Optical fiber test apparatus

Abstract

Fibers, particularly optical fibers, are tested for determining their tene strength in expected environments. A pair of sheaves, on journaled and the other fixed receive a looped length of fiber and are placed within a cylindrical shell which is filled with an expected environmental medium, such as seawater. The sheaves are pulled apart subjecting the fiber to tensile loading and a strain gauge provides responsive read-outs so that the fiber's fatigue strength can be determined. The size of the sheaves and adhesively securing the loose ends of the fiber prevents the generation of any spurious pinching torsional stresses. Placing the fiber in the environmental fluid allows a monitoring of the effects of the fluid on the fiber's cladding and core so that the strength limits of the fiber are accurately determined under simulated operational conditions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.