14.3.5 Fiber Defects

The purpose of the Defects object is to facilitate troubleshooting and data analysis after the measurements have been collected. Figure 14.3.5-1 shows an example of a defect.

It is quite common to have areas in the optical path where the measurement obtained is different from what was obtained in surrounding areas. This difference in the measurement is not caused by a true change in the environment but rather by an artificial ‘artifact’ that is causing the light scatter to return abnormally. By documenting the areas where these anomalies are known to be, anybody analyzing these measurements can promptly discard the measurement changes as part of the physical installation rather than as a location of unexpected changes.

Figure 14.3.5-1 Examples of defects found on a distributed measurement trace.