The manufacturer should specify the minimum radius to which the cable may safely be bent during installation and for the long term. The minimum bending radius will vary with different cable designs. The minimum bend radius is of particular importance in the handling of fiber-optic cables, which are often used in telecommunications. The minimum bend radius is the radius below which an object such as a cable should not be bent. The diagram to the right illustrates a cable with a seven-centimeter bend radius.Ĭable with a seven-centimeter bend radius The smaller the bend radius, the greater the material flexibility (as the radius of curvature decreases, the curvature increases).
Bend radius, which is measured to the inside curvature, is the minimum radius one can bend a pipe, tube, sheet, cable or hose without kinking it, damaging it, or shortening its life.
