Abstract: A system for producing an optical fiber with inscribed grating array is described. The system comprises a fiber drawing apparatus for drawing an optical fiber, a writing system for inscribing a grating in the optical fiber during the drawing process of the optical fiber and a controller for controlling the driving of the writing system. According to the present invention the fiber drawing apparatus also comprises a fiber length and/or drawing detecting means for determining the fiber length and/or fiber drawing speed and/or a fiber drawing parameter during the drawing process. The controller thereby is configured for capturing information from the fiber length and/or drawing detecting means and for controlling the writing system based on the captured information captured from the fiber length and/or drawing detecting means.

Abstract: A method for producing thing glass strips is provided that avoids camber defects. The method includes using a glass strip forming device that has a drawing device; drawing, using the drawing device, the thin glass strip away from the glass strip forming device; measuring, using a measuring device, variables that are dependent on a differing length of edges of the thin glass strip at at least two measurement locations spaced apart transversely to a longitudinal extension of the thin glass strip; determining a difference or a quotient of the variables. The difference or the quotient is used to determine a control variable by which the glass strip forming device is controlled so as to counteract a difference in velocities of the thin glass strip between the two opposite edges.

Abstract: Methods and a glass manufacturing system are described herein that impact compaction in a glass sheet. For instance, a method is described herein for impacting compaction in a glass sheet made by a glass manufacturing system. In addition, a glass manufacturing system is described herein which manufactures a glass sheet that meets a compaction target. Plus, a method is described herein for maintaining an uniform compaction between glass sheets made by different glass manufacturing systems.

Abstract: A mold opening and closing mechanism for a machine for forming glass articles includes at least one mold divided into two halves that open and close to form the articles. The halves of the molds are coupled to a pair of supporting arms, each arm being independently mounted opposite the other and separated in a parallel manner with respect to a support structure. The mechanism includes mold synchronizing means mounted so as to move with the mold support arms and to move inwards or outwards to open and close the molds. The mechanism further includes lever means having a first end connected to the support structure, the lever means and the pair of support arms transmitting to the synchronizing means an articulated inward or outward movement to close or open the molds.

Abstract: A method is described for manufacturing an optical fiber preform, including a tube collapsing phase, and including monitoring the concentration of at least one fluid component of a fluid that is exhausted from the tube, to detect structural integrity of the tube. A system is also described for manufacturing optical fiber preforms. The system comprising a holder configured to hold a tube, a heater configured to heat at least part of the tube to a tube collapsing temperature, a fluid exhaust configured to discharge fluid from the tube, held by the holder. The system also includes a tube integrity monitor configured to monitor structural integrity of the tube, during a collapsing phase, by monitoring fluid that is discharged from the tube.

Abstract: Submerged combustion burners having a burner body and a burner tip body connected thereto. The burner body has an external conduit and a first internal conduit substantially concentric therewith. The external conduit and first internal conduit form an annulus for passing a cooling fluid there between. A second internal conduit substantially concentric with the external conduit forms a second annulus between the first and second internal conduits. A burner tip body is connected to the burner body at ends of the external and first internal conduits. The burner tip body includes a generally central flow passage for a combustible mixture, the flow passage defined by an inner wall of the burner tip body. The burner tip body further has an outer wall and a crown connecting the inner and outer walls. The crown includes at least one physical convolution sufficient to increase surface area and fatigue resistance of the crown.

Abstract: A method for activating an inner surface of a hollow glass substrate tube for manufacturing an optical fiber preform including depositing a plurality of activation glass layers on the inner surface of the hollow substrate tube by a PCVD process, wherein a total thickness of the deposited activation glass layers is between 10 microns and 250 microns, and etching the deposited activation glass layers to remove at least 30% of the deposited activation glass layers.

Abstract: A mold stack for forming 3D glass-based articles includes a plenum and a cooling structure integrated with the plenum. The mold stack includes a mold with a flange that can be used to mount the mold on the plenum. The mold stack includes features to reduce mold warp without significantly increasing thermal mass.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing a porous glass deposition body for optical fiber comprising depositing silica powder on a starting member being raised and rotated by using burners with different deposition positions. With a glass raw material flow rate supplied to a core deposition burner represented by F1 and a total flow rate of glass raw material supplied to a cladding deposition burner adjacent to the core deposition burner represented by F2, during an initial deposition stage occurring before gas conditions reach a stable state, glass raw material is supplied to points at the same longitudinal position of the deposition body such that a glass raw material flow rate ratio F2/F1 is no less than 0.69 and no greater than 1.03.

Abstract: This invention provides a manufacturing method for an optical fiber. In this invention, when the core layer loose body and the cladding layer loose body are deposited, the oxyhydrogen flame is used make a temperature of an interface between the core layer and the cladding layer rise, such that silicon dioxide at the interface appropriately contracts to form an isolation layer with a relatively high density. In addition, in this invention, a hollow glass tube is used as a target rod, and the hollow glass tube which is the target rod is directly connected with the core layer loose body. During the subsequent dehydration, not only a dehydration atmosphere penetrates from the outside to the inside of the cladding layer loose body, but also the dehydration atmosphere directly enters the core layer through the hollow glass tube.

