RCDD · Question #286
You are designing a cabling containment system installed overhead in a new data center. The main or prime purpose of the system will be to manage fiber optic cabling between cabinets. You have a…
The correct answer is D. Has a solid bottom design. A solid bottom cable tray is the best design choice for managing fiber optic cabling because it provides continuous, uninterrupted support that prevents sagging, pinching, and bend radius violations. Open-bottom or ladder-style trays with web spacing create gaps that can damage…
Question
You are designing a cabling containment system installed overhead in a new data center. The main or prime purpose of the system will be to manage fiber optic cabling between cabinets. You have a choice of designs of the containment system. In view of the prime purpose of containment system, your first choice of design will be one that:
Options
- AHas a bottom design with a web spacing of less than 203 mm (8 in)
- BHas a bottom design with a web spacing of less than 152 mm (6 in)
- CIs manufactured with a soft cloth type material
- DHas a solid bottom design
- EThe design is not important as long as the client pre approves the manufacturer
How the community answered
(41 responses)- A2% (1)
- B2% (1)
- C12% (5)
- D76% (31)
- E7% (3)
Why each option
A solid bottom cable tray is the best design choice for managing fiber optic cabling because it provides continuous, uninterrupted support that prevents sagging, pinching, and bend radius violations. Open-bottom or ladder-style trays with web spacing create gaps that can damage delicate fiber strands.
A web spacing of less than 203 mm (8 in) still creates openings through which fiber cables can sag and contact tray edges, risking bend radius violations and physical damage.
A web spacing of less than 152 mm (6 in) reduces but does not eliminate fiber sagging risk and remains inferior to a solid bottom design specifically for fiber optic cable management.
Soft cloth material provides no rigid structural support for an overhead containment system and is not a recognized overhead cable tray design in data center structured cabling standards.
Fiber optic cables are sensitive to physical stress and require continuous, smooth support to prevent micro-bends and macro-bends that degrade optical signal quality. A solid bottom tray eliminates any gaps through which fibers could sag or contact sharp tray edges, and it distributes the cable weight evenly across the entire run. This design also simplifies maintaining proper minimum bend radius for all fiber cables in the containment system.
Client pre-approval of a manufacturer does not address the physical protection and bend radius requirements that fiber optic cables impose on the tray design itself.
Concept tested: Solid bottom cable tray selection for fiber optic overhead containment
Source: https://tiaonline.org/what-we-do/standards/
Topics
Community Discussion
No community discussion yet for this question.