§
5
．
Maintenance of Splicing Quality
§
5
．
1 Cleaning and Checking before Splicing
Critical cleaning points and maintenance checks are described below.
§
5.1.1 Cleaning V-grooves
If contaminants in the V-grooves, correct clamping may not occur,
resulting in higher splice loss. The V-grooves should be frequently
inspected and periodically cleaned during normal operation.
（
l
）
Open the wind protector and fiber clamps.
（
2
）
Clean the bottom of the V-groove with an alcohol-impregnated
thin cotton swab as shown in Fig. 5
－
l. Remove excess alcohol
from the V-groove with a clean dry swab.
Fig.5
－
l. Cleaning V-grooves with Cotton Swab
han 99% pure.
]
Check
：
Use care not to contact the electrode tips.
]
Check
：
Do not use excessive force when cleaning the V-grooveThe
V-groove armmay be damaged.
（
3
）
If the contaminants in V-groove cannot be removed with an
alcohol-impregnated thin cotton swab, use a cleaved fiber end-face to
dislodge contaminants from V-groove bottom. Repeat step
（
2
）
after this
procedure.
Fig.5
－
2 Cleaning V-grooves with Cleaved Fiber
§
5.1.2. Cleaning Fiber Clamp Chips
If contaminants are present on the clamp chips, correct
clamping may not occur, resulting in poor quality splices. The fiber
clamp chips should be frequently inspected and periodically cleaned
V-grooves
Cotton Swab
Page 35
V-groove
Cleaved Fiber
Page 36
