SYSTEM INSTALLATION

The Navy has a standard to provide detailed information and guidance to personnel concerned with the installation of fiber optic cable plants on naval surface ships and submarines. The fiber optic cable plant consists of all the fiber optic cables and the fiber optic interconnection equipment within the ship, including connectors, splices, and interconnection boxes. The fiber optic cable plant installation standard consists of a basic standard and six numbered parts dealing with the following:

• Cables - provides detailed methods for cable storage and handling, end-sealing, repair, and splicing
• Equipment - provides detailed methods for fiber optic equipment installation and cable entrance to equipment
• Penetrations - provides detailed methods for cable penetrations within the ship's structure
• Cableways - provides detailed methods to install fiber optic cables in cableways
• Connectors and interconnections - provides detailed methods for installing fiber optic connectors and other interconnections, such as splices
• Tests - identifies and provides detailed methods for testing fiber optic cable plants before, during, and after installation and repair

There are other standards that discuss fiber optic system installation.

Many of these standards incorporate procedures for repair, maintenance, and testing. The techniques developed for installing fiber optic hardware are not much different than for installing hardware for copper-based systems.

However, the primary precautions that need to be emphasized when installing fiber optic systems on board ships are as follows:

• Optical fibers or cables should never be bent at a radius of curvature less than a certain value, called the minimum bend radius. Bending an optical fiber or cable at a radius smaller than the minimum bend radius causes additional fiber loss.
• Fiber optic cables should never be pulled tight or fastened over or through sharp corners or cutting edges. Extremely sharp bends increase the fiber loss and may lead to fiber breakage.
• Fiber optic connectors should always be cleaned before mating. Dirt in a fiber optic connection will significantly increase the connection loss and may damage the connector.
• Precautions must be taken so the cable does not become kinked or crushed during installation of the hardware. Extremely sharp kinks or bends increase the fiber loss and may lead to fiber breakage.
• Only trained, authorized personnel should be allowed to install or repair fiber optic systems.

Q.16 Optical fibers or cables should never be bent at a radius of curvature smaller than a certain value. Identify this radius of curvature.
Q.17 List five precautions to take when installing fiber optic systems on board naval ships.