[3] For longer spans, the most common design gets its strength from aramid fiber yarns, which are coated to prevent water wicking.
[4] Another type of design uses four glass-reinforced plastic strength member strands, and loose buffer tubes cabled into an assembly and protected by a jacket.
Wind-induced aeolian vibration may be a factor on longer spans since ADSS cables have light weight, relatively high tension, and little self-damping.
Fiber cables are generally supported on the lower cross-arms of the tower, which provides good clearance to the ground.
On long spans where utilities already experience conductor galloping caused by sustained high wind, dampers may need to be installed on ADSS cable also.
Shotgun pellets may occasionally sever fibers or damage the sheath, allowing water into the cable.
Even a few incidents of arcing along a dry band can cause severe permanent damage to the jacket, leading to subsequent failure of the cable.
Relatively low sustained arc currents of a few milliamperes can cause eventual aging degradation of the cable.
The magnitude of current available in an arc (and probability of damage) depends on the geometry of the installation and is not simply correlated with the voltage of the transmission line.
Wetting conditions near industrial plants or saltwater will have more severe effect on the jacket resistance than in freshwater rain or fog.