FIBER OPTIC CABLE

COURSE
C.E. Ehab I Bashir
Fiber Optic Cable course
1.Overview of communication medias.
2.Refraction&reflection of light.
3. Fiber optic communication system.
4.Optical fiber source & detector.
5.Definition & type of F.O.
6.Fiber optic structure.
7.Installation of F.O.C.
8.Optical fiber connections.
9.Definition & types of attenuation.
10. Measurement methods.
11. Attachment photos.
12. Practical parts(O&M,splicing,
testing……etc.
FIBER OPTIC CABLE COURSE
⚫ Over view of communication medias:-
⚫ Introduction:-
⚫ There are four types of media that can be used in
transmitting information in telecommunications
system, which are:
1. Copper wire
2. Coaxial cable (actually an adaptation of copper
wire)
3. Wireless
4. Fiber optic
Disadvantages of Copper cable
⚫ Too expensive with respect to fiber optic cable.
⚫ need many pipes to be installed for pulling in
the cable.
⚫ Always exposed to be theft due to its high
commercial price.
⚫ Need to install in short distances as a
communication system.
⚫ Low carrying capacity (small bandwidth).
⚫ Can be affected with interference , crosstalk &
other neighboring circuit (as happened in
wireless medias).
 Advantages of fiber optic cables:
⚫ SPEED: Fiber optic networks operate at high
speeds - up into the gigabits.
⚫ BANDWIDTH: large carrying capacity.

⚫ DISTANCE: Signals can be transmitted further .

⚫ RESISTANCE: Greater resistance to

electromagnetic noise such as radios, motors or
other nearby cables.
⚫ Small size & weight(many KM’s can be delivered)

⚫ MAINTENANCE: Fiber optic cables costs much

less to maintain.
Refraction & reflection of light

⚫ As a light ray passes from one transparent medium

to another, it changes direction; this phenomenon is
called refraction of light.
⚫ How much that light ray changes its direction
depends on the refractive index of the mediums.
Total internal reflection:
Light pulses move easily down the fiber-
optic line because of a principle known
as total internal reflection. "This
principle of total internal reflection states
that when the angle of incidence
exceeds a critical value, light cannot get
out of the glass; instead, the light
bounces back in. When this principle is
applied to the construction of the fiber-
optic strand, it is possible to transmit
information down fiber lines in the form
of light pulses.
 Refractive index (n) of the medium: -
This can be define as, is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum (air)
(Cn=1) to the speed of light in the medium) (e.g. glass, for the glass
n=1.5).
n=C/V
WHERE: C= is the velocity of light in the vacuum, which is
constant(300000 km/s).
V= is the velocity of light in glass, which depends on the density
of the glass.
Snells law:
C1/C2= n2/n1
C1= first medium( AIR), C2 = second medium GLASS).
n2=second medium(1.5), n1= first medium(1).THERE FOR C for the glass
is:
Cg= 300000 km/s X 1/ 1.5=200000 km/s.
Also there is basic relation between C , f & λ which is:
C= f x λ.
WHERE : C= is the speed of propagation.
f= frequency.
λ = wave length. (windows wavelengths for the for the light in
fiber optic which is in the range of 800 nm – 1700 nm).
Refraction Index
⚫ The index of refraction (n) is the ratio of the speed
of light in a vacuum (c) to its velocity in a material
(v)
⚫ n=c/v
⚫ Light changes speed (and bends) as it passes
through different mediums
Material Index (n) Light speed (km/s)
Vacuum 1.0 300 000
Water 1.33 225 000
Glass 1.5 200 000
Diamond 2.0 150 000
Wavelength range of optical
transmission