Abstract: An apparatus for the production of a mineral melt burns combustible material in the presence of inorganic material to form a melt. The apparatus includes a circulating combustion chamber which receives a fuel, pre-heated mineral material and a combustion gas so as to melt the mineral material and generate exhaust gases which are separated from the melt. The gases pass through an exhaust pipe to a conduit of a heat exchange system. The apparatus includes a quenching hood for quenching the exhaust gases by drafting a cooling fluid, such as ambient air, into the flow of exhaust gases around the exhaust pipe, and wherein the exhaust gases exit the exhaust pipe inside the hood.

Abstract: In a method of forming a conical shape on a glass rod including an effective portion and an ineffective portion adjoining the effective portion to form a conical shape in the effective portion by simultaneously heating a boundary and the vicinity of the boundary between the effective portion and the ineffective portion and pulling an end of the ineffective portion, the temperature of a heater is raised and a heating target on the glass rod is simultaneously moved from the ineffective portion to the boundary.

Abstract: A method for thermally treating an annular region of an inner surface of a glass container produced from a borosilicate glass tube is provided. The annular region is disposed at a tubular portion of the glass container and is disposed adjacent to a glass container bottom. The method includes: forming the glass container bottom from the glass tube; heating the annular region of the inner surface of the tubular portion to a treatment temperature TBeh above the transformation temperature TG, wherein the annular region is adjacent to the glass container bottom; maintaining the treatment temperature TBeh for a certain time period; and cooling the glass container to room temperature.

Abstract: A stirrer for glass melting which can be used over a prolonged life expectancy, while maintaining a high strength, even in an environment exposed to a high temperature and an oxygen-containing gas atmosphere for a long period of time, and can prevent the air bubbles from being mixed into the glass melt.

Abstract: Submerged combustion burners having a burner body and a burner tip connected thereto. The burner body has an external conduit and first and second internal conduits substantially concentric therewith, forming first and second annuli for passing a cooling fluid therethrough. The burner includes a generally central flow passage for a combustible mixture, the flow passage partially defined by an inner wall of the burner tip. The burner tip has an outer wall and crown connecting the inner and outer walls. The inner and outer walls and crown comprise materials having greater corrosion and/or fatigue resistance than the burner external conduit. The burner tip is connected to the burner body by inner and outer connections, at least one of which includes members interference fit to the burner tip and burner body, the members welded, soldered, or brazed together, in certain instances by fiber laser welding.

Abstract: A method for producing ceramizable green glass components provided, as well as apparatus for performing such method and ceramizable green glass components producible by such method. The method is a redrawing process in which a preform is heated, in a deformation zone, to a temperature that enables redrawing of the glass. The deformation zone is particularly small, which permits redrawing of the ceramizable green glass bodies while avoiding ceramization during the redrawing. The method provides plate-like or sheet-like green glass components that have a particularly smooth surface.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a synthetic opaque quartz glass where flame processing can be performed in high purity with a simple way and even a large sized one can be produced, and the synthetic opaque quartz glass. A method for producing a synthetic opaque quartz glass which comprises the step of heating and burning a quartz glass porous body under a pressure of from 0.15 MPa to 1000 MPa at a temperature of from 1200 ° C. The quartz glass porous body is prepared by depositing quartz glass particles which are produced by hydrolyzing a silicon compound with an oxyhydrogen flame.

Abstract: One embodiment of the disclosure relates to a method of cleaning silica-based soot or an article made of silica-based soot, the method comprising the step of treating silica-based soot or the article made of silica-based soot with at least one of the following compounds: (i) a mixture of CO and Cl2 in a carrier gas such that the total concentration of CO and Cl2 in the mixture is greater than 10% (by volume, in carrier gas) and the ratio of CO:Cl2 is between 0.25 and 5; (ii) CCl4 in a carrier gas, such that concentration CCl4 is greater than 1% (by volume, in carrier gas). Preferably, the treatment by CCl4 is performed at temperatures between 600° C., and 850° C. Preferably, the treatment with the CO and Cl mixture is performed at temperatures between 900° C. and 1200° C. The carrier gas may be, for example, He, Ar, N2, or the combination thereof.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a method for producing an optical blank from synthetic quartz glass by vitrifying and shaping a porous, cylindrical SiO2 soot body having a longitudinal axis, in a heating zone including a melt mold with bottom plate. The SiO2 soot body vitrified in the heating zone at a vitrification temperature so as to form a full cylindrical, completely vitrified, transparent quartz glass body. Subsequently, the vitrified quartz glass body is shaped by softening in the melt mold at a softening temperature so as to form a viscous quartz glass mass which partly fills the volume of the melt mold, and cooling the quartz glass mass and removal from the melt mold so as to form the optical blank. During shaping in the melt mold, the full cylindrical quartz glass body is brought into contact by way of controlled supply with a centering means of the bottom plate.

Abstract: An exemplary method for preparing a primary preform by etching and collapsing a deposited tube includes mounting a deposited tube on a lathe and introducing the deposited tube into a central aperture of a furnace mounted on the lathe, wherein the furnace and the deposited tube are movable in axial direction with respect to each other, and creating within the furnace a hot zone that moves in translation back and forth over the length of the deposited tube during one or more cycles, wherein (i) during at least one cycle at least part of the outside of the deposited tube is etched by supplying a fluorine-containing etching gas to an annular region between the outer surface of the deposited tube and the central aperture of the furnace, and (ii) during at least one cycle the deposited tube is collapsed.