Cable on Cable vs. Cable in Fabric Innerduct

Test Conditions & Method

Cable Spec 13 mm OD PE Fiber Optic cable
Outer Duct Spec 50 mm ID PE Pipe
MaxCell® Spec 52mm 2-Cell
Cable Pulling Tension 140 kg
Cable Pulling Speed 25 meters / min
Cable Pulling Duration
  • 10 minutes (equivalent of 250 meter pull)
  • 20 minutes (equivalent of 500 meter pull)
  • 30 minutes (equivalent of 750 meter pull)
Test Method
  1. Fix cable within the PE subduct
  2. Rotate another 13mm cable over the fixed cable at a fixed speed and tension. Verify the cables cross each other at some point. Check sheath damage; (250m, 500m, 750m)
  3. Fix the cable within fabric innerduct. Rotate another 13mm cable through the second cell at fixed parameters

Test Results

Cable on Cable 250m Pass
Cable on Cable 500m Fail
Cable on Cable 750m Fail
Cable in Fabric Innerduct 750m Pass

Pass Fail Criteria : Having no significant external damage on the cable sheath

Cable on Cable

  • Minor abrasion at 250m but significant sheath damage at 500m and 750m
  • Large amounts of PE flaking observed over longer distances
  • Higher pulling tensions and longer pulls may lead to possible signal failure

Cable in Fabric Innerduct

  • Very minor abrasion observed on the sheath
  • Fabric Innerduct showed a small 75mm tear right where the cables crossed but the tear did not expose the cable to any significant damage Note: The cable was in a 10m continuous loop. Because of this loop the MaxCell saw the head of the cable pass over a minimum of 75 times during the experiment
  • Higher pulling tensions and longer pulls possible without damage to the cable

Control: Cable Observation Before Test

Control: Cable Observation Before Test

Cable Observation After Test

Cable Observation After 250m 500m Test Cable Observation After 750m Test Cable Sheath Flakes