Method of cooling an optical fiber while it is being drawn
AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsPhilippe Guenot, Marc Nicolardot, Jean-François Bourhis, Eric Lainet
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Abstract
A method of cooling an optical fiber while it is being drawn through contact with at least one cooling fluid in at least one cooling area, wherein said method is such that fast cooling, i.e. cooling that is faster than cooling in the surrounding air, is followed by slow cooling, i.e. cooling slower than cooling in the surrounding air, the temperature of the fiber in an intermediate area between the two cooling areas lying in the range 1200° C. to 1700° C. in the case of silica glass fibers.
Claims15
A method of cooling an optical fiber during drawing through contact with at least one cooling fluid in at least two cooling areas,
- the method comprising the steps of:
- effecting fast cooling of the fiber, faster than cooling in surrounding air, from an initial temperature of the fiber to an intermediate temperature of said fiber in a fast one of said cooling areas,
- then, slow cooling the fiber, slower than cooling in the surrounding air, from an intermediate temperature of the fiber to a final temperature of said fiber, in a slow one of said cooling areas, and
- choosing the temperature of the fiber in an intermediate area between the two cooling areas to lie in the range 1200° C. to 1700° C. in the case of fibers based on silica glass, in the range 200° C. to 400°0 C. in the case of fibers based on fluoride glass, or in the range 150° C. to 250° C. in the case of fibers based on polymer materials.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.