Higher temperatures tend to increase the attenuation due to alterations in the glass's refractive index. For telecommunications companies, managing these attenuation changes. Thus, the conjugation of high power propagation and tight bending, resulting from the actual FTTH infrastructures, is responsible for fibre lifetime reduction, mainly caused by the local increase of the coating temperature. This effect can lead to the rupture of the fibre or to the fibre fuse. While fiber optic cable is remarkably resilient, temperature changes do impact its performance—sometimes subtly, sometimes critically. Below the Tg, a polymer fiber is rigid and glassy. Above it, molecular chains gain mobility, making the material soft and rubbery. This drastically reduces its load-bearing capacity.
[PDF Version]