(viii) Other nonproprietary data deemed necessary by the Chief, Outside Plant Branch (Telephone).

(3) For requalification acceptance, the manufacturer must submit an original signature certification that the product fully complies with each section of the specification, excluding the Qualification Section, and a certification that the product does or does not comply with the domestic origin manufacturing provisions of the "Buy American" requirements of the Rural Electrification Act of 1938 (52 Stat. 818), for acceptance by September 30 every three years. The required data and certification must have been gathered within 90 days of the submission.

(4) Initial and requalification acceptance requests should be addressed to: Chairman, Technical Standards Committee “A” (Telephone), Telecommunications Standards Division, Rural Utilities Service, Washington, DC 202501500.

(5) Tests on 100 percent of completed cable. (1) The armor for each length of cable must be tested for continuity using the procedures of ASTM D 456690.

(ii) Attenuation for each optical fiber in the cable must be measured.

(iii) Optical discontinuities must be isolated and their location and amplitude recorded.

(6) Capability tests. Tests on a quality assurance basis must be made as frequently as is required for each manufacturer to determine and maintain compliance with:

(1) Numerical aperture and bandwidth of multimode fibers;

(ii) Cut off wavelength of single mode fibers;

(iii) Dispersion of single mode fibers; (iv) Shrinkback and cold testing of loose tube and tight tube buffers;

(v) Adhesion properties of the protective fiber coating;

(vi) Dielectric strength between the armor and the metallic central member;

(vii) Performance requirements for the inner and outer jacketing materials;

(viii) Performance requirements for the filling and flooding compounds; (ix) Bonding properties of the coated armoring material;

(x) Sequential marking and lettering; (xi) Cable bend and cable impact tests;

penetration

and

(xii) Water compound flow tests; (xiii) Cable twist, cable flex, and cable compression tests; and

(xiv) Performance requirements of support messenger.

(t) Records of optical and physical tests. (1) Each manufacturer must maintain suitable summary records for a period of at least 3 years of all optical and physical tests required on completed cable by this section as set forth in paragraphs (s)(5) and (s)(6) of this section. The test data for a particular reel must be in a form that it may be readily available to RUS upon request. The optical data must be furnished to the purchaser on a suitable and easily readable form.

(2) Measurements and computed values must be rounded off to the number of places or figures specified for the requirement according to ASTM E 29-90.

(u) Manufacturing irregularities. (1) Repairs to the armor, when present, are not permitted in cable supplied to end users under this section.

(2) Minor defects in the inner and outer jacket (defects having a dimension of 3 millimeter or less in any direction) may be repaired by means of heat fusing in accordance with good commercial practices utilizing sheath grade compounds.

(3) Buffer tube repair is permitted only in conjunction with fiber splicing. (v) Packaging and preparation for shipment. (1) The cable must be shipped on reels. The diameter of the drum must be large enough to prevent damage to the cable from reeling and unreeling. The reels must be substantial and so constructed as to prevent damage during shipment and handling.

(2) A circumferential thermal wrap or other means of protection complying with the requirements of Appendix B of this section must be secured between the outer edges of the reel flange to protect the cable against damage during storage and shipment.

(3) Cable manufactured to the requirements of this section must be sealed at the ends to prevent entrance of moisture. The method of sealing

must be accepted by RUS prior to its

use.

(4) The end-of-pull (outer end) of the cable must be securely fastened to prevent the cable from coming loose during transit. The start-of-pull (inner end) of the cable must project through a slot in the flange of the reel, around an inner riser, or into a recess on the reel flange near the drum and fastened in such a way to prevent the cable from becoming loose during installation.

(5) Spikes, staples or other fastening devices must be used in a manner which will not result in penetration of the cable.

(6) The arbor hole must admit a spindle 63.5 millimeters in diameter without binding. Steel arbor hole liners may be used but must be accepted by RUS prior to their use.

(7) Each reel must be plainly marked to indicate the direction in which it should be rolled to prevent loosening of the cable on the reel.

(8) Each reel must be stenciled or lettered with the name of the manufacturer.

