BS EN 60793-1-54:2018 outlines a method for measuring the steady state response of optical fibres and optical cables exposed to gamma radiation. It can be employed to determine the level of radiation-induced attenuation produced in Class B single-mode or Class A, category A1 and A2 multimode optical fibres, in either cabled or uncabled form, due to exposure to gamma radiation.

The attenuation of cabled and uncabled optical fibres generally increases when exposed to gamma radiation. This is primarily due to the trapping of radiolytic electrons and holes at defect sites in the glass (i.e. the formation of "colour centres"). This test procedure focuses on two regimes of interest: the low dose rate regime suitable for estimating the effect of environmental background radiation, and the high dose rate regime suitable for estimating the effect of adverse nuclear environments. The testing of the effects of environmental background radiation is achieved with an attenuation measurement approach similar to IEC 60793-1-40 method A, cut-back. The effects of adverse nuclear environments are tested by monitoring the power before, during and after exposure of the test sample to gamma radiation. The depopulation of colour centres by light (photo bleaching) or by heat causes recovery (lessening of radiation induced attenuation). Recovery can occur over a wide range of time which depends on the irradiation time and annealing temperature. This complicates the characterization of radiation induced attenuation since the attenuation depends on many variables including the temperature of the test environment, the configuration of the sample, the total dose and the dose rate applied to the sample and the light level used to measure it.

This test is not a material test for the non-optical material components of a fibre optic cable. If degradation of cable materials exposed to irradiation is studied, other test methods will be used.


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