Main Factors Affecting Fiber Patch Cord Management

Main Factors Affecting Fiber Patch Cord Management
(1) Bending radius
As we all know, the raw material of optical fiber is glass, so it is more fragile than copper wire, and needs more attention and protection during operation and management. The reliability and performance of an optical fiber are closely related to its bending radius. If the optical fiber is excessively bent, the optical signal transmitted inside the optical fiber is easily refracted and overflows out of the fiber cladding, thereby reducing the intensity of the optical signal. The resulting loss is called bending loss. In addition, fiber bending, especially when installing and pulling fiber jumpers, can cause micro-cracks in the fiber, and even cause permanent damage to the fiber. Generally speaking, there are two types of fiber bends: microbends and macrobends. The bend radius of macrobends is larger than that of microbends.
It should be noted that at the beginning of installation of fiber optic patch cords, the bend radius of fiber optic patch cords is not obvious, because the number of fiber optic patch cords initially routed to the fiber optic distribution frame is small. However, as more and more new fiber optic patch cords are installed on top of previous fiber optic patch cords, problems due to bend radius may follow.
(2) The path of the fiber jumper
The path of the fiber patch cord is closely related to the bending radius, which has a profound impact on the performance and maintenance of the patch cord. Therefore, the path of each fiber patch cord should be clearly defined. Improper routing of fiber patch cords can result in overcrowded termination panels, increasing the risk of excessive bend radii. Conversely, if the patch cables are well managed, there will be no problems with excessive bend radii everywhere, and you can find a particular patch cable faster and more accurately.
(3) Accessibility of fiber jumpers
The third factor is the availability of installed fiber patch cords. If the installed patch cords are easy to find, maintenance of the patch cords is much quicker, and it also provides the correct bend radius protection. In the process of network reconfiguration, accessibility plays a crucial role, which directly affects the reliability of the network and the cost of network reconfiguration.
(4) Physical protection
The optical fiber patch cords routed between various devices can affect the reliability of the network to a large extent. If the optical fiber patch cords are not properly physically protected, skilled workers and equipment will easily cause damage to the optical fiber patch cords. Therefore, it is very important to physically protect the installed fiber patch cords.