Abstract: Models exist to describe the mechanical lifetime of an optical fiber. All models, also those that include zero stress aging, make use of a power law to describe stress corrosion. This law is a good approximation because the stress and speed of the crack tip are comparable for fatigue tests (high strength mode) and service life (weak flaws). For high strength (pristine) fibers the description with finite crack size needs, however, further examination. Since one bond rupture has a large effect on the strength of such a fiber, the continuum model of fused silica must also be compared with discrete modeling. In this paper an analysis with discrete bond ruptures is performed. The theory is used to fit measured static fatigue data from high strength fibers. It is concluded that discrete modeling results in almost the same effective corrosion susceptibility n as for the continuum model. Furthermore the effective Weibull parameter m of 75, following from an initial pristine surface, is physically interpreted and corresponds well with measurements.!21
展开▼
