Optical fibre cables - Part 3: Sectional specification - Outdoor cables (IEC 60794-3:2014)

This part of IEC 60794 specifies the requirements for optical fibre cables and cable elements
which are intended to be used externally in communications networks. Other types of
applications requiring similar types of cables can be considered.
Requirements for cables to be used in ducts, for directly buried applications, aerial cables and
cables for lake and river crossings are included in this standard. Also included are cables for
specialized use in sewers and in water and gas pipes.
For aerial application, this standard does not cover all functional aspects of cables installed in
the vicinity of overhead power lines. For such applications, additional requirements and test
methods may be necessary. Moreover, this standard excludes optical ground wires and
cables attached to the phase or earth conductors of overhead power lines.
For cables for lake and river crossings, this standard does not cover methods of cable repair,
nor repair capability, nor does it cover cables for use with underwater line amplifiers.
NOTE IEC TR 62839-11 gives rules to built an environmental declaration if needed.

Lichtwellenleiterkabel - Teil 3: LWL-Außenkabel - Rahmenspezifikation (IEC 60794-3:2014)

Câbles à fibres optiques - Partie 3: Câbles extérieurs - Spécification intermédiaire (IEC 60794-3:2014)

L'IEC 60794-3:2014 spécifie les exigences relatives aux câbles et aux éléments de câble à fibres optiques destinés à être utilisés à l'extérieur dans des réseaux de télécommunication. D'autres types d'applications nécessitant des câbles d'un type similaire peuvent être envisagés. La présente norme comporte des exigences concernant les câbles destinés à être installés dans des conduites, les câbles directement enterrés, les câbles aériens et les câbles pour traversées de lacs et de rivières. Elle comporte également des câbles destinés à des utilisations spécialisées, dans les égouts et dans les conduites d'eau et de gaz. Pour ce qui est des applications aériennes, la présente norme ne couvre pas tous les aspects fonctionnels des câbles installés à proximité de lignes aériennes de transport d'énergie. De telles applications peuvent nécessiter l'adjonction d'exigences et de méthodes d'essai. En outre, la présente norme exclut les câbles de garde avec fibres optiques et les câbles liés aux conducteurs de phase ou de terre des lignes aériennes de transport d'énergie. Pour les câbles pour traversées de lacs et de rivières, la présente norme ne couvre pas les méthodes de réparation du câble, ni de capacité de réparation, et ne couvre pas les câbles utilisés dans les amplificateurs de lignes pour traversées de lacs et de rivières. Cette quatrième édition annule et remplace la troisième édition, parue en 2001, dont elle constitue une révision technique. Cette édition contient les modifications techniques majeures suivantes par rapport à l'édition précédente:
- la spécification a été simplifiée en introduisant des références croisées avec l'IEC 60794-1-1;
- des tubes souples dénudables introduits en tête de tubes polymères et des tubes métalliques ont été ajoutés;
- les articles relatifs aux rubans ont été simplifiés;
- des informations plus précises sur les gaines extérieures ont été ajoutées;
- les essais sur les éléments de câble et les essais sur les câbles ont été simplifiés en remplaçant le texte par des tableaux;
- l'Annexe A sur la PMD a été retirée pour éviter une redondance avec l'IEC TR 61282-3.
Mots clés: câbles extérieurs, exigences relatives aux câbles et aux éléments de câble à fibres optiques

Optični kabli - 3. del: Področna specifikacija - Kabli za zunanjo uporabo (IEC 60794-3:2014)

General Information

Status
Published
Publication Date
10-Jun-2015
Technical Committee
Current Stage
6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
Start Date
28-Jan-2015
Due Date
04-Apr-2015
Completion Date
11-Jun-2015

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SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST EN 60794-3:2015
01-julij-2015
1DGRPHãþD
SIST EN 60794-3:2004
2SWLþQLNDEOLGHO3RGURþQDVSHFLILNDFLMD.DEOL]D]XQDQMRXSRUDER ,(&