single mode Laser

multi mode Laser

wavelength nm

1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200

2x1014 3x1014 1x1015

Frequency Hz

Radar Laser Infrared Visible 5x1014 Ultraviolet

range range range range range
Basic Communication Model

Tx Channel Rx
◼ Source
❑ generates data to be transmitted
◼ Transmitter
❑ Converts data into transmittable signals
◼ Transmission System
❑ Carries data
◼ Receiver
❑ Converts received signal into data
◼ Destination
❑ Takes incoming data
Fiber optic communication
system:
⚫ Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information
from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an
optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is
modulated to carry information. First developed in the 1970s, fiber-
optic communication systems have revolutionized the
telecommunications industry and have played a major role in the
advent of the Information Age. Because of its advantages over
electrical transmission, optical fibers have largely replaced copper
wire communications in core networks in the developed world.
The process of communicating using fiber-optics involves the
following basic steps: Creating the optical signal involving the use of
a transmitter, relaying the signal along the fiber, ensuring that the
signal does not become too distorted or weak, receiving the optical
signal, and converting it into an electrical signal.
Optical communication system
⚫ A fiber-optic system is similar to the
copper wire system that fiber-optics is
replacing. The difference is that fiber-
optics use light pulses to transmit
information down fiber lines instead of
using electronic pulses to transmit
information down copper lines. Looking
at the components in a fiber-optic chain
will give a better understanding of how
the system works in conjunction with
wire based systems.
⚫ At one end of the system is a transmitter. This
is the place of origin for information coming on
to fiber-optic lines. The transmitter accepts
coded electronic pulse information coming
from copper wire. It then processes and
translates that information into equivalently
coded light pulses. A light-emitting diode
(LED) or an injection-laser diode (ILD) can be
used for generating the light pulses. Using a
lens, the light pulses are funneled into the
fiber-optic medium where they transmit
themselves down the line.|
Optical source and detectors: -
⚫ (1) Optical source:
⚫ Optical sources (transmitters) are an electronic components
used to convert the electrical signal to optical signal and send
it through optical fibers after certain modulation to the signal.
The most optical sources used in modern fiber optic system
are laser diode (LD) and light emitting diode (LED), the
advantages of these two diode are so small and more suitable
for simple electronic energy.
⚫ But generally we use light emitting diode for short distances
and laser diode long distances. The word LASER stands for,
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission Radiation.
⚫ The LDs and LEDs are operated infrared portion of
electromagnetic spectrum, so their light out put usually
invisible to the human being eye. Their operating wavelengths
are chosen to be compatible with the lowest transmission loss
and high sensitivity ranges of photodiodes. These
wavelengths are 850 nm, 1310 nm and 1550 nm.
(2)Optical detectors:-
⚫ The optical detectors (receivers) convert the
optical signal back into original electrical
signal.
⚫ The detector of the optical signal is either PIN-
type photo diode or avalanche type photo
diode. The photo diode demodulates an
optical signal by generating a current
proportional to the intensity of electrical signal.
⚫ For the area of operation in fiber optic
transmission system where long distances
transmission (greater than 100km), we use
avalanche photo diode because it is designed
for applications requiring greater sensitivity.
•Definition of O.F: -
Physically optical fiber is a very thin flexible medium having solid
cylindrical waveguide consisting of three layers, which are:
1. The core.
2. The cladding.
3. The coating or jacket.

Types of F.O.:-
There are three types of fiber optic commonly used:
single mode, multimode and plastic optical fiber (POF).
Transparent glass or plastic fibers which allow light to be
guided from one end to the other with minimal loss.
Types of fiber optic:
⚫ Single Mode cable is a single stand of glass
fiber with a diameter of 8.3 to 10 microns that has
one mode of transmission. Single Mode Fiber
with a relatively narrow diameter, through which
only one mode will propagate typically 1310 or
1550nm. Carries higher bandwidth than
multimode fiber, but requires a light source with a
narrow spectral width. Also single mode can be
called as mono-mode optical fiber, single-mode
fiber, single-mode optical waveguide, uni-mode
fiber. Has a cladding diameter of 125 microns &
coating or jacket diameter of 250 microns.
SINGLE-MODE FIBER has a narrow core (eight
microns or less), and the index of refraction
between the core and the cladding changes
less than it does for multimode fibers. Light thus
travels parallel to the axis, creating little pulse
dispersion. Telephone and cable television
networks install millions of kilometers of this
fiber every year.
Single-mode fiber gives you a higher transmission rate
and up to 50 times more distance than multimode, but
it also costs more. Single-mode fiber has a much
smaller core than multimode. The small core and
single light-wave virtually eliminate any distortion that
could result from overlapping light pulses, providing the
least signal attenuation and the highest transmission
speeds of any fiber cable type.
Single-mode optical fiber is an optical fiber in which
only the lowest order bound mode can propagate at
the wavelength of interest typically 1300 to 1320nm.
⚫ Multimode cable is made of of glass fibers, with a
common diameters in the 50-to-100 micron range for the
light carry component (the most common size is
62.5). POF is a newer plastic-based cable which
promises performance similar to glass cable on very short
runs, but at a lower cost.
Multimode fiber gives you high bandwidth at high speeds over
medium distances. Light waves are dispersed into
numerous paths, or modes, as they travel through the
cable's core typically 850 or 1300nm. Typical multimode
fiber core diameters are 50, 62.5, and 100 micrometers.
However, in long cable runs (greater than 3000 feet [914.4
meters), multiple paths of light can cause signal distortion
at the receiving end, resulting in an unclear and incomplete
data transmission.
1. STEP-INDEX MULTIMODE FIBER has a large core,
up to 100 microns in diameter. As a result, some of the
light rays that make up the digital pulse may travel a
direct route, whereas others zigzag as they bounce off
the cladding. These alternative pathways cause the
different groupings of light rays, referred to as modes,
to arrive separately at a receiving point. The pulse, an
aggregate of different modes, begins to spread out,
losing its well-defined shape. The need to leave
spacing between pulses to prevent overlapping limits
bandwidth that is, the amount of information that can
be sent. Consequently, this type of fiber is best suited
for transmission over short distances, in an endoscope,
for instance.
2. GRADED-INDEX MULTIMODE FIBER contains a core in
which the refractive index diminishes gradually from the
center axis out toward the cladding. The higher refractive
index at the center makes the light rays moving down the
axis advance more slowly than those near the cladding.
Also, rather than zigzagging off the cladding, light in the
core curves helically because of the graded index, reducing
its travel distance. The shortened path and the higher
speed allow light at the periphery to arrive at a receiver at
about the same time as the slow but straight rays in the
core axis. The result: a digital pulse suffers less dispersion.
Fiber cable structure
⚫ Definitions:
⚫ Cabling is the process of packaging optical fibers in a
solid tube (called sheath) for ease of working activities
,handling & protection.
⚫ From point of usage ,fiber cable had been classified in
two categories, one for external plant covered with the
sheath called polythene(PE) & other for internal
installation covered with flexible sheath called polyvinyl
chloride (PVC).
⚫ Also according to the type of the fiber, the cable can be
classified to single & multi mode cable.
Fiber cable manufacturing:
⚫ Fiber cable normally manufacturing in
different style structure:
1. One called maxi-tube cable, in which all
fibers were inserted inside one tube situated
in the middle of the cable.
2. Another type called loose buffered tube
cable , in which all fibers were divided in to
many colored tubes in the cable, situated in
circular shape , in addition to another
elements called fillers to keep the circularity
shape of the cable.
 Maxi-tube cable

