If light travels in a fiber splicer, then it needs a continuous, non-disruptive path so that it can travel a long distance that too without any big signal loss. There comes the requirement for light signals to be amplified, cross-connected, added, or dropped in a radius of hundreds of kilometers fiber link. As a standard practice, two fibers are connected in these types of connections. You can perform this connection with the help of connectors and splicing.
Compared to multimode fibers, single-mode fiber needs much higher tolerances for the process of splicing to be accomplished. Compared to multimode fiber mechanical splicing, single-mode fiber mechanical splicing is more costly.
Splicing is the process in which without any use of connectors two fibers are joined together. There exist two types of fiber: fusion splicing and mechanical splicing. Splicing needs to be done during installation or repair.
When compared to connectors, fiber cleaner has lower loss and better mechanical integrity. But connectors help make system configuration much more flexible. So, in outdoor applications to connect fiber cables, there is the use of splices.
Different Types of mechanical splicing
Ribbon V-Groove type
Capillary type doesn't work anymore for multiple fiber cables such as ribbon fibers. Fiber ribbon is placed in a V-shaped groove array, with each fiber place in its v-groove. In this V-groove array, two ribbon fibers are put together, and then on the top, a cover plate is applied. In multi fiber splicing, this V-groove splice is very much useful.
Capillary type
In capillary type mechanical splicing, into a thin capillary tube, there is the insertion of two fibers. The tube has an inner diameter that is then matched with the fiber's cladding diameter. Then there is pushing of these two
fiber ends towards inwards till they meet. In lowering the back reflections index matching gels are inserted in the center. With the help of compression or friction, these fibers are held in place.
Elastomeric type
Elastomeric splice is specifically designed for lab testing or emergency fiber repairs. At first, into the hole an index matching gel is injected, then there is the insertion of one fiber stripper till it reaches about halfway. Then from the other end, another fiber is inserted till it meets the first one.