Optical fibre cables - Part 3: Sectional specification - Outdoor cables (IEC 60794-3:2014)
Lichtwellenleiterkabel - Teil 3: LWL-Außenkabel - Rahmenspezifikation (IEC 60794-
3:2014)
Câbles à fibres optiques - Partie 3: Câbles extérieurs - Spécification intermédiaire (IEC
60794-3:2014)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 60794-3:2015
ICS:
33.180.10 2SWLþQD YODNQDLQNDEOL Fibres and cables
SIST EN 60794-3:2015 en
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015


EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 60794-3

NORME EUROPÉENNE

EUROPÄISCHE NORM
January 2015
ICS 33.180.10 Supersedes EN 60794-3:2002
English Version
Optical fibre cables - Part 3: Sectional specification - Outdoor
cables
(IEC 60794-3:2014)
Câbles à fibres optiques - Partie 3: Câbles extérieurs - Lichtwellenleiterkabel - Teil 3: LWL-Außenkabel -
Spécification intermédiaire Rahmenspezifikation
(IEC 60794-3:2014) (IEC 60794-3:2014)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2014-10-14. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.


European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2015 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
 Ref. No. EN 60794-3:2015 E

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
EN 60794-3:2015 - 2 -
Foreword
The text of document 86A/1589/CDV, future edition 4 of IEC 60794-3, prepared by SC 86A "Fibres
and cables" of IEC/TC 86 "Fibre optics" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and
approved by CENELEC as EN 60794-3:2015.

The following dates are fixed:
(dop) 2015-07-16
• latest date by which the document has to be
implemented at national level by
publication of an identical national
standard or by endorsement
(dow) 2017-10-14
• latest date by which the national
standards conflicting with the
document have to be withdrawn


This document supersedes EN 60794-3:2002.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC [and/or CEN] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such
patent rights.

Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60794-3:2014 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
- 3 - EN 60794-3:2015

Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
NOTE 1 When an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant

EN/HD applies.

NOTE 2 Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is available here:
www.cenelec.eu.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year

IEC 60304 -  Standard colours for insulation for low- HD 402 S2 -
frequency cables and wires
IEC 60708 -  Low-frequency cables with polyolefin EN 60708 -
insulation and moisture barrier polyolefin
sheath
IEC 60793-1-21 -  Optical fibres -- Part 1-21: Measurement EN 60793-1-21 -
methods and test procedures - Coating
geometry
IEC 60793-1-32 -  Optical fibres -- Part 1-32: Measurement EN 60793-1-32 -
methods and test procedures - Coating
strippability
IEC 60793-1-40 -  Optical fibres -- Part 1-40: Measurement EN 60793-1-40 -
(mod) methods and test procedures - Attenuation
  +AA
IEC 60793-1-44 -  Optical fibres -- Part 1-44: Measurement EN 60793-1-44 -
methods and test procedures - Cut-off
wavelength
IEC 60793-2 -  Optical fibres -- Part 2: Product EN 60793-2 -
specifications - General
IEC 60794-1-1 -  Optical fibre cables -- Part 1-1: Generic EN 60794-1-1 -
specification - General
IEC 60794-1-21 -  Optical fibre cables -- Part 1-21: Generic FprEN 60794-1-21 -
specification - Basic optical cable test
procedures - Mechanical tests methods
IEC 60794-1-22 -  Optical fibre cables -- Part 1-22: Generic EN 60794-1-22 -
specification - Basic optical cable test
procedures - Environmental test methods
IEC 60794-1-23 -  Optical fibre cables -- Part 1-23: Generic EN 60794-1-23 -
specification - Basic optical cable test
procedures - Cable element test methods
IEC 60811-202 -  Electric and optical fibre cables - Test EN 60811-202 -
methods for non-metallic materials -- Part
202: General tests - Measurement of
thickness of non-metallic sheath
IEC 60811-203 -  Electric and optical fibre cables - Test EN 60811-203 -
methods for non-metallic materials -- Part
203: General tests - Measurement of
overall dimensions
IEC 60811-401 -  Electric and optical fibre cables - Test EN 60811-401 -
methods for non-metallic materials -- Part
401: Miscellaneous tests - Thermal ageing
methods - Ageing in an air oven

