scope:

Products

This Standard covers optical fiber communications cable intended for outdoor use and normally installed aerially, directly buried, or placed in underground ducts. Additional requirements are included in Annex D for "figure-8" aerial self-supporting cables and in Annex F for all-dielectric self-support cables, as appropriate. Materials, constructions, and performance requirements are included in the Standard, together with applicable test procedures. Refer to other published ICEA cable product standards for information on optical fiber cable requirements for other applications:

• S-83-596: Indoor optical fiber cable

• S-104-696: Indoor-outdoor optical fiber cable

• S-110-717: Standard for optical fiber drop cable

• S-112-718: Optical fiber cable for placement in sewer environments)

• S-115-730: Optical fiber cables intended for Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) applications

• S-119-741: Fiber to the antenna (FTTA) optical fiber cable.

• S-120-742: Hybrid optical fiber cables intended for use in limited power circuits.

• S-121-744: Optical fiber outside plant microduct cables.

Applications Space

Products covered by this Standard are intended for operation only under conditions normally found in communications systems. These products normally convey communications signals (voice, video, and data) from point-to-point or point-to-multi-point, external to buildings. Products covered by this Standard may be factory terminated with connectors or splicing modules.

When a hybrid cable is required, the applicable metallic conductor requirements shall be as established by agreement between the end user and the cable manufacturer. The requirements of ANSI/ICEA S-84-608 should be considered when determining appropriate requirements.

Temperature Ranges

The normal temperature ranges for cables covered by this Standard are given in Table 1.1

For the purposes of this standard, very-low temperature applications are defined as -50 °C (-58 °F) per 1.4.1.6 and are addressed in Annex C), which contains requirements for lower operating and storage temperatures than listed in Table 1.1.

Tensile Rating

The standard installation tensile rating for cables covered by this Standard is 2670 N (600 lbf). Higher tensile ratings are also acceptable. For applications where a lower tensile rating is appropriate, the standard lower tensile rating is 1330 N (300 lbf). In all cases, the residual load is defined as a load equal to 30 % of the installation tensile rating.

For self-supporting aerial applications there are additional considerations that need to be addressed to ensure that the cable design is appropriate for the self-supporting distance and environmental loading conditions. See 7.30 and Annex D for information on figure-8 self-supporting aerial cable requirements and considerations. Also, see Annex F for information on all-dielectric self-supporting cable requirements and considerations.

For aerial applications in which the optical cable is lashed to a separate messenger wire, the use of a cable designed for a standard tensile rating for installation by direct burial, trenching, or pulling into duct may be adequate.

Minimum Bend Diameter

The standard minimum bend diameters for cables covered by this Standard are:

Residual (Installed): 20 x Cable OD or 30 x Cable OD for ribbon cables greater than or equal to 216 fibers

Loaded Condition (During Installation): 40 x Cable OD

For very small cables (e.g., such as those installed in microducts), manufacturers may specify a fixed cable minimum bend diameter (e.g., 300 mm) that is independent of the cable outer diameter (OD).

For cables not having a circular cross-section, bend diameter requirements are to be determined using the thickness (minor axis) as the cable diameter and bending in the direction of the preferential bend.