Reinforced optical fiber butt weld connection

Claim 1

A reinforced butt weld connection between the ends of two optical fibres, said fibres having a protective sheath over most of their length and having an end portion stripped of said sheath, said connection comprising a capillary tube made of a metal of high mechanical strength, said tube surrounding a butt weld between said fibre ends and adjacent stripped portions of optical fibre and extending over a non-stripped portion of each of said fibres, said tube having a bore which leaves little clearance around the sheaths of the optical fibres and a slow-setting adhesive which is very fluid in the liquid state and which hardens in the absence of air filling the space between the capillary tube and the stripped ends of the fibres and between the capillary tube and the sheaths of the fibres by capillarity to the extent of the entire volume of said space between the fibres and the internal surface of the capillary tube with the slow-setting adhesive completely wetting the surfaces of the optical fibres and the tube with which it contacts to facilitate complete transmission of the traction forces applied to the fibres to the capillary tube.