Study of the effects of inner pressure and surface tension on the fibre drawing process with the aid of an analytical asymptotic fibre drawing model and the numerical solution of the full N.–St. equations

Abstract

Micro-structured optical fibres (i.e. fibres that contain holes) have assumed a high profile in recent years and given rise to many novel optical devices. The problem of manufacturing such fibres by heating and then drawing a preform is considered for the case of annular capillaries. A fluid mechanics model suggested in the literature that uses asymptotic analysis based on the small aspect ratio of capillaries has been compared with the full 3D set of the N.–St. equations, for modelling the fabrication of capillaries. The final asymptotic equations, analysed in some asymptotic limits, are solved numerically and then compared with the N.–St. solutions, obtained with a commercial finite elements solver. These asymptotic limits give valuable practical information about the control parameters that influence the drawing process, taking into account the effects of surface tension and inner pressure, since those are of essential importance during drawing. It is shown that the asymptotic method delivers reliable results as long as the inner pressure does not exceed too high values.