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| ENDFACE
INSPECTION |
International
standards governing endface defects are poorly defined. Therefore,
Fibrepulse has developed its own standard, which is applied in the
absence of customer specifications. Because some light can travel
in the cladding around the core, there is an exclusion zone where
no defects are permitted. This exclusion zone is 25 microns in diameter.
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ZONE
A
Defined as an area 25 microns about and including the fibre
core. Features allowed are:
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·
Scratches
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None
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·
Pits/chips/cracks
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None
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·
Contamination
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None
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ZONE
B
Defined as the remaining area of the fibre out to 5 microns
from the edge of the fibre. Features allowed are:
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·
Scratches
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<1
micron in width. Maximum 3 scratches allowed.
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·
Pits/chips/cracks
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<2
microns diameter.
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·
Contamination
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None
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ZONE
C
Defined as the remaining area to the fibre perimeter, 10
microns wide. Features allowed are:
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·
Scratches
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Unlimited
number allowed
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·
Pits/chips/cracks
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<5
microns diameter
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·
Contamination
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None
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ZONE
D
Defined as the rest of the ferrule area, out to 2.5mm diameter.
Features allowed are:
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·
Scratches
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<10
microns wide
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·
Pits/chips/cracks
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<30
microns diameter
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Contamination
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Engrained
contamination only, <30 microns diameter
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Although it is necessary to set a minimum standard, as above, for
allowable criteria, the vast majority of polished endfaces will
greatly exceed this standard. In a recent study at Fibrepulse, 83%
of polished endfaces met Zone A requirements across the whole fibre
surface. The remaining 17% met Zone A requirements for Area A and
B, and were well within the Zone C
requirement.
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Castlebar
Technology Park,
Moneen, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland
Tel: +353 94 9027822 Fax: +353 94 9027811
E-Mail: info@fibrepulse.com
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