Self-Supporting Optical Fiber Coil via Mechanical Interlocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for producing glass fiber spools with self-supporting windings face issues with adhesive strength variability during cooling, leading to potential knotting, kinking, and tearing of the fiber optic cable during unwinding, especially when the adhesive force is too high, causing turns to stick together tightly.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating elevations on the surface of the glass fiber line using a dispersion that adheres to the surface, forming bumps and gaps, which interlock between adjacent layers, providing a high coefficient of friction and preventing slipping, thus ensuring safe and easy unwinding without the need for adhesives or fillers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If adhesive or filling material is used to bond layers together to create a self-supporting coil, then the coil stability and self-supporting shape are improved, but the adhesive strength becomes variable during cooling causing turns to stick together too tightly, leading to knotting, kinking, and tearing during unwinding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes adhesive and filling materials from the coil structure entirely. Instead of using chemical bonding agents that cause variable adhesion strength, the invention relies on the mechanical interlocking of fiber layers through controlled winding tension and layer geometry, extracting the problematic adhesive component while maintaining coil stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding system (adhesive/filling material) with a mechanical system based on friction and interlocking between fiber layers. The controlled winding process creates a mechanical structure where layers hold each other through physical contact and friction forces, eliminating the reliability issues associated with adhesive strength variability during cooling.
2Stability of the object's composition
If high adhesive force is used to prevent layer slipping and maintain coil shape, then the self-supporting capability is improved, but turns stick together too tightly causing them to be carried along during unwinding, resulting in knotting and kinking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts adhesive materials that create excessive bonding between layers. By removing the adhesive component entirely, the invention allows layers to maintain position through mechanical interlocking alone, enabling clean separation during unwinding without turns being carried along or forming knots.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic balance in the coil structure where layer bonding strength can adapt between winding and unwinding phases. During winding, friction and tension maintain layer positions; during unwinding, the same mechanical structure allows layers to separate cleanly without excessive adhesion, providing ease of operation.
3Shape
If adhesive is applied to bond glass fiber turns together, then the coil retains its shape after mandrel removal, but the adhesive strength variability during cooling causes potential tearing of the fiber optic cable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes adhesive materials from the coil construction process. By eliminating adhesive entirely, the invention prevents the strength variability and associated tearing risks that occur during cooling. The coil shape is maintained through mechanical interlocking of layers rather than chemical bonding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bonding mechanism from chemical (adhesive) to physical (mechanical interlocking). This parameter change in the bonding approach eliminates the strength variability inherent in adhesive cooling processes, maintaining both coil shape and fiber cable integrity without tearing risks.
4Stability of the object's composition
If jelly-like filling material is heated to room temperature and cooled to solidify for bonding layers, then the coil becomes self-supporting, but the cooling process causes variable adhesion strength leading to unsafe unwinding conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts jelly-like filling materials and their associated thermal processing steps from the manufacturing process. By removing these materials, the invention eliminates the manufacturing precision issues related to adhesion strength consistency during heating and cooling cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal-mechanical bonding system (heating and cooling filling material) with a purely mechanical winding system. The controlled application of tension and friction during winding creates consistent layer bonding without the adhesion strength variability that occurs during thermal processing of filling materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures that the glass fiber spool retains its self-supporting shape without adhesives, preventing turns from being carried along during unwinding and minimizing the risk of fiber optic cable tearing, allowing for smooth and secure unwinding.
Implementation Method 1
a dispersion is formed and elevations are applied or created on the surface of the glass fiber line with the dispersion, which adheres to the surface
Implementation Method 2
providing a high coefficient of friction and preventing slipping
Implementation Method 3
the liquid portion of which is evaporated
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a glass fiber coil 72 and a glass fiber coil 72 with a self-supporting winding 90 of a glass fiber conductor 52. The winding 90 is wound as a cross winding 40, thereby forming several superimposed layers 96a to 96c of the glass fiber conductor 52. The glass fiber conductor 52 has a surface 76 which has contact surfaces 92a, 92b between each adjacent layer 96a to 96c. On the surface 76, protrusions 86 are created 16, with spaces 88 forming between the protrusions 86 36. The protrusions 86 are distributed 30 such that in the area of each of the contact surfaces 92a, 92b at least one of the protrusions 86 of one of the adjacent layers 96a to 96c of the respective contact surface 92a, 92b engages in at least one of the spaces 88 of the other of the adjacent layers 96a to 96c of the same contact surface 92a, 92b.