4. Application: Identification of a fiber-drawing tower

4.1 Process description

The fiberizing tower is the industrial process used to manufacture optical fiber. A schematic diagram of a fiber-drawing tower is shown in figure 4 . The tower comprises an induction furnace at a temperature of around 2,000°C, into which a preform - a silica cylinder several tens of centimetres long - slowly descends. This preform is suspended several meters high by one of its ends. The end of the preform in the hot zone of the furnace softens, forming a drop. This drop stretches under the effect of gravity, and the resulting silica thread is then driven by a capstan located at the bottom of the tower. The silica wire thus drawn is subjected to various chemical treatments, and the resulting...