Candy Glass

Fiber Drawing Using the

Double Crucible Method

By Tara Schneider
Summer 2005
Advisors: Bill Heffner and Himanshu Jain
IMI-NFG at Lehigh University

Work Supported By NSFs International Materials Institute for New Functionality

 Introduction
This slide show includes background
information on optical fibers, Snells
Law, and glass science.
At the end of the slide show is a lab
that can be performed using
ingredients and supplies you can find
in your kitchen.
 Fiber Optics
Background Information

Thefollowing topics relate to fiber

optics:
Core and Cladding
Total Internal Reflection
Uses
Comparison to Wires and Current
 Core and Cladding
A fiber optics cable is a Cladding
long string of glass that
consists of a core and a Core
cladding (Picture). The
cladding surrounds the
core and has a lower
index of refraction, n. A slice of a fiber optics
The core can transmit cable.
one or more colors of
light. Total internal Note: In our experiment, we
reflection in the core create a fiber optics cable with a
core and a cladding to
keeps light from demonstrate the double crucible
escaping. method. The core and cladding
do not have different indices of
refraction, n values.
 Snells Law
What is total internal
reflection (TIR)? To
understand why TIR Total Internal Reflection
occurs, one must know Keeps Light in.
Snells Law.
Snells law states:
n1sin1=n2sin2 (see n2 rac
ted
ra y
Ref
diagram). 2
The reflected angle n1
equals the incident angle.
Re
fle
ay ct
tr ed
1=r ci
de
n 1 r ra
y
In
Note: The dotted line is the
normal. All angles are Reflection and Refraction. n1>n2
measured from the normal.
 Total Internal Reflection

Total Internal Reflection

If 2 is greater than 90 then no Keeps Light in.
light is refracted. The incident
angle that would cause this 90
angle of refraction, 2, is called
the critical angle, c. n2
n1sin1=n2sin2 becomes
n1sinc=n2sin 90. n1 Re
fle
ay ct
So the critical angle is de
ntr c r ed
ra
nci y
I

sinc=n2/n1 Critical Angle and

Reflected Angle. n1>n2.
 Uses
Fiber optics cables
can be used for the
following applications:
Communication
Telephone
Television
Internet
Fiber Optic Fish.
Surgery Photo courtesy of Robert

Toys Backman.

Uses yet to be
imagined!
Fiber Optic
Cable. 18 April, 2002. Online
Image. www.accs.net - /users/kriel/ch12
notes/. 4 August, 2005.
<http://www.accs.net/users/kriel/ch12%20
notes/fiber_optic_cable.jpg>.
 Comparison to Wires and
Current
A wire can transmit current, either in a
positive direction or a negative direction.
A fiber optics cable can transmit light in
two directions at the same time. It can also
transmit light in different phases,
amplitudes, and sometimes different colors.
Optical fibers can carry more information,
and they can carry it a farther distance
than wires.
 Glass
Topics covered include:
Crystalline and Amorphous Solids
Supercooled Liquid and Viscosity
Glass Transition Temperature
Fiber Drawing
Similarities Between Candy and Glass
 Crystalline vs. Amorphous
Most solids are crystalline, but glass is
amorphous. Glass does not have a
repeated molecular structure.
An amorphous solid resembles a liquid
frozen in time.

Molecular arrangement in a Molecular arrangement in a

crystal. No date. Online image. http://math.ucr.edu/. glass. No date. Online image.
3 August, 2005. http://math.ucr.edu/. 3 August, 2005.
<http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass <http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass
.html>. /glass.html>.
 Crystallization and Glass
Forming
If you heat a crystal up to above the melting
temperature, Tm, and then cool it, it might
become a crystal or it might become a glass.
If given enough time, the melt will become a
crystal. The molecules rearrange into their
lowest energy states which are very ordered.
If you cool the melt quickly, it will not have
time to rearrange to become a crystal.
Instead, it will become a supercooled liquid,
on its way to glass formation.
 Viscosity
Viscosity is the resistance to flow. A
highly viscous material flows slowly
like honey, and a material with low
viscosity flows easily like water.
As this supercooled liquid becomes
cooler and cooler, the viscosity
becomes greater and greater.
 Tg (t-j)

