<s>
A	O
mechanical	B-Device
splice	I-Device
is	O
a	O
junction	O
of	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
optical	B-Architecture
fibers	I-Architecture
that	O
are	O
aligned	O
and	O
held	O
in	O
place	O
by	O
a	O
self-contained	O
assembly	O
(	O
usually	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
a	O
large	O
carpenter	O
's	O
nail	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
designs	O
in	O
use	O
for	O
mechanical	O
splicing	O
,	O
varying	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
method	O
of	O
fiber	O
alignment	O
;	O
four	O
common	O
methods	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
Fiber	B-Architecture
Optic	I-Architecture
Association	O
,	O
are	O
the	O
capillary	O
tube	O
,	O
V-groove	O
,	O
elastometric	O
,	O
and	O
rotary	O
splice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
capillary	O
tube	O
splice	O
aligns	O
the	O
optical	B-Architecture
fibers	I-Architecture
inside	O
of	O
a	O
glass	O
tube	O
,	O
connecting	O
them	O
with	O
a	O
simple	O
adhesive	O
that	O
matches	O
the	O
refractive	O
index	O
of	O
the	O
fibers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
than	O
the	O
method	O
of	O
alignment	O
,	O
all	O
forms	O
of	O
optical	B-Architecture
fiber	I-Architecture
splicing	O
,	O
including	O
non-mechanical	O
fusion	O
splicing	O
,	O
involve	O
an	O
essentially	O
identical	O
process	O
of	O
cleaving	B-Device
and	O
testing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Good	O
cleaving	B-Device
,	O
by	O
creating	O
a	O
flat	O
surface	O
for	O
fibers	O
to	O
be	O
aligned	O
and	O
connected	O
on	O
,	O
reduces	O
splice	O
loss	O
in	O
all	O
forms	O
of	O
optical	B-Architecture
fiber	I-Architecture
splicing	O
.	O
</s>
