Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Fluoride Glass Fibers

The effect of high temperature aqueous solutions of various pH values on the mechanical properties of polymer coated optical fibers of an aluminum fluoride-based composition are examined. It was found that such fibers retain much more strength when aged in these aqueous environments than fibers of the more common zirconium fluoride-based composition. The aging is not affected by pH unless the fiber is under stress, m which case a low pH solution decreases the time to failure of the fiber. In static fatigue, the time to failure of the aluminum fluoride-based fibers is twenty times greater than that of the zirconium fluoride-based fibers. 1