Optical Fiber Flexural Rigidity Balance for Rupture Resistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Optical fibers with smaller glass diameters exhibit increased transmission loss due to flexural rigidity imbalances between the glass and resin portions, leading to meandering issues and degraded optical characteristics, especially under bending stress and temperature changes.
Innovation Solution
An optical fiber design featuring a glass core and cladding with a non-removable ultraviolet curing resin layer and a buffer layer, where the core diameter ranges from 20 μm to 80 μm, and the resin layer's outer diameter from 120 μm to 127 μm, ensuring flexural rigidity of the glass portion is greater than or equal to that of the resin portion (EI(g)≧EI(r)), enhancing rupture resistance and optical performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the glass diameter of the optical fiber is made smaller to improve rupture resistance, then rupture resistance is improved, but optical transmission loss becomes larger due to flexural rigidity imbalances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the flexural rigidity parameter by adjusting the core diameter to 20-80 μm and controlling the resin layer outer diameter to 120-127 μm, ensuring EI(g)≧EI(r). This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by finding the optimal size range that maintains both rupture resistance and acceptable transmission loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure with glass portion (core and cladding) and resin portion (non-removable resin layer and buffer layer). The glass portion provides rupture resistance while the resin portion provides mechanical protection and maintains flexural rigidity balance, resolving the contradiction between strength and energy loss.
2Strength
If the glass diameter is reduced to enhance rupture resistance, then rupture resistance improves, but meandering occurs due to resin shrinkage causing degraded optical characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies counterweight by making the glass portion's flexural rigidity greater than or equal to the resin portion's flexural rigidity (EI(g)≧EI(r)). This counterbalances the shrinkage force of the resin, preventing meandering of the glass core and maintaining reliable optical characteristics while keeping rupture resistance high.
3Strength
If a thin optical fiber with smaller glass diameter is used to improve rupture resistance, then rupture resistance is improved, but coupling loss with light sources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the core diameter parameter within 20-80 μm to balance rupture resistance and coupling efficiency. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by finding the optimal range that provides sufficient rupture resistance while maintaining acceptable coupling loss with light sources.
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 design improves rupture resistance and maintains excellent optical characteristics by reducing coupling loss, suppressing meandering, and maintaining favorable optical transmission even under high temperatures and bending stresses.
Implementation Method 1
a resin portion comprising a non-removable resin layer tightly covering a surface of the glass portion and comprising an ultraviolet curing resin, and a buffer layer covering the non-removable resin layer and comprising an ultraviolet curing resin
Data Source
AI summary
An optical fiber comprises a glass portion comprising a core and a cladding surrounding the core, and, a resin portion comprising a non-removable resin layer tightly covering the glass portion and comprising an ultraviolet curing resin and a buffer layer covering the non-removable resin layer and comprising an ultraviolet curing resin. A diameter of the core falls within a range from 20 μm or larger to 80 μm or smaller, and an outer diameter of the non-removable resin layer falls within a range from 120 μm or larger to 127 μm or smaller. In this optical fiber, when flexural rigidity of the glass portion is EI(g) and flexural rigidity of the resin portion is EI(r), EI(g)≧EI(r) is satisfied.