Nowadays, the most widely used technology for fastening overhead cables is fastening cables with clamps (tension and support). This technology involves the use of special clamps that are attached to the reinforcement installed on the supports or facades of houses.
Tension clamps are used in places of high stress or at multiple points in the middle of a long straight section. Their task is to rigidly fasten the cable to the supports.
For self-supporting optical cables, anchor clamps are usually used as tension clamps. The body of such a clamp is made of high-strength plastic or aluminum alloy, and wedge-shaped inserts with teeth move freely in the grooves. The principle of operation of the anchor clamp is based on the self-tightening of the cable by the movable wedges of the clamp. The carrying cable of the cable is inserted into the movable part of the clamp between the wedges. Under the action of a tensile load, the cable is pushed towards the narrowing of the tapered recess, and wedges clamp it tightly into the housing. The clamp itself is attached to the bracket on the support using a clamp made of stainless steel cable.
A striking example of this clamp is anchoring tension clamp H20. It is designed for crimping a round self-supporting cable of 8 - 11 mm cross-section.
This clamp is useful when hanging the cable over street poles. Thanks to the specially elongated plastic body of the clamp and the wedge-shaped metal holders, it has become possible to fasten the wire with a maximum gap between the supports, up to 120 meters. Also, this advanced design protects the cable from damage, as it does not lend itself much to the clamp. The structure of the clamp contains only high-quality materials, in the form of resistant plastic, a convenient retainer and a system of guide wedges. For ease of use, a special detachable steel loop for fastening has been thought out. The loop is a quality hot-dip galvanized steel wire.
Anchor clamps are installed without preliminary preparation of the carried out carrying cable. The pluses of this type of clamp:
- Simplicity. The simple principle of operation of the anchor clamps significantly reduces errors and the possibility of damage during installation.
- Speed. The use of anchoring clamps reduces installation time to a few seconds. Cutting the cable, stripping the support cable and using special tools are no longer required.
- Safety. The tool-less clamping principle reduces the risk of injury to installers and damage to the cable during installation (cable integrity is maintained and the electrical continuity of the cable is ensured).
- Reliability. Laboratory tests have shown that the clamps protect the cable from wind vibrations, thereby increasing the reliability of overhead communication lines.
