:: What is Fiber Optic Splicing?

Fiber splicing is the process of

permanently or temporary joining of
two fibers together. Unlike fiber
connectors, which are designed for easy
reconfiguration (connect/disconnect) on
cross-connect or patch panels.
There are two types
of fiber splicing

Mechanical Splicing
and
Fusion Splicing
 Mechanical Splicing

 Mechanical splicing doesn’t physically fuse

two optical fibers together, rather two
fibers are held butt-to-butt inside a sleeve
with some mechanical mechanism. You will
get worse insertion loss and back reflection
in mechanical splices than in fusion splices
(the second type we are introducing
below).Mechanical splicing is mostly used
for emergency repairs and fiber testing.
Mechanical Splicing
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure
3M Mechanical Splicing Procedure

End of Mechanical Splicing Topic

 Fusion Splicing

 The second type splicing is called fusion splicing. In

fusion splicing, two fibers are literally welded (fused)
together by an electric arc. Fusion splicing is the most
widely used method of splicing as it provides for the
lowest insertion loss and virtually no back reflection.
Fusion splicing provides the most reliable joint
between two fibers. Fusion splicing is done by an
automatic machine called fusion splicer (fusion
splicing machines).
Fusion Splicing
 Fusion Splicing

As we said above, fusion splicer is the

machine used to weld (fuse) two optical
fibers together. This process is called
fusion splicing. The fiber ends are
prepared (stripped , cleaned and cleaved)
and placed in alignment fixtures on the
fusion splicer. At the press of a button,
the fiber ends are heated with
electrodes, brought together, and fused.
Fusion Splicing
 Fusion Splicing
Fusion splicers are automatic
machines that you need to either
choose factory recommended
settings or you set the splicing
parameters yourself. There are Six
basic steps to fusion splicing with a
splicing machine.
 Fusion Splicing
1. Put on the fusion splice protection
sleeve on one side of the fiber end.

Splice Protection Sleeve is durable and

lasting protection of fusion fiber splices in
field installations.
 Fusion Splicing
2. Strip the fiber. Strip 1.5 to 2 inches of all fiber
coatings down to the 125um bare fiber
(core/cladding remains) .
 Fusion Splicing
3. Clean the bare fiber with 99% isopropyl
alcohol.
 Fusion Splicing
4.Cleave the fiber. The fiber needs to be
cleaved with a high precision cleaver. Most
splicing machines come with a recommended
cleaver. Fiber cleaving is a very important
step as the quality of the splice will depend
on the quality of the cleave.
Fusion Splicing
 Fusion Splicing
 5. Put the fiber into the fiber holders in
the fusion splicer. Press the start button
to start the fusion splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
 Fusion Splicing

 Fiber Fusion Splicing procedure is

completed at this stage.
 The spliced fibers are now ready to be
arranged in the splice tray of joint
enclosure, Optical Distribution Frame
(ODF) , etc….
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
Fusion Splicing
End of Fusion Splicing Topic
Start of OTDR Testing Topic
 OTDR Testing

O OPTICAL
T TIME
D DOMAIN
R REFLECTOMETER
 Common use of OTDR

 Installation Environment
 Acceptance test on a reel of New Fiber Optic Cable
 Quality Control during a Splicing Operation
 Fiber Continuity Test
 Total Link Loss Measurements
 End-connectors Quality Check
 Troubleshooting
 Common use of OTDR
 Maintenance Environment

– Isolate and Locate Fiber Faults

– Perform periodic measurements of fiber
span to detect sources of trouble
– Macro bending fault location
– Fiber mismatch detection after repair
– Fiber continuity test after repair
– Measures the distance to a splice and connector
 How OTDR Works
The OTDR uses backscattered light of the fiber
to measure
loss. The OTDR works by sending a high power
laser light
pulse down the fiber and looking for return
signals from
backscattered light in the fiber itself or
reflected light from
connectors or splice interfaces.
 How OTDR Works
Since it is possible to calibrate the speed of the
pulse as it passes down the fiber, the OTDR can
measure time, calculate the pulse position in
the fiber and correlate what it sees in
backscattered light with an actual location in
the fiber. Thus it can create a display of the
amount of backscattered light at any point in
the fiber.
 Information on Trace
There is a lot of information in an OTDR display
 The slope of the fiber trace shows the attenuation
coefficient of the fiber and is calibrated in dB/km.
 Connectors and splices are called "events" in
OTDR Trace.
 Both should show a loss.
 Connectors and mechanical splices will also show
a reflective peak so you can distinguish them from
fusion splices.
 The height of that peak will indicate the amount of
reflection at the event.
Trace Overview
 EVENT BAR

• The Event Bar is a row of symbols seen at the

bottom of the trace window.
• The symbols show the positions of the events on
the trace, making it easier for you to see events
when they are not immediately apparent.
Event Bar Symbols & Definition
This is a reflective event such as a connector at this position.