P.E sheath fibers

corrugated
sheath
Jelly filling Maxi-tube
compound

Ripcord
Buffer tube cable
Samples of fiber cables
⚫ Direct buried cable ⚫ Submarine cable
 Installation of optical fiber cables:-
⚫ The fiber optic cables installed in a pipe called
conduit system for more protection and ease
of maintenance. There is pulling tool used to
withdraw the cable in the conduit system, also
there are manholes and hand holes used to
ease the pulling of the cable and storing the
connection point of the cable. Some times
outside plant cable are directly laid in the
ground after digging deep in the ground and
back filling again, and this can decrease the
cost of the installation.
Installation methods
⚫ Installation methods for both copper cables
and optical fiber cables are similar.
⚫ Fiber cable can be pulled with much greater
force than copper wire if pulled correctly.
⚫ Long distances laying mean cables are
spliced together, since cables are not
longer than about 4 km.
⚫ Most splices are by fusion splicing.
Do not pull on the fibers
⚫ Pull on the strength members only! Any other
method may put stress on the fibers and harm
them.
⚫ Most cables cannot be pulled by the jacket.
⚫ Do not pull on the jacket unless it is specifically
approved by the cable manufacturers and you
use an approved cable grip.
 Do not exceed the maximum pulling
load rating.
⚫ On long runs, proper lubricants must be used
and the lubricant must be compatible with the
cable jacket.
⚫ On really long runs, pull from the middle out
to both ends.
⚫ If possible, use an automated puller with
tension control or at least a breakaway
pulling eye.
Do not exceed the cable bend radius.

⚫ Fiber is stronger than steel when pulled

straight, but it breaks easily when bent too
tightly.
⚫ These will harm the fibers, maybe
immediately, maybe not for a few years, but
they may be harmed and the cable must be
removed and thrown away!
Check the length.
⚫ The cable must be long enough for the run.
⚫ It’s not easy or cheap to splice fiber and it
needs special protection. It is better if it is
pulled once up to about 2-3 Kilometers.
⚫ After installation, every fiber and every
splice is tested with an OTDR.
⚫ Testing is also can be done by a source
and meter, in addition to continuity test.
Conduit and Inner-duct.
⚫ Outside plant cables are either installed in conduit or inner-duct or
direct buried, depending on the cable type.
⚫ Building cables can be installed directly, but can be put inside
plenum-rated inner-duct.
⚫ This inner-duct will provide a good way to identify fiber optic cable
and protect it from damage, generally a result of someone cutting it
by mistake!
⚫ The inner-duct can speed installation and maybe even cut costs.
⚫ It can be installed quickly by unskilled labor, then the fiber cable can
be pulled through in seconds. An inner-duct may have a pulling tape
already installed.
 Optical fibers connections:-
Definition:
⚫ The purpose of fiber termination is to provide easy ways for
fiber cross connection and light wave signal distribution.
There are two types of fiber terminations:
connectors and splicing.
⚫ Splicing:
⚫ Splicing is the process of connecting two bare fibers directly
without any connectors. There are two methods of fiber optic
splicing:
mechanical splicing and fusion splicing.

