Tensile strength of reinforced fusion-spliced optical fibers

Tensile strength characteristics of reinforced fusion-spliced optical fiber are important to establish a stable optical line in the field. This paper describes theoretical and experimental results on the strength of reinforced fiber. The stripped fiber strengths of fused splice parts and nonheated parts were measured and were found to be different. When a tension is applied to the reinforced fiber, the induced fiber stress is evaluated along its axis. The strength characteristics of reinforced fiber were investigated, based on the stress distribution and the different strengths of fusion-spliced fiber. It is reported that the strength after reinforcement can be predicted and that the strength depends on the adhesive modulus of rigidity. The adhesive design is also presented to obtain necessary strength of reinforced fiber under an allowable failure probability.