This is a non-reflective event such as a gainer at this position.

This is a non-reflective event such as a splice at this position .

This is a defined land mark at this position.

This is a defined end of the trace.

This is an end of scan event.

This is defined beginning of the trace.

This is a break in the fiber at this place.

This is an out of range event.

 The Event Table

 The Event Table appears above the trace and displays

more information about events in a trace.
 Each event symbol in the Event Bar is assigned a
unique line in the Event Table.
 Each column in the Event Table provides additional
information regarding a specific event
Event Table Definitions
A consecutive number, counting the event on the trace from left to
right. There can be thousand event in the table

The type of the event. (This can be reflective, non-reflective,

land mark or end of trace.)

The distance of the event from the OTDR.

The reflectance of the event

The insertion loss of the event.

The attenuation between this event and the next event.

Cumulative loss, the sum of splice, reflectance and the attenuation

loss up to the point of the current event.
 Measurement Parameters

 In order to get accurate measurement from an

OTDR , several operating parameters must be
correctly set.
 The four key measurement parameters that you
should know well are:-
 Range
 Wavelength
 Pulse width
 Refractive Index
Measurement Parameters
Distance Range
The range of the measurement is defined as
the start position and measurement span.
Range of the OTDR must be set at least 2
times the length of the cable you are testing.

Wavelength
You must select a laser wavelength according
to the requirement. In order to locate micro
bending faults measurements must be carried
out at dual wavelength (i.e. 1310nm &
1550nm)
Measurement Parameters
Pulse Width

The pulse width is the width of the light pulse

emitted into the fiber. This width determines
the distance resolution. This is important
because good measurement results depend on
the ability to separate events clearly.
 Comparison
Short Pulse Width Long Pulse Width
Typical Values 5 ns / 10 ns /30 ns / 100 ns 300 ns / 1µs / 3 µs / 10µs

Trace might be noisy Less noise

Dynamic range is smaller Larger dynamic range
Use when you
want to Measure the loss of splices Test high dynamic Fibers
Measure connectors that
are close together Test long fibers

Advantages Shorten the dead zone Detect a break far away

Separate close events
clearly Reduce the noise level
 Measurement Parameters
Refractive Index Definition.
 Measurement Parameters
Refractive Index
• The most important of the operating parameters is
the Refractive Index of the fiber to be tested.

• A Refractive Index is a number between 1.0 and

2.0
that indicates how fast a pulse of light travels within
a particular fiber compared to how fast light travels
in a vacuum.

• OTDR calculates the distance to an event by

measuring the time elapsed between the moment
the light leaves and the moment its reflection
returns.
 Measurement Parameters
• Because the speed of light is different within
different fibers, you’ll get a false distance
reading if your Refractive Index setting is incorrect.

• Each type of optical fiber has a specific index

of
refraction.

• You should obtain the fiber’s refractive index

from the fiber or cable manufacturer.
Measurement Parameters
 Trace Analysis
Launch
Reflective Event
Patch Cord or
Mechanical splice
or Broken Fiber
End / Fault

Non-Reflective Event
Splice Loss, or
Macro Bend
End to End Loss or Splitter
Noise
 Trace Analysis
Launch Reflective Event
Patch Cord or
Mechanical Splice

LOSS

Dead Zone
Reflective or Event
LOSS Dead Zone

Non-Reflective Event
Fusion Splice
 Section Loss Measurement
 The loss budget is the amount of loss that a
cable plant should have. It is calculated by
adding the average losses of all the components
used in the cable plant to get the total estimated
end-to-end loss.
 The loss budget has two uses,
 1) during the design stage to ensure the cabling
being designed will work with the links intended to
be used over it and
 2) after installation, comparing the calculated loss
to test results to ensure the cable plant is installed
properly.