Temperature Dependence of Static Fatigue of Optical Fibers Coated with a Uv-Curable Polyurethane Acrylate

The static fatigue of fused silica optical fibers coated with a uv-curable polyurethane acrylate was measured, in water, from 40° to 90°C in 10° C intervals. The usual log (time-to-failure) vs log (applied stress) plotting of the data gives a bilinear fit at all test temperatures examined. By assuming exponential temperature dependence for static fatigue parameters, empirical static fatigue equations are generated for the two straight-line segments. These equations are then used to generate a static fatigue design diagram at a given temperature. In view of the possible coating effects on static fatigue, these results should be cautiously applied to optical fibers coated with other polymers.