Method and apparatus for exhausting optical fiber preform tubes
AssigneeWestern Electric Company, Inc.
InventorFred P. Partus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for exhausting reaction products from an optical fiber preform tube and for choking off the preform tube during collapse wherein an exhaust tube (40) is provided with an entry end (41) located adjacent and in fluid communication with a downstream end (10') of a preform tube (10), suction applied to the exhaust tube (40), and a stream of reaction product agitating gas free of reaction products introduced into the exhaust tube (40) at a location adjacent the exhaust tube entry end (41).
Claims16
A method of exhausting reaction products from an optical fiber preform tube into which through an upstream tube end vapors are introduced entrained with a carrier gas for chemical reaction and deposition, and with the method comprising the steps of providing an exhaust tube with an entry end located adjacent and in fluid communication with a downstream end of the preform tube;
- applying suction to the exhaust tube;
- and introducing a stream of reaction product agitating gas substantially free of vapor deposition reaction products into the exhaust tube at a location adjacent the exhaust tube entry end.
Apparatus for exhausting reaction products from an optical fiber preform tube into which through an upstream tube end vapors are introduced entrained with a carrier gas for chemical reaction and deposition, and with the apparatus comprising an exhaust tube having an entry end mounted adjacent the downstream end of the preform tube;
- means for forcing reaction products from the preform tube into said exhaust tube through said entry end;
- and means for introducing a reaction product agitating stream of gas substantially free of vapor deposition reaction products into said exhaust tube at a location adjacent said entry end.
Apparatus for exhausting reaction products from a rotatable optical fiber preform tube having an end rigidly secured in a chuck rotatably supported on a lathe frame, and with the apparatus comprising an exhaust tube mounted to the lathe frame with an end positioned within the rotatable chuck spaced by a gap from the preform tube, and means for drawing reaction products from the preform tube into said exhaust tube and for drawing ambient air into said exhaust tube through said gap to agitate reaction products as they traverse said gap and enter said exhaust tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.