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
EN 60794-3:2015 - 4 -
IEC 60811-406 -  Electric and optical fibre cables - Test EN 60811-406 -
methods for non-metallic materials -- Part
406: Miscellaneous tests - Resistance to
stress cracking of polyethylene and
polypropylene compounds
IEC 60811-501 -  Electric and optical fibre cables - Test EN 60811-501 -
methods for non-metallic materials -- Part
501: Mechanical tests - Tests for
determining the mechanical properties of
insulating and sheathing compounds
IEC 60811-604 -  Electric and optical fibre cables - Test EN 60811-604 -
methods for non-metallic materials -- Part
604: Physical tests - Measurement of
absence of corrosive components in filling
compounds
IEC 60811-607 -  Electric and optical fibre cables - Test EN 60811-607 -
methods for non-metallic materials -- Part
607: Physical tests - Test for the
assessment of carbon black dispersion in
polyethylene and polypropylene
IEC/TR 62690 -  Hydrogen effects in optical fibre cables - - -
Guidelines
IEC/TR 62691 -  Optical fibre cables - Guide to the - -
installation of optical fibre cables

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015




IEC 60794-3

®


Edition 4.0 2014-09




INTERNATIONAL



STANDARD




NORME



INTERNATIONALE
colour

inside










Optical fibre cables –

Part 3: Outdoor cables – Sectional specification




Câbles à fibres optiques –

Partie 3: Câbles extérieurs – Spécification intermédiaire
















INTERNATIONAL

ELECTROTECHNICAL

COMMISSION


COMMISSION

ELECTROTECHNIQUE

PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE

CODE PRIX Q


ICS 33.180.10 ISBN 978-2-8322-1854-9



Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.

Attention! Veuillez vous assurer que vous avez obtenu cette publication via un distributeur agréé.

® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission
Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
– 2 – IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviations . 7
4 Optical fibre . 7
4.1 General . 7
4.2 Attenuation . 8
4.2.1 Attenuation coefficient . 8
4.2.2 Attenuation uniformity – Attenuation discontinuities . 8
4.3 Cut-off wavelength . 8
4.4 Fibre colouring . 8
4.5 Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) . 8
5 Cable element . 8
5.1 General . 8
5.2 Tight secondary coating or buffer . 9
5.3 Ruggedized fibre . 9
5.4 Slotted core . 9
5.5 Polymeric tube . 9
5.6 Ribbon . 9
5.6.1 General . 9
5.6.2 Dimensions . 10
5.6.3 Mechanical requirements . 10
5.7 Metallic tube . 11
5.7.1 Metallic tube on the optical core . 11
5.7.2 Fibres directly located in a metallic tube . 11
6 Optical fibre cable construction . 11
6.1 General . 11
6.2 Lay-up of the cable elements . 12
6.3 Cable core filling . 12
6.4 Strength member . 12
6.5 Moisture barrier . 12
6.6 Cable sheath and armouring . 13
6.6.1 Inner sheath . 13
6.6.2 Armouring . 13
6.6.3 Outer sheath . 13
6.7 Sheath marking . 14
6.8 Hydrogen gas . 14
7 Installation and operating conditions . 14
8 Characterization of cable elements . 14
9 Optical fibre cable tests . 15
10 Quality assurance . 16
Bibliography . 17

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014 – 3 –
Table 1 – Maximum dimensions of optical fibre ribbons. 10
Table 2 – Characteristics of different types of cable elements . 15
Table 3 – Mechanical and environmental applicable tests . 16

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
– 4 – IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________

OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES –

Part 3: Outdoor cables – Sectional specification

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 60794-3 has been prepared by subcommittee 86A: Fibres and
cables, of IEC technical committee 86: Fibre optics.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition, published in 2001, and constitutes a
technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
• the specification has been streamlined by cross-referencing with IEC 60794-1-1;
• soft strippable tubes introduced into the “polymeric” tube heading and metal tubes have
been added;
• ribbon clauses have been simplified;
• more precise outer sheath details have been added;
• cable element tests and cable tests have been simplified by the use of tables instead of
text;
• Annex A on PMD has been removed, to avoid duplication with IEC TR 61282-3.

