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Abstract: According to the European Construction Products Regulation (CPR), all cables intended to be permanently installed in construction works must be tested and classified with regard to their fire behavior. The cable burn test according to EN 50399 is the most important test method for determining the cable burn performance and decisive regarding classification into corresponding CPR classes. The main test criteria in burn performance are the vertical flame spread, heat and smoke production. The burner parameter settings and the control of the burner flame power (20.5kW) are defined in the standard. A revised version of the CLC/EN 50399 standard describes a method, recommended for checking the burner flame shape.

This paper is a continuation of previous investigations, being focused on different flame shapes and their effects on the burn test results, in particular the flame spread. The gas mixture of the burner flame was varied to demonstrate how leaks in the gas supply tubing could be identified via the change of the flame shape. Furthermore, the impact of the burner hole diameter was investigated. With decreasing hole diameter the extension of the flame in the horizontal direction increases which reduces the impact of the flame on the cable and thus leads to a reduction of flame spread. Modeling was used to predict this trend. The impact of modified flame shapes on the flame spread was demonstrated, using a reference cable as recommended in the CLC/EN 50399 standard. It could be shown that the flame shape can be used to predict the flame spread.

About the Presenter: Thomas Meyer received his degree in mechanical engineering from University of Applied Sciences Dresden in 1987. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of fiber optics in varying engineering roles such as application engineer manager and RD&E process engineer. In 2016 he joined Corning’s materials group of the technology department as manager of the fire performance lab.

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Abstract: A two-piece armor design has been developed to enable a rugged, installation-friendly cable compatible with today’s high-density outside plant optical fiber cable products. Armored cable continues to be utilized as the main solution to prevent cable damage during and after installation, especially in aerial applications and when directly buried where protective outer ducts cannot be used. With today’s installation environment demanding higher fiber density, this novel armored cable design minimizes total cable wall thickness with a steel tape / jacket lamination that protects the fiber optic structures inside the core.

A newly developed armored cable design introduces the concept of the two-piece steel tape bonded to the outer cable jacket. The laminated structure of the jacket and armor acts as a protective unit over the cable core when loads are applied or when extreme installation events occur. This laminated jacket and armor also enables faster, easier access procedures. With the addition of tear-facilitating coextruded features in the outer polyethylene jacket, sharp tools and ripcords are no longer required. In addition, the access time for the two-piece armor is up to 60% faster than legacy armor designs. This paper will demonstrate cable performance beyond industry standards and cover the key design considerations.

About the Presenter: Taylor Towery is a Mechanical Design Engineer in Cable Technology at Corning Optical Communications. He graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Manufacturing in 2016. He has worked for Corning for three years as a project-based engineer in global cable product development.

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