In the modern world, optical fiber is used to organize networks more and more often. It is a thread made of a transparent material, like glass or plastic, which is capable of carrying light inside itself through total internal reflection. Any fiber has a core and a cover with different refractive indices. The core, which is the main distributor of the light signal, is made of optically dense material. Nowadays optical fiber is not difficult to buy. In the acquisition process, you must pay attention to the numbers indicated through the fraction. These figures indicate the diameter of the core and the shell.
Depending on the type, singlemode and multimode optical fibers are isolated. The first option involves the transmission of a light pulse of only one mode, it is for this reason that there are no dispersion distortions. To date, almost all produced fibers belong to this type. They are used most often in many trunk lines, where high quality of transmitted data is necessary. Here the transmission speed does not have a negative effect, unlike networks with an electrical signal. With the advent of optical amplifiers, the throughput of such lines has increased dramatically.
By the way, optical fiber has found its application not only in the field of network technologies. It can also act as a sensor for measuring temperature, voltage, pressure and other parameters. The small size and lack of need for electricity make it possible to occupy high positions in specific areas. In addition, the present invention is very often used in sonar and seismic devices. There is another sphere of use, which is the lighting function.
As a rule, optical fiber welding permits splicing of optical fibers among themselves. With the help of welding machines it is quite possible to connect several cables. In the course of work, certain rules should be followed. First, the ends of the light guide are processed, and then they are reduced to each other. The fusion method is a fusion. Automatic welding machines do not require information and alignment of the fibers, so they are very convenient to use. However, this can not be said of semi-automatic analogues, which imply the participation of a person in certain operations. They try not to use them with structured cabling systems.
For all its intricacies, the optical fiber does not provide very strict prohibitions on welding. Thus, installers work on the methods that they themselves consider optimal. The technology of splice welding, which, of course, has some drawbacks is quite popular. The main one is a large mass and large dimensions of the element, which protects the welding zone. Otherwise, there are no special problems.