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Activation Energy for Strength Degradation of Fused Silica Optical Fibers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Yunn-Shin Shiue
Affiliation:
Fiber Optics Materials Research Program, Department of Ceramic and Materials Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
M. John Matthewson
Affiliation:
Fiber Optics Materials Research Program, Department of Ceramic and Materials Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
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Abstract

The strength degradation behavior of fused silica optical fiber is well known to be sensitive to the temperature and an apparent activation energy can be determined. In addition, it has been observed that the activation energy also depends on the applied stress and the nature of the environment. However, no consistent model for this behavior has emerged. We propose a chemical kinetics model which accounts for the temperature dependence of the dissociation of water which predicts that degradation should be faster in pH 7 buffer than in pure water. Static fatigue of fused silica fibers in both water and pH 7 buffer solution has been carefully studied as a function of temperature to test the model. The apparent activation energies are stress dependent, and, while the dependency is not clear, different environments give different dependencies. These observations support the proposed model.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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