AFL HexaCore OPGW (Optical Ground Wire) cable utilizes fiber-bearing stainless steel tubes stranded alongside aluminum clad steel and/or aluminum alloy wires to create a multi-layer cable design suitable for a variety of environmental and geographical conditions. HexaCore OPGW was developed in response to the demand for higher fiber counts, specifically those greater than 96.
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FIBER OPTIC CABLE Fiber Optic Cable © 2002, AFL, all rights reserved. PP-1-00009, Revision 7, 2.23.2023 Specifications are subject to change without notice. AFLglobal.com | 800.235.3423 1 HexaCore OPGW Optical Ground Wire provides all of the benefits of a traditional shield wire, such as providing short circuits a path to ground and protecting the circuits from lightning strikes, in addition to providing an optical pathway for communication. The HexaCore, being that it is a multi-layer stranded design, is familiar in that it is similar to a conductor. Features • Fiber counts up to 432 • Capable of high environmental loading and long spans Anti-rotational device (ARD) typically not required for installation Applications • Energy Market • Transmission • Right-of-Way • Topmost part of the structure (shield wire position) Aluminum alloy wire Aluminum clad steel wire Stainless steel tube with optical fibers Cable Components continued Typical Designs FIBERS OPGW SIZE FAULT CURRENT TOTAL CONDUCTOR AREA OVERALL DIAMETER WEIGHT APPROXIMATE RBS SAG10 CHART # MAX SHIP LENGTH (PER REEL TYPE) (MAX) (KA)²SEC IN² MM² IN MM LBS/FT KG/M LBS KGF WOOD (M) STEEL (M) 24 SX-32/45/472 41 0.1235 79.67 0.472 12.0 0.281 0.418 14,750 6,700 1-1461 7000 7000 36 SX-41/32/472 41 0.1186 76.53 0.472 12.0 0.247 0.368 12,000 5,400 1-350 7000 7000 24 SX-75/37/555 96 0.1757 113.37 0.555 14.1 0.317 0.471 15,250 6,900 1-1438 7000 7000 24 SX-90/30/575 116 0.1889 121.86 0.575 14.6 0.313 0.466 14,250 6,400 1-430 7000 7000 96 S1-82/52/630 137 0.2131 137.45 0.630 16.0 0.417 0.621 20,000 9,000 1-1170 5800 7000 96 S1-83/59/647 152 0.2265 146.13 0.647 16.4 0.453 0.674 22,000 9,900 1-917 5300 7000 96 S1-91/61/668 177 0.2429 156.69 0.668 17.0 0.479 0.712 23,250 10,500 1-917 5100 6450 144 S1-71/52/630 118 0.2006 129.41 0.630 16.0 0.416 0.619 19,750 8,950 1-1440 5950 7000 144 S1-73/59/647 132 0.2140 138.09 0.647 16.4 0.452 0.673 21,750 9,800 1-350 5400 6850 144 S1-81/61/668 155 0.2304 148.65 0.668 17.0 0.472 0.702 23,000 10,400 1-1440 5150 6450
© 2002, AFL, all rights reserved. PP-1-00009, Revision 7, 2.23.2023 Specifications are subject to change without notice. AFLglobal.com | 800.235.3423 2 FIBER OPTIC CABLE Fiber Optic Cable HexaCore OPGW Typical Designs (cont.) FIBERS OPGW SIZE FAULT CURRENT TOTAL CONDUCTOR AREA OVERALL DIAMETER WEIGHT APPROXIMATE RBS SAG10 CHART # MAX SHIP LENGTH (PER REEL TYPE) (MAX) (KA)²SEC IN² MM² IN MM LBS/FT KG/M LBS KGF WOOD (M) STEEL (M) 288 S1-41/52/630 68 0.1632 105.28 0.630 16.0 0.414 0.616 19,000 8,600 1-1461 5890 7000 288 S1-42/59/647 79 0.1766 113.96 0.647 16.4 0.450 0.670 21,000 9,500 1-1461 5400 6850 288 S1-50/61/668 97 0.1930 124.52 0.668 17.0 0.476 0.708 22,250 10,000 1-1461 5125 6450 This information denotes the input data needed for Sag10 ™ (sag and tension calculation) software. WIR files of all these catalog designs can be found on PLS-CADD web page. NOTES : Data contained in the table are approximations. Please reference the exact cable data sheet for the most up-to-date information. The designs above are only a sampling of the options available from AFL. Contact customer service for a cable designed to your exact specifications. Contact AFL for your customized OPGW solution. Qualifications GOVERNING BODY STANDARD CODE COMPONENT IEEE 1138 Cable IEC 60794-4 Cable TIA 598-D Fiber ASTM B415 Alumium Clad Steel Wire (ACS wire) Temperature Specifications TEMPERATURE RANGE Operation -40ºC to +85ºC Storage -50ºC to +85ºC Installation -30ºC to +85ºC Recommended Products for HexaCore OPGW DESCRIPTION AFL NO. Fiber Optic Cable Accessories OPGW Bolted Deadend Refer to the Fiber Optic Cable Hardware catalog for specific AFL No. OPGW Mechanical Suspension Refer to the Fiber Optic Cable Hardware catalog for specific AFL No. OG03 Opti-Guard Splice Enclosure Refer to the Fiber Optic Cable Hardware catalog for specific AFL No. Motion Control Stockbridge Vibration Damper Refer to the Transmission & Distribution catalog , Motion Control section , for specific AFL No.
