Effects of the CTE and Young’s modulus lateral gradients on the bowing of an optical fiber: analytical and finite element modeling

Abstract

In the analysis that follows, the mechanical response of an optical glass fiber specimen subjected to a significant change in temperature is modeled. The objective of the analysis is to find out whether small lateral coefficient of thermal expansion ~CTE! and Young’s modulus gradients ~along one of the diameters of the fiber cross section! can contribute appreciably to the observed residual bow ~‘‘curling’’! of the fiber. Although the communication does not contain experimental data, we show that these gradients have enough potential to be one of the contributing factors that could possibly lead to curling. As is known, large ‘‘curls’’ can make automatic splicing of fibers difficult.