Optical Fiber with High Tensile Stress Requirement
One of our customers is asking for a fiber which is described as;
“Optical fibres of more than 500 m in length and specified by the manufacturer as being capable of withstanding a ‘proof test’ tensile stress of 2×10e9 N/m² or more…..”
Can anybody guide me who manufactures this kind of fibers? Is it a normal fiber?
2×10e9 N/m² is equal to 2 GPa, which is in other words equal to 3% proof tested fiber.
Typical optical fibers used in terrestrial telecommunication networks is proof tested for 1% as specified in IEC and other international standards. Note that 1% is equivalent to 0.69GPa, which if I express in the unit you used in your question will be 0.69×10e9 N/m².
Now you can see, the fiber you are looking for is almost 3 times higher proof-tested fiber. For your information, the optical fibers used in submarine fiber optic cables are proof-tested for 2%, which is equivalent to 1.4 GPa. Submarine cables are subjected to one of the worst tensile load conditions during their lifetime. Hence, they need to be tested to verify their ability to withstand higher tensile loads.
The above is just for calculation and to understand the scenario. Coming to your question about suppliers of higher tensile strength: I can just guide you to approach Corning, Prysmian, OFS etc who are leading optical fiber manufacturers. They should tell you about the availability.
Good learning from you Mr. Chen. You are a professional.