When the viscosity becomes so high that

the material behaves more like a solid
than a liquid, it has become a glass. It
has hit Tg.
Tg is the glass transition temperature. T g
is lower than the melting temperature, T m.
 Fiber Drawing
In the experiment, we will draw fibers from a supercooled liquid.
Video will run after download please be patient.
 Candy Glass
Similarities between Candy and Glass
Amorphous solids
Tendency to crystallize under certain conditions
Glass former: SiO2 (Silicate) for glass, C12H24O12 (Sucrose) for candy
Glass modifier: Na2CO3 for sodium silicate glass, H2O for candy, reduces
melting temperature and decreases chemical durability
Other stuff: Corn syrup reduces crystallization in candy. Dr. Jains
paper says that adding stuff to glass can increase glass forming ability.
(Source: Jain, Himanshu and Isha Jain, Learning the Principles of Glass Science and Technology from Candy Making. Lehigh University.
University. No
Date. Lehigh University. 5 Aug. 2005 <http://www.lehigh.edu/~inmatsci/faculty/candy_making.pdf>.) Note: Corn syrup
is made of simpler sugars than sucrose. Sucrose is fructose C12H24O12
and glucose C12H24O12 bonded together. Corn syrup is fructose,
glucose, water and other stuff which the Karo company does not
disclose.
Differences between Candy and Glass
Candy will decompose (C12H24O12 bonds will break) at a temperature
that is very high or when not much water is present (Source: Jain, Himanshu. Personal
Interview. June 2005.)

Melting temperature Tm and glass transition temperature Tg are much

lower for candy than for glass.
And Now for the Experiment
 Set-Up
Supplies
A stove or hot plate
Oven mitts
Two 600 mL beakers
Two thermometers that can read 144.5C
410g sugar
240g corn syrup
100g water
Food coloring
Two glass funnels-the shorter the stem the better
Outside funnel: Stem diameter 1.4cm
Inside funnel: Stem diameter .7cm, preferably longer than stem of outside
funnel.
A clamp to hold the funnels, paper towel to protect funnels from scratching.
A scale to measure ingredients
A metal tray to catch hot candy and store fibers
A glass rod to draw fibers with
A reflection microscope
A razor
 Supercool Set-Up
Set up funnels as shown:
Place paper towel between
the clamp and the funnel.
Make sure the funnels are
concentric at the top and
bottom of the stem.
Set it up so that the inside
funnel sticks out a little bit
at the bottom (this will
help you see if the
cladding is surrounding
the core on all sides).
Is anything going to get in Double Crucible Set Up.
the way of you pouring June 2005.
your supercooled liquid?
You will have a little time
during cooking and the Concentri
beginning of the pour to c Funnel
make final adjustments.
Stems.
June 2005.
 Procedure: Fiber Drawing
You have the cooking mitts for a reason! Dont get burned.
Measure 205g sugar, 120g water and 50g corn syrup into each
beaker. Stir before cooking but not during cooking.
Cook on a high setting on the stove until both syrups reach
144.5C.
Add 20 drops food coloring to one beaker.
Pour immediately. Pour colored liquid into inside beaker and
clear (or yellow) into outside beaker.
Candy will drip out on its own at first.
If cladding is not surrounding core on all sides, readjust
funnels.
Use spoon to test viscosity. If you can pull long fibers, then the
viscosity is right for fiber drawing.
Pull the fibers, and save them on the metal tray.
Notice how rate of pulling affects thickness of fibers.
Notice how viscosity affects thickness of fibers.
Experience Fiber Drawing
Success!
Video plays after download brief wait
 Procedure: Examination of
Fiber
To view fibers under microscope, tape
three microscope slides together.
Cut fiber with razor.
Polish fiber by twisting one end on a
damp paper towel.
Tape fiber vertically to the three slides.
Position the three slides in the
microscope the way you would
normally position a single slide.
 Acknowledgements
My Advisors: Dr. Bill Heffner and
Professor Himanshu Jain, Lehigh
University
My Lab Partner: Raina Jain
Funding Provided by: The National
Science Foundation through the
International Materials Institute,
Lehigh University