Fused silica glass optical fibers can undergo stress-corrosion when deployed in cables as a transmission medium. The stress can arise from cable manufacturing, installation or unpredictable mechanical disturbances, and the dominant corrosive medium is water (hydroxyl ions). Small pre-existing flaws on fibers can grow under stress and lead to catastrophic failure. The crack growth laws, the mechanism of stress-corrosion and the environmental variables in outside plant, e.g., the relative humidity, temperature and pH are reviewed. Various laboratory stress-corrosion prevention schemes and the current engineering approach for long service life for fibers are described.

Subject
Crack growth, Water, Glass, Silica, Stress cracking, Acidity, Stress, Cables, Flaws, Mechanical failure, Fibers, Fatigue, Aging
© 1983 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1983
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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