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What is Fiber Optic Splicing?
By Colin Yao
Lights travel in optical fibers need a continuous, non-disruptive path in order to
travel a long distance without too big signal loss. But in a hundreds of kilometers fiber
link, the light signals need to be amplified, cross-connected, added or dropped and many
other processing. In these connections, two fibers are connected together as a standard
practice. This connection can be done with connectors and splicing.
Splicing is the practice of joining two fibers together without using connectors. Two
types of fiber splices exist: fusion splicing and mechanical splicing. Splicing may be
made during installation or repair.
Splices generally have lower loss and better mechanical integrity than connectors,
while connectors make system configuration much more flexible. So typically, splices are
used to connect fiber cables in outdoor applications and connectors terminate fiber cables
inside buildings.
Fusion Splicing
Fusion splicing is to use high temperature heat generated by electric arc and fuse two
glass fibers together (end to end with fiber core aligned precisely). The tips of two
fibers are butted together and heated so they melt together. This is normally done with a
fusion splicer, which mechanically aligns the two fiber ends, then applies a spark across
the fiber tips to fuse them together.
Mechanical Splicing
Mechanical splicing uses mechanical fixtures to join two fibers together end to
end(again, fiber cores are aligned precisely). Mechanical splicing join two fiber ends
either by clamping them within a structure or by gluing them together.
Single mode fiber requires much tighter tolerances than multimode fibers for splicing.
So special equipment are often required for single mode mechanical splices. This makes
single mode fiber mechanical splicing much more expensive than multimode fiber mechanical splicing.
The advantages of mechanical splicing
Mechanical splicing doesn't need costly capital equipment to work, but it does require
higher consumable costs. So for organizations that don't make a lot of splicing,
mechanical splicing is the best choice. It is also best suited for emergency repairs.
Types of mechanical splicing
1. Capillary type
In capillary type mechanical splicing, two fibers are inserted into a thin capillary
tube. The tube has a inner diameter that matches the fiber's cladding diameter. (The
fibers must first have coatings removed and cladding exposed and cleaned). These two fiber
ends are pushed inwards until they meet. Index matching gels are often inserted in the
center to reduce back reflections. The fibers are then held in place with compression or friction.
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