ANSI APPROVED

Introduction

Intent

This test is applicable to loose tube cables containing a multiplicity of buffer tubes and specified for midspan access applications requiring expressed buffer tube storage (buffer tubes stored in their intact form; not cut, opened, or removed). The test currently only applies to loose tube cables in which the nominal tube diameter is 2.0 mm, or larger. The test may be used for other outdoor cables as agreed between the cable manufacturer and customer.

Performance of tubes smaller than 2.0 mm in this test is currently under study. Users are cautioned that tubes smaller than 2.0 mm, which are commonly used in jettable microcables, may easily be kinked or damaged when expressed.

Storing several meters of expressed tubes in pedestals or splice cases is common field practice. This practice simplifies access to fibers for future reconfiguration or as a collateral result of accessing one or a few of the tubes in a cable. The procedure in this document tests the ability of tubes to withstand temperature cycling without sustaining the specified induced fiber attenuation when the tubes are not constrained by other cable components or are only minimally constrained by slack management devices typically used in splice cases or pedestals.

Typical indications of failure are:

1. A temporary or permanent change in optical throughput which exceeds limits stated in the Detail Specification.

2. Cracks, blisters, or kinks of expressed buffer tubes.