Information on the most widely used ASTM standards within the materials testing industry
Optical fibre cables are widely used in telecommunications, data centers, and industrial networks. Their mechanical performance directly determines installation reliability and long-term service stability—mechanical tests verify resistance to external stresses (tension, bending, compression, etc.) without damaging the fibre core or affecting signal transmission.
As the physical foundation of modern communication networks, the material properties of optical cables directly determine the transmission quality, reliability, and service life of communication systems. In application scenarios such as fiber-to-the-home, 5G base stations, data centers, and submarine cables, optical cables must withstand long-term mechanical stress, temperature changes, chemical corrosion, and ultraviolet radiation. Even minor defects in material performance can lead to signal attenuation, fiber breakage, or even the failure of the entire communication link. Statistics show that over 60% of optical cable failures stem from material aging or substandard performance. Therefore, testing the materials of optical cables is not only a core aspect of production quality control but also a key technical support for ensuring long-term stable operation in the construction and maintenance of communication networks. Through systematic material testing, potential issues can be effectively identified, such as reinforcement materials with insufficient tensile strength, sheath materials with poor heat resistance, or water-blocking materials with substandard dielectric constants, preventing major communication accidents caused by material failure from the source.
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Optical cable testing covers multiple dimensions, including optical performance, mechanical performance, environmental performance, and geometric dimensions.
Specific test items mainly include:
| Optical Characteristics | Fiber attenuation coefficient, cutoff wavelength, mode field diameter, and macrobend loss |
| Mechanical properties | Cable tensile strength, crush resistance, repeated bending, torsion, impact, cut off, Aeolian vibration, Sheath pull-off force, Galloping test, Bending under Tension and Sheave Testing |
| Environmental properties | Temperature cycling, water ingress, and flame retardancy |
| Structural dimensions | Cable outer diameter, sheath thickness, and fiber geometric parameters (core diameter, cladding diameter, concentricity error) |
| Electrical performance | Dielectric strength, insulation resistance, capacitance stability |
| Chemical performance | Acid and alkali resistance, oil resistance; |
The wide range of testing is suitable for various types of communication cables (such as central tube, stranded, and skeleton cables), special cables (such as power OPGW, submarine optical cables, and military field optical cables), covering the full lifecycle from raw materials (such as optical fiber preforms, loose tube materials), central reinforcing components, loose sleeves, fiber paste, waterstop strips, steel-plastic composite strips, and polyethylene sheaths, semi-finished products, finished products, to active systems.
Test Instruments and Equipment Used:
Completing the above tests requires a series of specialized instruments.
The optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is the core equipment, used to measure fiber link attenuation, length, and locate faults; a combination of light source and optical power meter is used for precise measurement of insertion loss; an optical fiber geometry tester is used to analyze the microscopic geometric dimensions of the fiber; a tensile testing machine and a flattening tester are used to evaluate the mechanical strength of the cable; a high-low temperature cycling test chamber is used to simulate performance stability under extreme temperature conditions. In addition, auxiliary tools such as fusion splicers, fiber strippers, and cutting knives are needed for sample preparation. These devices typically feature high precision, automated data collection, and adherence to standard testing procedures to ensure the accuracy and comparability of the test results.
Standards Landscape:
International (IEC): The IEC 60794 series ("Optical fibre cables") is the primary standard. Part 1-2 details all mechanical test methods. It is widely adopted globally.
Optical cable testing work strictly follows a series of authoritative domestic and international standards. International standards include the IEC 60793 series (optical fiber) and IEC 60794 series (optical cable) issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission, as well as the ITU-T G.65x series recommendations from the International Telecommunication Union.
These standards and specifications provide detailed testing methods, sample requirements, conditions, and limits for various performance parameters, offering a unified technical basis for testing. They ensure consistency and fairness of test results across different laboratories and product batches, and serve as the statutory technical documents for product certification, bidding, and project acceptance.
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