How can silicon core tubes improve the density of optical cables per unit cross-section and save space in utility tunnels?
Release Time : 2025-11-19
With the accelerated construction of 5G, gigabit optical networks, and smart cities, communication pipeline resources are becoming increasingly scarce, especially in space-constrained areas such as highways, railways, and urban underground utility tunnels. How to efficiently lay more optical cables within limited cross-sections has become a core challenge in communication infrastructure planning. Traditional single-hole HDPE or PVC pipes often require a large amount of redundant pipe due to high cable pulling resistance and difficulty in expansion, resulting in a waste of valuable underground space. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) silicon core tubes, with their unique "low-friction inner wall + multi-hole bundled" composite structure, significantly improve the density of optical cables per unit cross-section, ensuring construction efficiency while greatly saving utility tunnel space and engineering costs.
1. Multi-hole bundled design: Doubling space utilization efficiency
A major innovation of silicon core tubes lies in their multi-hole integrated molding structure. Through a simultaneous co-extrusion process using three extruders, 2-, 4-, 7-, or even 12-hole independent inner tubes can be integrated within a single outer sheath, with each channel evenly distributed and independent of the others. This "one tube, multiple cores" design multiplies the number of usable channels per unit cross-sectional area. For example, a 7-hole silicon core tube with an outer diameter of 40mm can simultaneously accommodate 7 independent optical cables, while a traditional single-hole tube of the same outer diameter can only accommodate 1. In scenarios where the cross-sectional area of the utility tunnel is limited, using multi-hole silicon core tubes can reduce the width of excavated trenches by more than 30%, or double the capacity in existing utility shafts, greatly alleviating the problem of "underground space congestion" in cities.
2. Silicon-lubricated inner wall: Achieving smooth cable insertion at high density
The prerequisite for high-density deployment is that each optical cable can be smoothly inserted without interference. The inner wall of the silicon core tube is coated with a layer of permanent solid silicone lubricant, forming a smooth, mirror-like transmission channel. Even under conditions of multi-channel parallel, long-distance laying, the optical cable experiences minimal resistance during air blowing or pulling, making it less prone to jamming or damage to the sheath. More importantly, its low-friction characteristics support multiple capacity expansions later on—operators can utilize available channels to lay new optical cables at any time without adding new ducts, truly achieving "one-time laying, batch use, and on-demand expansion," avoiding repeated excavation and resource idleness.
3. Compact Structure and Standardized Interfaces: Optimizing Utility Gallery Layout
The multi-channel silicon core tube adopts a highly integrated design, with the outer sheath and inner wall integrally formed, eliminating the need for additional connectors and resulting in a compact overall outer diameter. Compared to laying multiple single-channel tubes in a dispersed manner, the bundled structure not only saves lateral space but also facilitates bundling and fixing, reducing the amount of support required. Simultaneously, its interfaces use standard socket or hot-melt butt joints, providing excellent sealing performance and effectively preventing groundwater and sediment from seeping into and clogging the channels, ensuring the long-term usability of all positions. In integrated utility galleries, the neatly arranged silicon core tube bundles facilitate zoned management with other pipelines, improving the level of operation and maintenance visibility.
4. Dual Benefits of Economy and Sustainability
Increasing deployment density directly leads to reduced engineering costs: less pipe material usage, less earthwork excavation, and shorter construction cycles. According to actual project calculations, for the same fiber optic cable capacity requirements, using a 7-hole silicon core tube saves approximately 25%–40% in overall cost compared to a single-hole tube solution. Furthermore, the silicon core tube is made of HDPE substrate, which is corrosion-resistant, has a lifespan of up to 50 years, and is recyclable, aligning with green infrastructure principles. Its efficient space utilization also reduces disturbance to the natural ecosystem, making it particularly suitable for communication projects along transportation arteries that traverse farmland, wetlands, or ecological reserves.
