Loose Tube Vs Tight Buffered Fiber Optic Cable

Each fiber is coated with a buffer coating usually with an outside diameter of 900m.

Loose tube vs tight buffered fiber optic cable.

Tight buffered cable and loose tube cable are both fiber optic cables that consist of multiple fiber counts inside a single line of fiber cable for the sake of better protection and cabling. Actually when talking about optical fiber cables you may be confused about their several standards of classifications such as connector construction standard and transmission media standard. Loose tube fiber optic cable is typically continue reading. Tight buffer fiber contains a thick coating of a plastic type material which is applied directly to the outside of each individual fiber.

Therefore protecting and preserving the optical properties of the fiber is a design priority. Loose buffer or loose tube cables mean that the fibers are placed loosely within a plastic tube whose inner diameter considerably larger. Tight buffered and loose tube fiber are the two styles of constructions fiber optic cables offered. Loose tube fiber and tight buffered fiber.

This type of cable protects the fiber from stresses caused by the environment namely moisture and temperature. Tight buffered cables oftenn are used for intra building risers general building and plenum applications. The most proven fiber optic cable technology for long term reliability outdoors is the loose tube gel filled design. Tight buffer vs loose tube cable design.

Fiber optic cables are constructed in two ways. Loose tube and tight buffered. But each is designed for very different environments. From the picture below we can see that loose tube fiber holds more than one optical fiber each individually.

Both contain a type of strengthening member such as aramid yarn stainless steel wire strands or gel filled sleeves. Between them there are several common denominators like the fact that both have in their interior a strengthening member of sorts that can be made of stainless steel in the form of wire strands aramid yarn or gel filled sleeves. Each however is designed for very different environments. And this post will classify fiber cables by their cable design standard.

But there are two basic styles of fiber optic cable construction. Loose tube and tight buffered. Fiber optic cable is available in many physical variations such as single and multiple conductor constructions aerial and direct burial styles plenum and riser cables etc. Loose tube cables are designed for harsh environment conditions in the outdoors.

Both contain some type of strengthening member such as aramid yarn stainless steel wire strands or even gel filled sleeves.