What is BS EN 60794-3 - Optical fibre cables about?
BS EN 60794 is a series on optical fibre cables. Optical fibre cables are an assembly similar to an electrical cable but containing one or more optical fibre that is used to carry light. BS EN 60794-3 specifies the requirements for optical fibre cables and cable elements that are intended to be used externally in communications networks. Other types of applications requiring similar types of cables can be considered.
Requirements for cables to be used in ducts, for directly buried applications, aerial cables and cables for lake and river crossings are included in BS EN 60794-3. Also included are cables for specialized use in sewers and in water and gas pipes.
Note 1: For aerial application, BS EN 60794-3 does not cover all functional aspects of cables installed in the vicinity of overhead power lines. For such applications, additional requirements and test methods may be necessary. Moreover, BS EN 60794-3 excludes optical ground wires and cables attached to the phase or earth conductors of overhead power lines.
Note 2: For cables for lake and river crossings, BS EN 60794-3 does not cover methods of cable repair, nor repair capability, nor does it cover cables for use with underwater line amplifiers.
Who is BS EN 60794-3 - Optical fibre cables for?
BS EN 60794-3 on optical fibre cables is useful for:
- Telecommunication component manufacturers
- Telecommunication equipment manufacturers
- Design engineers
- Quality control personnel
Why should you use BS EN 60794-3 - Optical fibre cables?
The optical fibre elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable is used. BS EN 60794-3 discusses optical fibres that comprise several elements or individual constituents, depending on the cable design which considers the cable application, operating environment, and manufacturing processes, as well as the need to protect the fibre during handling and cabling. The material(s) used for a cable element is selected to be compatible with the other elements in contact with it. An appropriate compatibility test method is defined in BS EN 60794-3. When the fibres are in contact with a filling compound, the compatibility of the filling compound with the fibre coating is demonstrated by testing coating stripping force stability after accelerated ageing in accordance with IEC 60794-1-21, Method E5. Alternative ageing conditions and tests may be agreed upon between the customer and supplier.
Optical elements are cable elements containing optical fibres and are designed to be a primary functional unit of the cable core. They may comprise any of the cable elements described in BS EN 60794-3. Optical elements and each fibre within a cable element is uniquely identified, for example by colours, a positional configuration, markings, tapes, threads or as specified in BS EN 60794-3. Tests are performed on cable elements either in uncabled form or in a finished cable. Unless otherwise specified, testing is performed on cable elements in a finished cable. (This means that testing is performed only on a finished cable if the cable element manufacturing operation is done by the same manufacturer as the cabling operation. Testing is performed on cable elements only if the cable element is supplied by a third party; this does not exclude testing of the finished cable.). Using BS EN 60794-3 you can specify the requirements for optical fibre cables and cable elements that are intended to be used externally in communications networks.