(9) The following information must be either stenciled on the reel or on a tag firmly attached to the reel:

Optical Cable

Number of Fibers

Armored or Nonarmored

Year of Manufacture

Name of Cable Manufacturer

Length of Cable

Reel Number

RUS 7 CFR 1755.900

Example:

Optical Cable

4 fiber

Armored

1988

XYZ Company 1050 meters

Reel Number 3

RUS 7 CFR 1755.900

(10) When preconnectorized cable is shipped, the splicing modules must be protected to prevent damage during shipment and handling. The protection method must be accepted by RUS prior to its use.

APPENDIX A TO 7 CFR 1755.900-
QUALIFICATION TESTS METHODS

(I) The test procedures described in this appendix are for qualification of initial cable designs and major modifications of accepted designs. Included in (V) of this appendix are

suggested formats that may be used in submitting test results to RUS.

(II) Sample selection and preparation. (1) All testing must be performed on lengths removed sequentially from any of the same cables listed below. The cables must not have been exposed to temperatures in excess of 38°C since their initial cool downs after sheathing. The lengths specified are minimum lengths and if desirable from a laboratory testing standpoint longer lengths may be used:

(a) 12 single mode fiber jacketed cable consisting of 6 single mode dispersion-unshifted fibers and 6 single mode dispersion-shifted fibers.

(b) 12 multimode fiber jacketed cable consisting of 6 50/125 micrometer multimode fibers and 6 62.5/125 micrometer multimode flbers.

(c) 24 fiber jacketed combination cable consisting of 6 single mode dispersion-unshifted fibers; 6 single mode dispersion-shifted fibers; 6 50/125 micrometer multimode fibers; and 6 62.5/125 micrometer multimode fibers.

(2) Length A shall be a minimum of 500 meters long. Coil the sample with a diameter of 50 to 75 times its sheath diameter. Three lengths are required if only requesting acceptance for either single mode fiber cable (a), multimode fiber cable (b), or using the combination fiber cable (c). Six lengths, 3 lengths of single mode fiber cable (a), and 3 lengths of multimode fiber cable (b), are required if requesting acceptance for both single mode and multimode fiber cables.

(3) Length B shall be one meter long. Four lengths of either single mode fiber cable (a), multimode fiber cable (b) or the combination fiber cable (c) are required.

(4) Length C shall be 600 millimeters long. Four lengths of either single mode fiber cable (a), multimode fiber cable (b) or the combination fiber cable (c) are required.

(5) Data reference temperature. Unless otherwise specified, all measurement shall be made at 23+5°C.

(III) Environmental tests—(1) Heat aging test. (a) Test samples. Place one or two samples of length A and one sample each of lengths B and C in an oven or environmental chamber. The ends of sample A must exit from the chamber or oven for optical tests. Securely seal the oven exit holes.

(b) Sequence of tests. The samples are to be subjected to the following tests after conditioning:

(1) Water Penetration Test outlined in paragraph (III ) (2) of this appendix; and

(ii) Jacket Slip Strength Test outlined in paragraph (III) (3) of this appendix. (For Flooded Designs Only)

(c) Initial measurements. (i) For sample(s) A measure the attenuation for the single mode dispersion-unshifted fibers at 1310 and 1550 nanometers, for single mode dispersion-shifted fibers at 1550 nanometers and/or for

multimode fibers at 1300 nanometers at a temperature of 23+5°C. Also measure the bandwidth of the multimode fibers. Calculate the attenuation data on a per kilometer basis. Calculate the bandwidth data on a megahertz-kilometer (MHz-km) basis.

(11) Record on suggested formats in (V) of this appendix or on other easily readable formats.

(d) Heat conditioning. (1) Immediately after completing the initial measurements, condition the sample(s) for 14 days at a temperature of 65+2°C.

(ii) At the end of this period note any exudation of cable filler. Measure the parameters given in paragraph (III)(1)(c) of this appendix. Record on suggested formats in (V) of this appendix or on other easily readable formats.

