Watch a silica glass preform heated by a furnace be turned into an optical fibre
Watch a silica glass preform heated by a furnace be turned into an optical fibre
Production of optical fibres from pure silica glass.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Production of optical fibres from pure silica glass.
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© Massachusetts Institute of Technology (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Examining a superhydrophobic glass surface that resists fog and glare and is self-cleaning.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Ship laying fibre-optic cables under the sea
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Chun Ju Wu/Dreamstime.comLearn if cold glass can flow.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Production of optical fibres from pure silica glass, including a cross-section view of a fibre-optic cable
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© MinutePhysics (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Learn about refraction and how the speed of light changes in glass.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © SergeyVButorin-iStock/Getty Images PlusLearn how glass bottles are recycled.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn how optical fibres are created out of a piece of silica glass in this video.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzThe seabed off Crete is prepared for the laying of an undersea fibre-optic cable.
Transcript
NARRATOR: Optical fibers start as pure silica glass, free from impurities that interfere with the passage of light. This specially made “preform” consists of two types of glass, in inner and outer layers. This laboratory can pull a single fiber from a preform to make fiber optics for telecommunications.
The preform is heated in a furnace, then pulled from the furnace by hand. As the soft glass is drawn out as a fiber, workers monitor its width. The fiber moves to a coating machine, where plastic seals it for its protection. Finally, it's wound onto a drum.
A single preform of silica glass can produce fibers hundreds of meters long. The completed fiber consists of an inner core, which carries the light, an outer glass cladding, and a protective coat.
The preform is heated in a furnace, then pulled from the furnace by hand. As the soft glass is drawn out as a fiber, workers monitor its width. The fiber moves to a coating machine, where plastic seals it for its protection. Finally, it's wound onto a drum.
A single preform of silica glass can produce fibers hundreds of meters long. The completed fiber consists of an inner core, which carries the light, an outer glass cladding, and a protective coat.