Bedford Chord Textile Fabric for Fiber Optic Communication Ribbon

During the Phase I program, the development team will focus on incorporating optical fibers into a ribbon of Bedford Chord textile. The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of using the ribbon to imbed the optical fibers into a filament woundstructure. The Bedford Chord structure is ideally suited to carry optical fibers in a filament wound composite because of (1) its ability to protect the optical fiber and minimize microbending (2) its cost effective manufacturing process (3) the varietyof yarns that can be used in the fabric and (4) its low profile construction. Optical fiber and connector requirements will be established and compared to commercially available fiber and connectors. A lightweight and low profile connector will bedesigned to meet the requirements for a fiber optic communication ribbon for missile applications. During Phase I a ribbon will be fabricated and imbedded in a filament wound structure. The optical properties of the imbedded fiber will be demonstrated. Aconnector scheme will be designed and its feasibility will be demonstrated.The Bedford chord optical fiber communication ribbon will provide higher bandwidth and reduced weight compared to copper wire. When imbedded, the ribbon will eliminate external conduits and covers. In addition to commercial and civilian launch market the technology would be valuable in aircraft structure to eliminate large wire bundles by incorporating them into the structure. Furthermore, if the communication fibers are replaced with sensorfibers, then the sensor can be incorporated into composite structure to form so called