Through a dual technological approach of "multi-hole integration + ultra-low friction," the silicon core tube upgrades communication conduits from a "single-channel transport belt" to a "multi-lane highway." It not only solves the physical challenges of high-density fiber optic cable deployment but also optimizes the allocation of underground space resources with a systemic approach. In the densely populated underground spaces and linear engineering corridors of cities, silicon core tubes are becoming the "invisible arteries" of the next generation of information infrastructure, thanks to their superior space efficiency and full life-cycle economics, laying a solid foundation for the construction of Digital China.
1. Multi-hole bundled design: Doubling space utilization efficiency
A major innovation of silicon core tubes lies in their multi-hole integrated molding structure. Through a simultaneous co-extrusion process using three extruders, 2-, 4-, 7-, or even 12-hole independent inner tubes can be integrated within a single outer sheath, with each channel evenly distributed and independent of the others. This "one tube, multiple cores" design multiplies the number of usable channels per unit cross-sectional area. For example, a 7-hole silicon core tube with an outer diameter of 40mm can simultaneously accommodate 7 independent optical cables, while a traditional single-hole tube of the same outer diameter can only accommodate 1. In scenarios where the cross-sectional area of the utility tunnel is limited, using multi-hole silicon core tubes can reduce the width of excavated trenches by more than 30%, or double the capacity in existing utility shafts, greatly alleviating the problem of "underground space congestion" in cities.
2. Silicon-lubricated inner wall: Achieving smooth cable insertion at high density
The prerequisite for high-density deployment is that each optical cable can be smoothly inserted without interference. The inner wall of the silicon core tube is coated with a layer of permanent solid silicone lubricant, forming a smooth, mirror-like transmission channel. Even under conditions of multi-channel parallel, long-distance laying, the optical cable experiences minimal resistance during air blowing or pulling, making it less prone to jamming or damage to the sheath. More importantly, its low-friction characteristics support multiple capacity expansions later on—operators can utilize available channels to lay new optical cables at any time without adding new ducts, truly achieving "one-time laying, batch use, and on-demand expansion," avoiding repeated excavation and resource idleness.
3. Compact Structure and Standardized Interfaces: Optimizing Utility Gallery Layout
The multi-channel silicon core tube adopts a highly integrated design, with the outer sheath and inner wall integrally formed, eliminating the need for additional connectors and resulting in a compact overall outer diameter. Compared to laying multiple single-channel tubes in a dispersed manner, the bundled structure not only saves lateral space but also facilitates bundling and fixing, reducing the amount of support required. Simultaneously, its interfaces use standard socket or hot-melt butt joints, providing excellent sealing performance and effectively preventing groundwater and sediment from seeping into and clogging the channels, ensuring the long-term usability of all positions. In integrated utility galleries, the neatly arranged silicon core tube bundles facilitate zoned management with other pipelines, improving the level of operation and maintenance visibility.
4. Dual Benefits of Economy and Sustainability
Increasing deployment density directly leads to reduced engineering costs: less pipe material usage, less earthwork excavation, and shorter construction cycles. According to actual project calculations, for the same fiber optic cable capacity requirements, using a 7-hole silicon core tube saves approximately 25%–40% in overall cost compared to a single-hole tube solution. Furthermore, the silicon core tube is made of HDPE substrate, which is corrosion-resistant, has a lifespan of up to 50 years, and is recyclable, aligning with green infrastructure principles. Its efficient space utilization also reduces disturbance to the natural ecosystem, making it particularly suitable for communication projects along transportation arteries that traverse farmland, wetlands, or ecological reserves.
Through a dual technological approach of "multi-hole integration + ultra-low friction," the silicon core tube upgrades communication conduits from a "single-channel transport belt" to a "multi-lane highway." It not only solves the physical challenges of high-density fiber optic cable deployment but also optimizes the allocation of underground space resources with a systemic approach. In the densely populated underground spaces and linear engineering corridors of cities, silicon core tubes are becoming the "invisible arteries" of the next generation of information infrastructure, thanks to their superior space efficiency and full life-cycle economics, laying a solid foundation for the construction of Digital China.