James Toler - Denver NC, US Edward Fewkes - Horseheads NY, US
International Classification:
D02G003/00
US Classification:
428/375000, 385/100000
Abstract:
The disclosed coated optical fiber includes a core surrounded by a cladding. At least a segment of the fiber is coated with a photopolymerizable coating composition. The photopolymerizable coating composition is a mixture of at least about 60% of a first polyurethane acrylate coating having a Young's modulus of at least about 400 MPa and about 5-40% of a second polyurethane coating having a Young's modulus of no more than about 50 MPa. The invention further includes a method of making the coated optical fiber. The method includes the steps of blending the photopolymerizable coating composition as recited above and splicing an end section of a first optical fiber having a core and a cladding to an end section of a second optical fiber having a core and a cladding, thereby forming a resultant optical fiber. The aforementioned photopolymerizable composition is applied to the end section of the first optical fiber and the end section of the second optical fiber after the resultant fiber is formed and the composition is cured.
