What Type of Protective Jacket in Optical Fiber?

1.What is a fiber optic cable jacket?

A fiber optic cable jacket is the outermost layer of a fiber optic cable that provides protection to the internal components like the optical fibers, strength members, and other protective layers. The jacket serves several important functions:

1. Environmental Protection: The cable jacket protects the optical fibers from external environmental factors such as moisture, UV radiation, chemicals, abrasion, and temperature extremes. Different jacket materials are chosen based on the intended installation environment (indoor, outdoor, aerial, buried, etc.).
2. Mechanical Protection: The jacket provides mechanical protection to the cable core, preventing damage from impacts, crushing, or excessive tension during installation and use.
3. Fire Safety: For indoor cables, jackets are often made from fire-retardant materials like LSZH (low smoke zero halogen) to minimize toxic fumes and smoke in case of fire.

2.What Type of Protective Jacket in Optical Fiber?

The 6 types of protective jacket materials used for optical fiber cables, depending on the application and environment. The key points regarding optical fiber cable jacket materials are:

1.Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): A common jacket material used for indoor applications and less harsh environments. PVC provides good mechanical protection and chemical resistance.
2.Polyethylene (PE): Often used for outdoor cables as it offers excellent moisture resistance and UV protection against sunlight exposure.
3.Polyurethane (PU): Provides good abrasion resistance and flexibility, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.
4.Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT): A robust jacket material with high tensile strength and chemical resistance, used in harsh outdoor environments.
5.Polyamide (PA): Offers high mechanical strength, abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance, suitable for demanding outdoor applications.
6.Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH): A fire-retardant jacket material that releases low levels of toxic gases when burned, commonly used in indoor applications and plenums.

3.How to Choose Fiber Cable Jacket Material? 

The choice of jacket material depends on factors such as the installation environment (indoor/outdoor), temperature range, chemical exposure, UV resistance, fire safety requirements, and mechanical stress. Outdoor cables often use PE or PBT jackets for moisture and UV protection, indoor cables may use PVC or LSZH jackets for fire safety compliance.

It’s important to note that except for the jacket material, optical fiber cables also have additional protective layers like aramid yarn strength members, water-blocking tapes or gels, and armoring for added mechanical protection in harsh environments. If you wanna know more, Pls check details from our fiber optic cable product catalogue