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014 – 5 –
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
CDV Report on voting
86A/1589/CDV 86A/1621/RVC

Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts in the IEC 60794 series, published under the general title Optical fibre
cables, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.

IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct
understanding of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a
colour printer.

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
– 6 – IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014

OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES –

Part 3: Outdoor cables – Sectional specification



1 Scope
This part of IEC 60794 specifies the requirements for optical fibre cables and cable elements
which are intended to be used externally in communications networks. Other types of
applications requiring similar types of cables can be considered.
Requirements for cables to be used in ducts, for directly buried applications, aerial cables and
cables for lake and river crossings are included in this standard. Also included are cables for
specialized use in sewers and in water and gas pipes.
For aerial application, this standard does not cover all functional aspects of cables installed in
the vicinity of overhead power lines. For such applications, additional requirements and test
methods may be necessary. Moreover, this standard excludes optical ground wires and
cables attached to the phase or earth conductors of overhead power lines.
For cables for lake and river crossings, this standard does not cover methods of cable repair,
nor repair capability, nor does it cover cables for use with underwater line amplifiers.
1
NOTE IEC TR 62839-1 gives rules to built an environmental declaration if needed.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60304, Standard colours for insulation for low-frequency cables and wires
IEC 60708, Low-frequency cables with polyolefin insulation and moisture barrier polyolefin
sheath
IEC 60793-1-21, Optical fibres – Part 1-21: Measurement methods and test procedures –
1
Coating geometry
IEC 60793-1-32, Optical fibres – Part 1-32: Measurement methods and test procedures –
Coating strippability
IEC 60793-1-40, Optical fibres – Part 1-40: Measurement methods and test procedures –
Attenuation
IEC 60793-1-44, Optical fibres – Part 1-44: Measurement methods and test procedures – Cut-
off wavelength
IEC 60793-2, Optical fibres – Part 2: Product specifications – General
___________
1
  To be published.

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014 – 7 –
IEC 60794-1-1, Optical fibre cables – Part 1-1: Generic specification – General
IEC 60794-1-21, Optical fibre cables – Part 1-21: Generic specification – Basic optical cable
2
test procedures – Mechanical test methods
IEC 60794-1-22, Optical fibre cables – Part 1-22: Basic optical cable test procedures –
Environmental test methods
IEC 60794-1-23, Optical fibre cables – Part 1-23: Basic optical cable test procedures – Cable
elements test methods
IEC 60811-202, Electric and optical fibre cables – Test methods for non-metallic materials –
Part 202: General tests – Measurement of thickness of non-metallic sheaths
IEC 60811-203, Electric and optical fibre cables – Test methods for non-metallic materials –
Part 203: General tests – Measurement of overall dimensions
IEC 60811-401, Electric and optical fibre cables – Test methods for non-metallic materials –
Part 401: Miscellaneous tests – Thermal ageing methods – Ageing in an air oven
IEC 60811-406, Electric and optical fibre cables – Test methods for non-metallic materials –
Part 406: Miscellaneous tests – Resistance to stress cracking of polyethylene and
polypropylene compounds
IEC 60811-501, Electric and optical fibre cables – Test methods for non-metallic materials –
Part 501: General tests – Tests for determining the mechanical properties of insulating and
sheathing compounds
IEC 60811-604:2012, Electric and optical fibre cables – Test methods for non-metallic
materials – Part 604: Physical tests – Measurement of absence of corrosive components in
filling compounds
IEC 60811-607, Electric and optical fibre cables – Test methods for non-metallic materials –
Part 607: Physical tests – Test for the assessment of carbon black dispersion in polyethylene
and polypropylene
IEC TR 62690, Hydrogen effects in optical fibre cables – Guidelines
IEC TR 62691, Optical fibre cables – Guide to the installation of optical fibre cables
3 Terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviations
For the purposes of this document, the terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviations given in
IEC 60794-1-1 apply.
4 Optical fibre
4.1 General
Optical fibre shall be used which meets the requirements of IEC 60793-2. The fibre type shall
be agreed between the customer and supplier.
___________
2
To be published.

