Bending Radius

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Fig 1: Identifying Types Of Cable Failure (Bending Radius)

Courtesy of BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.

The plastic fiber optic cable should not be bent to a radius of less than 50 mm. That is roughly equivalent to the diameter of a soft-drink can. Bending the cable any tighter can impair its function or irreparably damage the cable.

Light can escape at points where the cable is bent too tightly. This is caused by the fact that the light beam strikes the interface between the core and cladding at too steep an angle and is not reflected.