STRESS-DISTRIBUTION IN OPTICAL-FIBER RIBBONS

Previous results indicate that fibers in ribbons are sometimes affecte d by systematic birefringence superimposed on the random one, their re lative weights depending on fiber position in the ribbon. We report ne w theoretical and experimental results on stress distribution in ribbo ns, which is shown to depend on thermal and mechanical properties of t he common coating. Numerical simulations are based on the theory of el asticity and the finite-element method (FEM). Polarization dispersion measurements vs. temperature match very well with numerical results, a nd indicate that central fibers in the ribbon exhibit significantly la rger birefringence than lateral ones.