Features:
- Fiber counts up to 432 or higher if needed
- Laser-welded, hermetically sealed stainless steel tubes provide mechanical and thermal protection for optical fibers
- High load, long span capability
- Each stainless steel tube is uniquely identified for organization at splice locations
- Stranded wires selected to optimize mechanical and electrical properties of cable
- Anti-rotational devices usually not required for installation, depending on conditions
Applications:
- For use by electric utilities on transmission lines in lieu of traditional shield wire
- For retrofit applications where existing shield wire needs to be replaced with OPGW
- For new transmission lines in lieu of traditional shield wire
- Voice, video, data transmission
- SCADA networks
- Dark fiber leasing
AFL HexaCore Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) cable utilizes fiber-bearing stainless steel tubes stranded alongside aluminum clad steel and/or aluminum alloy wires to create a multi-layer cable design suitable for a variety of environmental and geographical conditions. HexaCore OPGW was developed in response to the demand for higher fiber counts, specifically those greater than 96. For traditional OPGW designs, as the fiber count increased, so too did the cable diameter and weight. However, the advent of placing optical fibers into small diameter stainless steel tubes has allowed for smaller cable sizes with higher fiber counts, thereby furthering the expansion of OPGW into even more applications.
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) is a dual functioning cable. It is designed to replace traditional static / shield / earth wires on overhead transmission lines with the added benefit of containing optical fibers which can be used for telecommunications purposes. OPGW must be capable of withstanding the mechanical stresses applied to overhead cables by environmental factors such as wind and ice. OPGW must also be capable of handling electrical faults on the transmission line by providing a path to ground without damaging the sensitive optical fibers inside the cable.
AFL has been manufacturing Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) since 1985 and has supplied hundreds of thousands of kilometers of cable since our inception. HexaCore OPGW was introduced by AFL in the mid-to-late 1990’s in response to the tremendous push to build higher fiber count backhaul networks. With fiber counts of 144, 216 and even 432 becoming the norm, AFL recognized the need to condense the fibers into smaller, more compact bundles. The use of stainless steel tubes to house as many as 72 fibers in a 3.8mm diameter became a staple of AFL’s product portfolio, allowing AFL to provide the much-needed higher fiber counts without impacting the cable dimensions. Multiple stainless steel tubes, depending on the fiber count, are stranded with steel and/or alloy wires to make an OPGW that resembles more traditional conductor cable. The fibers are grouped in bundles of 12 with color-coded threads denoting the different bundles. The standard color sequence (Blue, Orange, Green, Brown, etc.) is used for the individual fibers as well as for the threads identifying the bundles.
The name “HexaCore” is a blend of the Greek word for six (“hex”) and AFL’s family name for OPGW cables which all end in “Core”. There are traditionally six positions in the first layer of this cable design, thus the tie back to “hex”. However, note that AFL also uses terms for other variants of its stranded stainless steel tube family design including PentaCore, QuadCore, and TriCore, which, as you might guess, indicate five, four and three positions respectively in the first layer of the cable. There is traditionally one inner layer (with the stainless steel tubes and wires) and one outer layer of steel and/or alloy wires. But there are occasions where there might be two or even three outer layers of wire, depending on the requirements of the application for strength and fault current capacity.

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