Fiber optic aerial cables

While conventional cable elements can tolerate strains on the order of 1%, optical fibers cannot. As aerial cables may suffer contraction and elongation from low temperatures and high ice or wind loads, or high temperatures, respectively, proper designs have to provide the cables with length margins within which the fibers are protected against mechanical loads, except for a very limited bending stress. The well-suited loose tube buffer design, the way of calculation, and a list of reference cable plants are presented.