Fusion splicing techniques:-

This type of connection is done by a certain machine called
fusion splicer , this splicer is the microprocessor machine used
to produce a fixed low loss connection between the two fibers.
This splicing is done, in the manner as heating, melting and then
two fiber fused together. When the two fibers are totally fused,
the machine displays a certain value of attenuation for this fused
point. This fusion process is shown in the figure below:-
Fusion & mechanical splicing
fusion splicer
Fiber end mismatches
⚫ Mechanical connections: - In this type the two fibers are
mechanically connected together, this can be done by two
methods:
1. Sleeves method: In this method the two fibers coatings
are stripped out of the fiber and cleared with ALCOHOL
and then cleaved (cut) with certain cleaving lengths, and
then the two end of the fiber are inserted in one sleeve
and then pressed with the certain tool.
2. Connector method: The two fibers are already prepared
in screw connector or any other form and then
approached together in female connector and then tightly
closed.
⚫ Closures:-
⚫ Are solid tubes or containers used to protect the fibers
at the point of connection of two cables, manufactured
from solid plastic material.
Definition & causes of attenuation
⚫ is the decrease (loss) in magnitude of the signal power
in transmission between points.
⚫ Attenuation usually measured in decibel (dB) at specific
wavelength.
⚫ As light is guided through the core of a fiber, four
properties can cause attenuation:
1.Absorption:
⚫ Occurs when light strikes impurities in core glass and is
absorbed.
2.Scattering:
⚫ Occurs when light strikes an area where the material
density changes.
3.Macrobending:
⚫ Is large scale bending of the fiber bend which exceeds
the fiber bend radius and causes light to leave the core
and travel in the cladding (usually an installation
problem).
4.Micro bending:
Is microscopic distortion of the fiber, which causes light
to leave the core and travel in the cladding (created
during manufacturing).
Acceptable link loss
calculation
⚫ Link loss (dB) = Cable loss + Connectors loss +
Splices loss.
⚫ Cable loss (dB) = Cable length (km) x Loss
coefficient (dB/km)*
⚫ Connector loss (dB) = number of connector pairs x
connector loss (dB)*
⚫ Splice loss = number of splices x splice loss (dB)*.
⚫ Accepted attenuation range:
⚫ At 1310 nm should be in the range of 0.30 dB/km to
0.35 dB /km.
⚫ At 1550nm , should be in the range of 0.20 dB /km to
0.25 dB /km.
Measurements methods:
1. transmission method:
⚫ The simplest and most accurate method of
measuring the end-to-end loss of an optical
fiber is done by light source and power meter.
Shown here above is the proper method for
storing reference and then measuring loss.
⚫ Multimode and single mode optical
measurements can be done perfectly by this
method .
Link Loss measurements
2.Back scattering method
Coupler/
CONTROLLER LCD splitter

LASER SOURCE

DETECTOR Fiber under test

⚫ The optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR),

sends out a pulse of light and measures the
level of light that is reflected back. An optical
coupler allows both optical source and optical
receiver to be connected to the same fiber.
Equation of distance
measurements
Pulse width
 O.T.D.R
TYPICAL BACKSCATTERED TRACE ⚫
Mechanical Fibre
Connector Fusion splice splice end

O.T.D.R
O.T.D.R
connector
Att (dB )

Rayleigh
scattering

Fresnel
reflection

Noise

Dist (Km )
Visual fault locator
⚫ A "visual fault locator". It injects a bright red
laser light into the fiber to find faults. If there is a
high loss, such as a bad splice, connector or
tight bend stressing the fiber, the light lost may
be visible to the naked eye. This will find events
close to the OTDR or close to another event that
are not resolvable to the OTDR. It's limitation is
distance too, it only works over a range of about
2.5 miles or 4 km.
⚫ The visual fault locator is so valuable a tool that
many OTDRs now have one built into them.
 Attenuation & Dispersion
Input pulse Output pulse


W0 W0 T

Attenuation () : the signal received is less than the transmitte

Attenuation: the loss of signal in the fibre (e.g., 0.2 dB/km)
Modal dispersion (Bandwidth limitation) : the signal is wide
due to different propagation times (T)