(e) Overall optical deviation. (1) Calculate the change in all parameters between the final parameters after conditioning with initial parameters in paragraph (III)(1)(c) of this appendix.

(ii) The stability of the optical parameters after completion of this test must be within the following prescribed limits:

(A) Attenuation. The attenuation of each multimode fiber must not change by more than 0.3 db/km and the attenuation of each single mode fiber must not change by more than 0.1 dB/km.

(B) Bandwidth. The bandwidth of each multimode fiber must not change by more than 15 percent from their original values.

(2) Water penetration testing. (a) A watertight closure must be placed over the jacket of length B from paragraph (III)(1)(a) of this appendix. The closure must not be placed over the jacket so tightly that the flow of water through pre-existing voids or air spaces is restricted. The other end of the sample must remain open.

(b) Test per Option A or Option B. (1) Option A. Weigh the sample and closure prior to testing. Fill the closure with water and place under a continuous pressure of 10 ± 0.7 kilopascals for one hour. Collect the water leakage from the end of the test sample during the test and weigh to the nearest 0.1 gram. Immediately after the one hour test, seal the ends of the cable with a thin layer of grease and remove all visible water from the closure, being careful not to remove water that penetrated into the core during the test. Reweigh the sample and determine the weight of water that penetrated into the

core.

(ii) Option B. Fill the closure with a 0.2 gram sodium fluorscein per liter water solution and apply a continuous pressure of 10 ± 0.7 kilopascals for one hour. Catch and weigh any water that leaks from the end of the cable during the one hour period. If no water leaks from the sample, carefully remove the water from the closure. Then carefully remove the outer jacket, armor, if present,

inner jacket, if present, and core wrap one at a time, examining with an ultraviolet light source for water penetration. After removal of the core wrap, carefully dissect the core and examine for water penetration within the core. Where water penetration is observed, measure the penetration distance.

(3) Jacket slip strength test. (For Flooded Design Only) (a) Sample selection. Test sample C from paragraph (III)(1)(a) of this appendix.

(b) Sample preparation. Prepare test sample in accordance with the procedures specified in ASTM D 4565-90a.

(c) Sample conditioning and testing. Remove the sample from the tensile tester prior to testing and condition for one hour at 50 ± 2°C. Test immediately in accordance with the procedures specified in ASTM D 4565-90a. A minimum jacket slip strength of 67 newtons is required. Record the load attained on the suggested formats in (V) of this appendix or on other easily readable formats.

(4) Temperature and humidity exposure. (a) Repeat paragraphs (III)(1)(a) through (III)(1)(c)(ii) of this appendix for separate set of samples A, B and C which have not been subjected to prior environmental conditioning.

(b) Immediately after completing the measurements, expose the test sample to 100 temperature cyclings. Relative humidity within the chamber shall be maintained at 90

2 percent. One cycle consists of beginning at a stabilized chamber and test sample temperature of 52 ± 2°C, increasing the temperature to 57 ± 2°C, allowing the chamber and test samples to stabilize at this level, then dropping the temperature back to 52 ± 2°C.

(c) Repeat paragraphs (III)(1)(d)(ii) through (III)(3)(c) of this appendix.

(5) Temperature cycling. (a) Repeat paragraphs (III)(1)(a) through (III)(1)(c)(ii) of this appendix for separate set of samples A, B, and C which have not been subjected to prior environmental conditioning.

(b) Immediately after completing the measurements, subject the test sample to 10 cycles of temperature between -40°C and +60°C. The test sample must be held at each temperature extreme for a minimum of 11⁄2 hours during each cycle of temperature. The air within the temperature cycling chamber must be circulated throughout the duration of the cycling.

(c) Repeat paragraphs (III)(1)(d)(ii) through (III)(3)(c) of this appendix.

(IV) Control sample-(a) Test samples. A separate set of lengths B and C must have been maintained at 23 ± 5°C for at least 48 hours before the testing.

(b) Repeat paragraphs (III)(2) through (III)(3)(c) of this appendix for these samples.

(V) The following suggested formats may be used in submitting the test results to RUS: