. Intermediate or distributed winching methods require good coordination, synchronization
and communication between the intermediate factors. Capstan sort inter- mediate winches could introduce further
cable twisting.
Hand-pulling strategies willbe employed at intermediate factors on lengthy size optical fibre cable set up, however
nice care should betaken to make sure that minimal bending and different mechanical standards usually arenot
contravened.
Air-assisted cable set up

Air-assisted set up relies on forcing a steady high-speed airflow alongside the cable with an air supply.
Transferring air drive pushes the cable and makes it advance ahead at a typical velocity supported by the gear.
Usually, the load on the cable is an order of magnitude decrease than the everyday drive concerned with different
set up strategies, like pulling methods, lowering set up hazards. Moreover, with this method, bends in duct run
usually are not as necessary a matter of concern as they’re in pulling methods, in order that set up velocity will
increase and longer lengths of cable will be put in. Cables are put in with out digital stress, leaving the cable
relaxed within the duct upon completion of the set up installing underground fiber optic cable.
Totally different methods utilizing blowing methods for installing underground fiber optic cable havebeen
developed to put in bundles, cables or fibre into tubes or ducts.
Tube

The primary of those consists of a two-pass course of. The place the tube isput in previous to the set up of the
fibre. On this technique, initially a bundle of tubes (micro-ducts). Both free or constructed as a cable, isput in
utilizing regular or blowing methods. Jointing and branching of tubes throughout the fibre route will besimply
finished utilizing easy push-fit connections. As fibres arerequired, both sheathed bundles of fibre (four or eight
fibres), sometimes < 2 mm in diameter, or bigger micro-duct cables (e.g. 96 fibre cables, sometimes < 7 mm in
diameter) areblown by compressed air into the pre-installed tubes with an insertion velocity of about 2 km/h. By
this technique of set up, the fibres expertise little or no pressure. Cable routes of as much as 10 km with out the
necessity for intermediate splices willbe achieved.
A second system hasbeen developed and used through which regular. Quite stiff, optical fibre cables areblown by
compressed air into small pipes or ducts. Relying upon the cable traits (diameter, weight, flexibility), the duct
diameter, the friction between the cable and the duct and the variety of curves within the total duct run, set up
models could alsobe positioned each 500, 750 or 1000 metres, installing underground fiber optic cable.
Irrespective of what number of set up models areutilized in tandem, there’s by no means a synchronization
downside. The cable isput in at about 2 km/h. Pre-lubrication of the ducts will improve the gap over which one
unit can set up a cable for installing underground fiber optic. The cable itself may alsobe lubricated, with the
assistance of an in-line cable lubricator with air-bypass.
Water pumping system

The water pumping system (floating method) relies on forcing alongside the cable route, via a pump, an
acceptable water movement. Water thrust minimizes the friction impact generated between the cable and the duct
throughout the set up course of. The water pumping system canbe utilized with or and not using a parachute
(piston) hooked up to the cable finish. Within the first state of affairs the water strain exerts a pulling drive on the
cable finish. Within the latter state of affairs this isn’t the case installing underground fiber optic cable. However,
right here the transferring water (sooner than the cable) exerts a distributed motion on the cable that pushes it
ahead at a velocity within the vary 30-40 m/min.
With this method for installing underground fiber optic cable, the utilized forces on the cable are decrease than.
These utilized within the case of using pulling methods, thus lowering the set up hazards. Moreover, the presence
of bends alongside the cable route turns into a much less vital issue in contrast with the pulling method. Fluid
speeds of 1 m/s are advisable for heavy optical cables (round 300 kg/km).
Cables

Cables areput in with out digital stress, leaving the cable relaxed within the duct upon completion of the set up.
Lastly, water floating doesn’t trigger a major improve of the duct temperature, offering one other benefit over
these methods that use fuel as a laying ingredient.
Within the state of affairs with parachute (piston) hooked up to the cable finish, a piston that seals to the duct
isrelated to the pulling eye of the cable. The piston and the tip of the cable arehanded by a water injection gadget,
which ishooked up to the duct. Water isthan pumped into the duct by the water injection gadget, and pushes the
piston by the duct. The cable ispulled for installing underground fiber optic cable alongside by the piston. The
movement of the water hydraulically assists the passage of the cable by the duct and offers some lubrication. A
comparatively small, gasoline powered pump can set up a kilometre of cable in a couple of minutes. Cable lengths
of a number of kilometres have beenput in utilizing this technique installing underground fiber optic cable.
Jointing size allowance

It is necessary when putting in optical fibre cable lengths in underground ducts to make correct preparations. For
an satisfactory additional size of cable on the entry level for testing and jointing installing underground fiber optic
cable. This extra size, at every finish of the cable, is generally larger than that allowed for metallic cables. And
shouldn’t embrace that a part of the cable used for the rope attachment, which isn’t appropriate for jointing.