Manufacturing Quartz Hollow Fibers: Solution to the Problem of Stability in the Drawing of Capillaries

Solving the problem of the stability of the manufacturing process (“drawing”) of microstructured optical fibers (“holey fibers”) is of paramount importance for determining effective technological modes of production. In this study, the modified capillary drawing model proposed by the authors, which takes into account inertial, viscous, and surface tension forces, as well as all types of heat transfer, was used. Based on the linear theory of stability, the regions of stability of the capillary drawing process were determined. During the study, the influence of the drawing ratio and inertia forces (Reynolds number) on the stability of the process under consideration was evaluated. The existence of optimal parameters of the heating element is shown: temperature distribution over the furnace surface and furnace radius at which the stability of the process of drawing quartz tubes increases significantly (several times).