An immersion weaving system includes a first drum immersed in a first bath of a liquid. The first drum is configured to form a glass strand from individual glass filaments. The immersion weaving system also includes a second drum immersed in the first bath of the liquid. The second drum is configured to form a yarn spool from the glass strand. The immersion weaving system further includes a loom immersed in a second bath of the liquid. The loom is configured to form a void-free glass cloth.

A method for forming a pressure sensor is provided wherein an optical fibre is provided, the optical fibre comprising a core, a cladding surrounding the core, and a birefringence structure for inducing birefringence in the core. The birefringence structure comprises first and second holes enclosed within the cladding and extending parallel to the core. A portion of the optical fibre comprising the core and the birefringence structure is encased within a chamber, wherein the chamber is defined by a housing comprising a pressure transfer element for equalising pressure between the inside and the outside of the housing. An optical sensor is provided along the core of the optical fibre. Providing the optical sensor comprises optically inducing stress in the core so that the optical sensor exhibits intrinsic birefringence. The chamber is filled with a substantially non-compressible fluid. Consequently, the birefringence structure is shaped so as to convert an external pressure provided by the non-compressible fluid within the chamber to an anisotropic stress in the optical sensor.

An all-glass cladding mode stripper comprises a plurality of high refractive index, small diameter glass beads disposed along an exposed portion of the inner cladding region of an optical fiber. The unwanted low NA signal light (as well as any other type of stray light) propagating within the cladding layer is removed by refracting into the adjacent beads, where this captured light then scatters away from the optical fiber.

Gypsum panels, sheathing systems, and methods of making and using the same are provided. A gypsum panel includes a gypsum core associated with a first fiberglass mat having a continuous barrier coating, the coating penetrating a portion of the first fiberglass mat opposite the gypsum core, wherein gypsum penetrates a remaining fibrous portion of the first fiberglass mat such that voids in the first fiberglass mat are substantially eliminated. A building sheathing system includes at least two gypsum panels and a seaming component to provide a seam at an interface between the gypsum panels.

A method for producing a protected optical fiber with distributed sensors includes heating an optical fiber preform and drawing the heated optical fiber preform to form a drawn optical fiber. The method also includes coating the drawn optical fiber with a carbon coating after the optical fiber is drawn to provide a carbon coated optical fiber and then writing a series of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) into the carbon coated optical fiber to provide a carbon coated optical fiber with FBGs. The method further includes coating the carbon coated optical fiber with FBGs with one or more layers of a polymer to provide the protected optical fiber with distributed sensors, wherein the heating, drawing, carbon coating the drawn optical fiber, writing, coating the carbon coated optical fiber are performed in that sequence while the protected optical fiber is being produced.

An optical fiber includes an optical transmission medium having a core and a cladding; a primary resin layer disposed in contact with the optical transmission medium to coat the optical transmission medium; and a secondary resin layer coating the primary resin layer, wherein the primary resin layer comprises a cured product of an ultraviolet light curable resin composition comprising a urethane (meth)acrylate oligomer, a monomer and a photopolymerization initiator, and a compound containing phosphorus and tin as constituent atoms; and a Young's modulus of the primary resin layer is 0.5 MPa or less at 23 C.

The present invention relates to an aqueous binder composition for mineral fibers comprisingat least one hydrocolloid, at least one fatty acid ester of glycerol.

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber of the invention includes: preparing a direction changer; drawing the bare optical fiber from an optical fiber preform; providing a coated layer on a periphery of the bare optical fiber; obtaining an optical fiber by curing the coated layer; changing a direction of the bare optical fiber at a position between a bare-optical-fiber formation position and a coated-layer provision position; and measuring the outer diameter of the coated layer; and adjusting the length of the bare optical fiber from a drawing unit to a coating unit by controlling a position of the direction changer based on a measurement value of the outer diameter, the drawing unit forming the bare optical fiber, the coating unit providing the coated layer on the periphery of the bare optical fiber.

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber of the invention includes: preparing one or more direction changers; drawing the bare optical fiber from an optical fiber preform; providing a coated layer on a periphery of the bare optical fiber; obtaining an optical fiber by curing the coated layer; changing the direction of the bare optical fiber at the position between the bare-optical-fiber formation position and the coated-layer provision position; detecting the position of the bare optical fiber in at least one of the direction changers; and adjusting the introduction flow rate of the fluid into the direction changer based on positional information obtained by the detection.

A method for manufacturing a mat of inorganic fibers including the manufacture or supply of a mat of inorganic fibers having two major surfaces, which is strengthened with a chemical binder, or by means of a hydrodynamic method, coating of a first major surface of the mat by means of the application of an aqueous solid dispersion on one of the two sides of the mat, drying the coated mat, printing the coated mat by means of rotary printing, digital printing, screen printing, or offset printing on the first major surface of the coating, optional application of a protective layer onto the first major surface, application of a binder, at least partial drying and at least partial crosslinking of the mat to which binder has been applied, and rolling up of the obtained material web, or cutting to size as sheets.