Design of double-coated optical fibers to minimize mechanical strip forces

This work investigates the optimal design of double-coated optical fibers to minimize the mechanical strip force. As assumed, herein, the stripper consists of two hinged arms and paired blades with a semicircular bore, Analytical results indicate that the strip force is a function of the stripper's bore radius. The stripper's optimal bore radius attempts to make it close to the glass fiber radius. Notably, the stripper does not damage the glass fiber surface during the stripping process. Based on the type of strip force, the stripping process can be divided into two steps. In the first step, a strip force F/sub t/ must break the polymeric coatings and allow the crack on the cutting plane to extend to the glass fiber surface. In the second step, a strip force F/sub a/ must break the adhesive bond between the glass fiber and primary coating to remove the polymeric coatings away. The strip force F/sub a/ is independent of the stripping length. The strip force F/sub a/ and the work deemed necessary to strip the polymeric coatings are proportional to the adhesive stress between the glass fiber and primary coating. The shear strength of the primary coating should exceed the adhesive stress between the glass fiber and primary coating; otherwise, the primary coating cannot be stripped completely from the glass fiber surface. The strip force F/sub a/ can be minimized by appropriately selecting polymeric coatings and their thicknesses. To minimize such a strip force, the thickness and Young's modulus of the primary coating should be increased. On the other hand, the thickness and Young's modulus of the secondary coating should be decreased.