Abstract

Numerous laboratories have reported accelerated fatigue and corrosion of silica fiber by chemical agents. In addition, AFM surface profiles of corroded fiber demonstrate that increased surface roughness accompanies strength degradation. Although there are few substantiated field reports of fiber failure due to chemical attack of the glass, plans to deploy fiber in harsher environments increases the demand to improve fiber reliability. Understanding the degradation mechanisms affects our ability to meet this demand. The transformation from pristine to corroded fiber and the influence of the polymer coating and its adhesion on optical fiber strength are reviewed.

© 1995 Optical Society of America