Optical fibres coating aging induced by the maritime environment

Mechanical Properties of Optical Fibers

“…Such ions diffusion can be responsible for the optical fiber degradation and the decrease of its strength (Thirtha et al, 2002;Lindholm et al, 2004). Therefore, the behavior of the fiber strength with aging is not only dependent on the moisture present in the environment but also on the diffusion rate of the ions across the coating (Armstrong et al, 1999;Domingues et al, 2010). The implementation of optical fiber systems (as for example in sensing structures or optical networks) (Ferreira et al, 2009), is dependent on the optical fiber reliability and its lifetime degradation in abrasive environments, where ions like Na+, Cl-, or even moisture are present.…”

“…In figure 11 we present the optical microscopy images, taken with an Olympus BH2 and the digital camera Sony DKC-CM30, for fibers degraded on a 35 g/l NaCl aqueous solution a) during 31 days and b) 105 days (Domingues et al, 2010 In these images we can see the difference in the protective polymer as consequence of its degradation.…”