Transmitted pulse fiber Received pulse

Dispersion:-
⚫ Dispersion: is the spread and broadening pulse of light as it is guided through
the fiber.
⚫ There are four types of dispersion:-
⚫ Modal dispersion: occurs when various modes of light follow different paths
through the fiber and arrive at the far end at different times. It occurs only in
multimode fibers.
⚫ Material (or chromatic ) dispersion: occurs because different wave lengths
(colors) of light travel at different velocities through the fiber.
⚫ Wave guide dispersion: occurs because light travels in both the core and
cladding at slight different speeds. It is most significant in single-mode fibers.
⚫ Polarization mode dispersion: occurs when the X and Y polarization states of a
light signal travel at different speeds through a fiber. This is similar to MODAL
dispersion except that it can be significant in single – mode fiber.
⚫ The unit of dispersion for single mode step index fiber is
⚫ Ps/ km.nm
⚫ While the unit of dispersion for multimode step index and graded index is the
MHz.
 MULTIMODE GRADED INDEX
62.5 / 125 µm (Core / Cladding)

Input pulse
Source Cladding

Ray of light Core

Output pulse

Gradient Index Glass slows down the faster light modes and speeds up the slower
Multimode Step-Index
⚫ Dispersion
⚫ Modus dispersion or Modal Delay
(4000 different modes)

140 µm

100 µm
 SINGLEMODE STEP INDEX

9 / 125 µm (Core / Cladding)

No dispersion

Input pulse
Laser Cladding

Ray of light Core

Output pulse
 Patch cords:

SC-SC UPC 9/125µm Single mode

SC-SC UPC 9/125µm Single mode
Duplex Patch Cord
Simplex Patch Cord

LC-LC UPC 9/125µm Single mode

LC-LC UPC 9/125µm Single Duplex Patch Cord
mode Simplex Patch Cord
 Single mode adapters:

SC Single mode Simplex Adapter SC Single mode Duplex Adapter

LC Single mode Simplex Adapter LC Single mode Duplex Adapter

 Fiber optic closure

• Fiber color code

system
1. Blue
2. Orange
3. Green
4. Brown
5. Gray
6. White
7. Red
8. Black
9. Yellow
10. Violet
11. Pink
12. Aqua
Pigtails & Patch cords:
Fusion Splicer X60 with mounted accessories
FSM-50S –Fujikura FUSION SPLICER
TOOL KIT: tools used for cable preparation
 Fiber Types and Typical Specifications
Core/Cladding Attenuation Bandwidth Applications/Notes

Multimode Graded-Index
@850/1300 nm @850/1300 nm

50/125 microns 3/1 dB/km 500/500 MHz-km Laser-rated

50/125 microns 3/1 dB/km 2000/500 MHz-km Optimized for 850 nm

Most common LAN

62.5/125 microns 3/1 dB/km 160/500 MHz-km
fiber

100/140 microns 3/1 dB/km 150/300 MHz-km Obsolete

Single mode
@1310/1550 nm

HIGH! Telco/CATV/long high

8-9/125 microns 0.4/0.25 dB/km
~100 Terahertz speed LANs

Multimode Step-Index
@850 nm @850 nm

200/240 microns 4-6 dB/km 50 MHz-km Slow LANs & links

POF (plastic optical fiber)

@ 650 nm @ 650 nm

1 mm ~ 1 dB/m ~5 MHz-km Short Links & Cars

Standardized Parameters Of
Optical Fibers
Type of optical fiber multimode Single mode

Core Diameter or 50 um 62,5 um 9...10 um

Field Diameter (50—100 um) (50—100 um) (5—10 um)
Cladding Diameter 125 um 125 um 125 um

Coating Diameter 250 um 250 um 250 um

max.Attenuation at 850nm 2,5 dB/km 3,2 dB/km

max.Attenuation at 1300nm 0.8 dB/km 0.9 dB/km 0.38 dB/km

max.Attenuation at 1550nm 0.24 dB/km

 Fiber optic maintenance workshop tools & equipments:
No. item quantity
1 Human resources At least 3 persons(one Eng.
&two Technicians)
2 (closed environment) 4-wheel drive car 1
3 Optical time domain reflectometer 1
4 Splicing machines 2
5 Cable preparation tool kit for cable jointing 1
6 Closures 4
7 Fiber optic cable (required capacity) At least 300m
8 Generator(3kw) 1
9 Electric cable(reel of 25 m) 1
10 Electric lamp(for light during night) 2
11 Optical set(light source &power meter 1
12 Pig tails & patch cord 2 (for each)
13 Movable flash light 2