ADSS cable: how to specify span, sag and sheath
What a cable maker needs to design ADSS for your power or telecom poles: span length, allowed sag, wind and ice loading, line voltage and sheath type, and why each matters.
Why ADSS is designed per project
ADSS carries its own weight, wind and ice through aramid yarn inside the cable. How much aramid it needs depends on how far it spans and how much it may sag. A cable designed for 100 m telecom spans will not survive 600 m power-line spans, and one designed for 600 m spans is needlessly heavy for 100 m.
The five inputs
| Input | What to send |
|---|---|
| Span length | Typical and maximum span, in metres |
| Allowed sag | As a percentage of span or in metres, at a stated temperature |
| Climate loading | Maximum wind speed and ice thickness for your region, or the loading standard you follow |
| Line voltage and position | Voltage of the line and where on the pole the cable hangs |
| Fiber count and type | For example 24F or 48F, G.652.D |
PE or anti-tracking sheath
Near high-voltage conductors, the electric field induces current on the wet cable surface, which can erode a normal PE sheath (dry-band arcing). An anti-tracking (AT) sheath resists it. Use AT where the line voltage and the cable position call for it; PE is fine on telecom poles and low-voltage lines.
What you get back
The cable maker designs the cable and states its diameter, weight, rated tensile strength and maximum allowable tension for your spans, with a sag-tension table. Matching hardware is sized to the cable diameter. See outdoor cable.
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