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
– 8 – IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014
4.2 Attenuation
4.2.1 Attenuation coefficient
The maximum cabled fibre attenuation coefficient shall conform to IEC 60794-1-1. Particular
values may be agreed between the customer and supplier.
The attenuation coefficient shall be measured in accordance with IEC 60793-1-40.
4.2.2 Attenuation uniformity – Attenuation discontinuities
Attenuation uniformity shall conform to IEC 60794-1-1.
4.3 Cut-off wavelength
λ shall be less than the
For single-mode fibre, the cabled fibre cut-off wavelength
cc
operational wavelength, when measured in accordance with IEC 60793-1-44, and in
conformity with IEC 60794 1-1.
4.4 Fibre colouring
If the primary coated fibres are coloured for identification, the coloured coating shall be
readily identifiable throughout the lifetime of the cable and shall be a reasonable match to
IEC 60304.
4.5 Polarization mode dispersion (PMD)
Cabled single-mode fibre PMD shall conform to IEC 60794-1-1.
5 Cable element
5.1 General
Generally, optical cables comprise several elements or individual constituents, depending on
the cable design which takes into account the cable application, operating environment and
manufacturing processes, as well as the need to protect the fibre during handling and cabling.
The material(s) used for a cable element shall be selected to be compatible with the other
elements in contact with it. An appropriate compatibility test method shall be defined in the
family or detail specification.
When the fibres are in contact with a filling compound, the compatibility of the filling
compound with the fibre coating shall be demonstrated by testing coating stripping force
stability after accelerated ageing in accordance with IEC 60794-1-21, Method E5. Alternative
ageing conditions and tests may be agreed between the customer and supplier.
Optical elements are cable elements containing optical fibres and are designed to be a
primary functional unit of the cable core. They may comprise any of the cable elements
described below. Optical elements and each fibre within a cable element shall be uniquely
identified, for example by colours, a positional configuration, markings, tapes, threads or as
specified in the detail specification.
Tests may be performed on cable elements either in uncabled form or in a finished cable.
Unless otherwise specified, testing shall be performed on cable elements in a finished cable.
(This means that testing shall be performed only on a finished cable if the cable element
manufacturing operation is done by the same manufacturer as the cabling operation. Testing
shall be performed on cable elements only if the cable element is supplied by a third party;
this does not exclude testing of the finished cable.)

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SIST EN 60794-3:2015
IEC 60794-3:2014 © IEC 2014 – 9 –
Different types of optical elements are described below.
5.2 Tight secondary coating or buffer
If a tight secondary coating is required, it shall consist of one or more layers of polymeric
material. The coating shall be easily removable for splicing. For tight buffers, the buffer and
fibre primary coating shall be removable in one operation over a length of 10 mm to 25 mm,
depending on customer requirements. The nominal overall diameter of the secondary coating
shall be between 800 µm and 900 µm. The value, which shall be agreed between the
customer and supplier, shall have a tolerance of ±50 µm. The fibre/secondary coating
eccentricity shall not exceed 75 µm, unless otherwise agreed between the customer and
supplier.
The colour of the tight secondary coating shall be readily identifiable throughout the life-time
of the cable and shall be a reasonable match to IEC 60304.
5.3 Ruggedized fibre
Further protection can be provided to tight secondary coated fibres by surrounding one or
more with non-metallic strength members within a sheath of suitable material (e.g. for fan-out
cables).
5.4 Slotted core
The slotted core is obtained by extruding a suitable material (for example polyethylene or
polypropylene) with a defined number of slots, providing helical or SZ configuration along the
core. One or more primary coated fibres or optical element is located in each slot which may
be filled by compound.
The slotted core usually contains a central element which may be either metallic or non-
metallic. In this case, there shall be adequate adhesion between the central element and the
extruded core in order to obtain the required temperature stability and tensile behaviour for
the slotted core element.
The profile of the slot shall be uniform and shall ensure the optical and mechanical
performance required of the optical cable.
5.5 Polymeric tube
One or more primary coated fibres or other optical elements are packaged (loosely or
...

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