Abstract

Variations in the diameter of an optical fiber drawn from a preform are related to variations in the diameter of the preform, the preform feed velocity, and the fiber velocity through the conservation of mass. Fiber diameter is also influenced by vibrations that are acoustically or mechanically coupled into the process and by thermal fluctuations in the atmosphere surrounding the neck-down region. Any one of these sources can introduce undesirable fluctuations in the diameter of the drawn fiber.

© 1979 Optical Society of America