COMBUSTION DIAGNOSTICS

THERE IS A PERCEIVED NEED TO DEVELOP ADVANCED INSTRUMENTATION TO ASSIST IN THE EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF COMBUSTION PROCESSES. AN INFRARED OPTICAL FIBER, EXHIBITING EXCELLENT TRANSMISSION OVER A WIDE WAVELENGTH REGION, REASONABLE FLEXIBILITY AND CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING THE COMBUSTION ENVIRONMENT, COULD SERVE AS AN OPTICAL PROBE TO COUPLE THE INSTRUMENTATION INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. THIS PROPOSAL IS CONCERNED WITH ESTABLISHING THE FEASIBILITY OF PRODUCING A ZNSE INFARARED OPTICAL FIBER USING A GRINDING TECHNIQUE. THIS APPROACH SHOWS PROMISE OF BEING CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FIBERS UP TO ONE METER IN LENGTH AND DIAMETERS OF ONE MILLIMETER WITH SUFFICIENT SURFACE QUALITY TO MAINTAIN LOSSES TO LESS THAN 0.45 DB/M. IN THIS PROGRAM A GRINDING APPARATUS WILL BE MODIFIED AND USED TO PRODUCE 30 CM LONG TEST FIBERS WHICH WILL BE EVALUATED FOR OPTICAL EFFICIENCY AT 10.6 FOR FLEXIBILITY.