Direct bonding of glass articles for drawing
OwnerGlen B. Cook, Patrick Gedeon +5inventors
InventorsGlen B. Cook, Patrick Gedeon, Jeffrey M. King, Robert Sabia, Gary G. Squier, Donald M. Trotter JR., Elizabeth M. Vileno
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Abstract
Methods of bonding glass articles that are subsequently drawn into sheets, rods, fibers, etc. are disclosed. Bonding is achieved without use of adhesives or high temperature fusion. The invention is particularly useful for bonding optical fiber preforms prior to drawing of the optical fiber.
Claims32
A method of manufacturing a glass article comprising:
- providing bonding surfaces on first and second glass articles;
- attaching the bonding surfaces of the first and second glass articles without an adhesive and at a temperature lower than softening temperature of the glass articles to provide a preform;
- and
- a bar drawing the preform to provide a fiber, a rod, a sheet, a bar or a tube.
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber preform assembly comprising a step of:
- attaching ends of a first and second optical fiber preforms without an adhesive and at a temperature less than the softening temperature of the preform.
The method of 17, further including a step of providing a moist surface on the ends of the preforms.
A method of forming an optical fiber comprising the steps of:
- bonding end surfaces of at least two optical fiber preforms without an adhesive and at a temperature less than the softening temperature of the preforms to provide a blank;
- and
- drawing optical fiber from the blank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.