IEC offers guidance on residual stress

The International Electrochemical Commission (IEC) is expected to publish the first version of a technical report that provides guidance for measuring the residual stress in an optical fiber. The document, TR 62469, 'Guidance for Residual Stress Measurement of Optical Fibre', explains the principle and gives detailed procedures for obtaining a fiber's residual stress profile. Residual stress in an optical fiber is induced during high speed and high tension drawing, and the measurement of the stress distribution is an important factor because it affects critical fiber parameters, such as refractive index, intrinsic polarization-mode dispersion. The technical report describes an optical transverse phase retardation measurement method in which a polariscope is used for determining residual stresses. TR 62469 is intended for manufacturers of optical fibers and component manufacturers to have a uniform procedure for measuring the residual stress of their products.